NIU students will work
on Anthony Hopkins movie

by Tom Parisi

Six NIU students in the Department of Communication are shooting for the stars this summer, as in the Hollywood variety.

As part of a unique summer course, the students, who all have advanced production skills, are headed to Los Angeles to work on a film written and directed by Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins, who also stars. 

Christian Slater and Hollywood veteran Gena Rowlands reportedly have signed onto the project as well.

The graduate-level and undergraduate NIU students will work on the film 12 to 16 hours each day, six days a week, for five consecutive weeks beginning in early June. The first and last weeks will be spent on a Los Angeles set. In between, the students will work on location in the California desert.

The participants say they won't mind the grueling schedule.

“How many chances do you get to work on a feature-length film made by Anthony Hopkins? I couldn't pass that up,” said graduate student Mike Gentile of Lindenhurst. “It's pretty wild. We'll have five days off in five weeks.”

The other students involved are Becca Berry of Kenosha, Wis., Jeff Negus of Palatine, Dan Marder of River Forest, Mark Hoffmeister of Naperville and Tim Piper of Lombard.

Communication Professor Laura Vazquez and NIU communication alumnus Robert Katz developed the internship-like course. Katz is a veteran Hollywood producer whose long list of film credits includes “Seabiscuit,” “One Hour Photo,” “Dave Chappelle's Block Party” and “Crash,” winner of the 2006 Oscar for Best Picture.

“Robert proposed the possibility of having students go out to Los Angeles,” said Vazquez, who will accompany the students. “I then created a course where the students will actually earn credits.

“It's my hope that this will be the first of many such summers,” she added.

Shortly after graduating with honors from NIU in 1987, Katz moved to Los Angeles. By his own account, he “worked for free, kicked, scratched and clawed” his way into the film industry. Once he began working regularly in Hollywood, he reconnected with his alma mater.

“I offered to come to NIU to share my experiences in the film business,” he said. “I was inspired by (director) Robert Zemeckis, who did the same when I was an undergrad.”

Katz has frequently come back to NIU and, remembering his own early career struggles, was eager to develop an opportunity that would allow students to experience what it's like to work on the set of a major motion picture. “There is nothing like practical experience to enhance study,” he said.

Hopkins' film is called “Slipstream.” It's described as a noir-comedy about an actor and would-be screenwriter who, at the very moment of his meeting with fate, comes to discover that life is random and fortune is sightless as he is thrown into a vortex where time, dreams and reality collide. The creative team features acclaimed cinematographer Dante Spinotti.

Vazquez said the students will be placed in mentored internship positions that match their interests in camerawork, production, set design, art department work and line production. Vazquez, who is a video documentary filmmaker, also will serve as an intern working with the film editor. “I'll be available for the students, but I want to learn as much as I can, too,” she said. “This is what I teach.”

Senior Jeff Negus said he's hoping to hone his photography skills. “I'd be most interested in doing any kind of camerawork or lighting,” Negus said. “But just being on the set is enough. I would do pretty much anything to be a part of it.”

The students also will meet regularly with Vazquez and keep written, video or audio journals.

“I know some of my students are interested in finding careers in the film industry, and part of this experience is about reaffirming that career path and making connections,” Vazquez added. “They'll learn practical things about moviemaking, such as the responsibilities of a producer, director and other crew members. They also will find out just what it takes to make a movie look like it does.”

Senior Tim Piper plans to make the most of the experience.

“I'm going to be observing everything, just trying to take it all in and learn as much as I can every day,” Piper said. “This is kind of the first step toward getting your foot in the door, so I also hope to meet a lot of people and do a lot of networking. This is definitely the field I want to get into.”

Vazquez also is trying to arrange meetings with NIU alumni who work in the Hollywood movie and television industry, including Bill Weinman, who was on campus this spring to judge a music-video competition. Weinman is a film and sound editor whose credits include “Shawshank Redemption” and “The Fugitive.”

“Robert Katz and Bill Weinman have been generous with their time, coming back to NIU to talk with students and encourage and support them,” Vazquez said. “They also continue to be very helpful to our graduates who have moved out to L.A. Our Hollywood alums have been great in that regard. To have these busy people take time out of their lives and give back to their alma mater in this way is just amazing. Their life experiences and connections are invaluable.”

5-30-06