Photos: Jim Powell Pictured above is Jake Hanks, left, with writer/director/producer Kayden Carlton on the set of his film, Behind the Lines.
Cavan-Monaghan Township has yet another film to add to its growing list of productions filmed in its beautiful rural landscape.
After three long years of hard work and dedication, the short film BEHIND THE LINES, written, directed and produced by Crestwood student Kayden Carlton, is finally ready to be seen.
Photos: Jim Powell
Pictured above is actor Jake Hanks, with Crestwood Student actors Josh Hayes, Jacob Thompson, Hashem Hashem
The film is 35 minutes in length and received its debut at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on August 23rd. It follows a WWII sniper who was assigned a dangerous mission to destroy a bunker. It features many young men from our community, including several Crestwood Secondary School students.
The BEHIND THE LINES project began three years ago, when local teenager Kayden Carlton decided to put his love of history and his imagination to paper. What began as a pass time quickly evolved into a full-on movie shoot and production. While Kayden wrote, directed and produced the film, he learned how to work on a shoe-string budget, engaging the support of friends and neighbours to complete the project. He gathered a crew of camera men, actors, make-up artists, a weapons specialist, and even a caterer!
He was able to complete this ambitious project thanks to the help of local teens Luke Kangas, Jack English and Jacob Thompson, who were but a few soldiers cast in the film. They also assisted with acquiring WWII uniforms and props. Several neighbours along Dranoel Rd allowed the use of their property and buildings for the film.
The young men were able to learn about the weapons used during the war from a WWII collector, who graciously loaned his decommissioned weapons for the movie. The collector spent several hours on set, teaching the cast how to use the weapons to increase the authenticity of the film.
George Knechtel, is another local who made a significant contribution to the project. In addition to being a main character in the film, George composed the soundtrack to BEHIND THE LINES, giving the movie original music.
Kayden graduated from Crestwood this spring and is headed for an adventure in New Zealand in October where he will point his camera in the direction of new people and places. He expects to come home inspired and may even consider film studies to further develop his craft. Regardless of where this project takes him, he has learned a lot and had fun along the way.
In the meantime, with the premiere behind, Kayden is exploring other opportunities for future showings. To learn about future showings, follow the filmmaker on Instagram @rice_landekker_films. KG
By Amy Carlton