Creative Film Alliance students wrap up third movie project “Downriver”

The students of the Michigan Creative Film Alliance (MiCFA) finished filming their 2012-2013 movie project Downriver on August 18, 2012.

Since July 30, the students of the MiCFA have filmed their latest project around the downriver area in cities such as Wyandotte and Taylor. “This past three weeks were very intense, but I learned so much,” says Downriver director Billy Jackson, a senior Screen Arts and Culture major at U of M. “I will never forget this unique real-world, hands-on and professional experience.”

“The footage looks great. I think that it is going to be the best movie yet,” says co-director of photography Ryan Sundberg, a film program senior at Michigan State University. Downriver is a 30-minute narrative film where a socially awkward 15-year-old, Alex, is forced from his posh suburban lifestyle into life with his estranged older sister, Crystal, in working-class America, following their father’s untimely death.

“We worked so hard and all the students had so much fun filming and learning from each other,” says producer Tinisha Brugnone, a senior Media Arts and Studies production major at Wayne State University. “There is still a lot of work to be done before the premiere next April.”

The movie is now in its post-production stage. Top students and recent graduates from the film-related programs at Wayne State University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan will edit the project and deliver the finalized movie in March 2013.“We now have to cover our post-production costs which is why we are still fundraising,” says Brugnone.

To donate, please visit www.mi-cfa.com. Contributions to Downriver will be administered by Techtown, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and fiscal sponsor for the Michigan Creative Film Alliance.

Production Time...

The MiCFA students have been shooting their new project DOWNRIVER since July 31. Below, you will find some pictures taken in the past three weeks.

Downriver Kickstarter campaign

Dear Bloggers,

The students of the Michigan Creative Film Alliance (MiCFA) have launched their first major fundraising campaign on Kickstarter, an online funding platform for creative projects. Our goal is to raise at least $12,500 by Sunday,July 29, to fund location production costs associated with their 2012 production,“Downriver.”

We only have 4 days left to reach our fundraising goal! You can help us get there by making a pledge at http://kck.st/M1hGRB

Contributions to “Downriver” will be administered by TechTown, a Detroit based nonprofit business incubator and accelerator and fiscal sponsor for the Michigan Creative Film Alliance.

We are back for the third consecutive year!

Dear Bloggers,

We are very happy to announce that for the third year in the row, the Michigan Creative Film Alliance (MiCFA) has a new production team comprised of 30 students or recent graduates from Michigan State University, University of Michigan and Wayne State University.

The MiCFA's main goal is to allow students to work in a real-world feature-film style production atmosphere, filling all key production department roles from development and production through post-production and distribution.

Downriver is the third project of the MiCFA. In this 30-minute comedy, Downriver will meet Upriver. This film will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you wonder how different we really are from one another.

In the wake of his father’s sudden death, 15 year old Alex is forced from his posh, suburban lifestyle into a “downriver” life with his estranged half-sister Crystal and her family. The socially awkward Alex doesn’t like the family, can’t stomach the food, gets into scrapes with their friends, and is drawn into a backyard brawl that turns him into an accidental tough guy. In spite of the cultural divide, Alex and Crystal eventually connect in an unexpected way, realizing that whether you are downriver or upriver, family is family.

The screenplay was written by Brandon M. Verdi, a recipient of the 2012 Hopwood Award in Screenwriting from the University of Michigan. Our team is led by producer Tinisha Brugnone, a senior Media Arts and Studies production major at WSU. Tinisha is a MiCFA veteran who worked as co-producer and unit production manager on the 2011 Beauty Queen team. Downriver is directed by Billy Jackson, a senior Screen Arts and Culture film/screenwriting major at UofM. He’s also a returning MiCFA member of the art department of Beauty Queen. Downriver co-director of photography Ryan Sundberg (MSU) and sound recordist Josh Rickert (MSU) are also returning MiCFA team members.