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.
