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'The Fifteen Minute Show," a feature film by two former DePauw University students and a senior at the school, will be shown Sept. 26 at the New York International Film and Video Festival in Los Angeles.
Brian Goad, who now lives and works in Chicago as an editor for a production company, did a campus TV program with fellow filmmaker Jack Stahlmann called "The Fifteen Minute Show," which was the basis for the movie. Stahlmann wrote the film. Originally from Minnesota, Stahlmann's now in California pursuing an acting/writing career.
The two were in an honors program at the school and decided to make a movie during their senior year (2001-02) as their project along with their senior seminar.
"We figured it might be our last chance to take advantage of all the equipment and all the resources" at the school. He credits Larry J. Abed, director of television operations at the center of contemporary media at DePauw, as "a huge help."
The movie's premiere at DePauw drew a standing-room-only crowd of more than 300, he said. The movie still runs on DePauw's closed-circuit TV.
Last summer they submitted their movie to 15 to 20 festivals. It was rejected, but one of the festivals that said no to "The Fifteen Minute Show" recommended it to the New York festival.
"They got in contact with us, and it went from there. I think they're more interested in us than in the film."
The comedy, which clocks in at about 90 minutes, is about the trials and tribulations of doing a student TV show. About 100 people appear in the film, which was shot on campus.
Their other film collaborator, Michael McIlraith, a Texan, is a senior at DePauw.
Like the others, his sense of humor is apparent in his bio, in which he says he picked DePauw by throwing a dart into a bunch of college recruitment materials and it hit a DePauw pamphlet. "It's worked out really well, except for when I got monkeypox."
The movie is enjoyable if you didn't go to DePauw, Goad said, but those who do or did will get more of the jokes.
The description of the feature, at www.pen15productions.com, calls it "a film that not only mocks, but also embraces the crappy production quality of college television."
They've made two other films since then, "The Perfect Bum" and "Javelin."
Goad said their goal is to shoot two movies a year for the next five to 10 years. And they want to stick with comedies.
"Hopefully someone will see it and give us a chance." If one of them makes it big, they'll bring the others up with them, he said.
If you're in Los Angeles on Sept. 26, stop by Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose, in Hollywood. The 4 p.m. screening is free.
Lombard festival
Take in some Carole Lombard movies at the Carole Lombard Film Festival Sept. 28, and hear comedy expert Wes Gehring talk about the blond Hoosier's films.
Gehring is author of "Carole Lombard: The Hoosier Tornado," a new IHS Press book.
They'll show "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" at 1 p.m. and "My Man Godfrey" at 4 p.m. on the big screen in the Indiana History Center theater.
Admission at the door is $7 for each film ($6 for members, $5 for students). The double bill ticket is $12 ($10 for members, $8 for students).