Clarkston resident Adam Engler, a recent graduate of College for Creative Studies, shot his film,“Creepy in Clarkston,” at Clarkston High School.
Adam Engler has wanted to be a movie producer for as long as he can remember, and he hopes a film he shot inside Clarkston High School will help him reach that goal.
“My mom has told me that when I was really, really young — at that age when people ask, ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’ — that I would say, ‘I want to make movies,’” said Engler, a 22-year-old resident of Clarkston.
Engler recently graduated from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, where he majored in entertainment arts.
For his final project before graduation, Engler shot a 13-minute film called, “Creepy in Clarkston.”
“It’s about a kid who gets made fun of at high school until he becomes the creepy guy. The humor in it is a little dark,” Engler said.
The film premiered Thursday at the Riverside Saginaw Film Festival.
“It’s my very first film festival,” Engler said. “I’m really hoping something comes of it.”
For Engler, getting the short flick to play at the film festival means more people can see his work. He hopes the exposure will get him closer to landing the job he’s always wanted.
“The whole point of (film festivals) is for people from the industry trying to find new talent, or for independent movies that have no distribution to reach an audience,” that’s something he’ll be able to do in Michigan.
Despite the new laws that have drawn movie makers to Michigan, most of the jobs they bring are for movie extras or production assistants, Engler said.
“The way things are right now for cinematographers, they’re bringing people from unions in California,” Engler said.
The movie might start showing on the Clarkston Public Access channel, where Engler has interned.
“They were a huge help in making the movie too,” Engler said.
Clips from the film can also be viewed online at myspace.com/creepyinclarkston. Engler said.
He’s also excited for the aspiring actors in his film to be showcased on the big screen.
“The whole point is, I want people to see the hard work we’ve put into the movie,” Engler said.
The movie’s script was actually written by Engler when he was 17-years-old, but reworked for the movie.
“They say you’re only supposed to write what you know and I didn’t want to write about making movies, so I went back to what I had before,” Engler said. “I wrote it in high school based mostly on my experience in middle school.”
Engler wants to land a job as a cinematographer now that’s he graduated, but isn’t sure if that’s something he’ll be able to do in Michigan.
Contact staff writer Karen Auchterlonie at (248) 745-4643
