by Mia Germain
Seeing one’s name in lights might be the dream of many, but for Chadwick High School student James Calhoun, it has already become a reality. After picking up his first video camera in sixth grade, he is well on his way to becoming the professional director that he is more than cut out to be, and it all started out with his innocent question, “Well, why don’t I make a movie?”
On May 6 he premiered his first full-length film, “Prominence,” at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro.
Although he started out more interested in photography and short stories, it was in Photo 1 during his freshman year of high school that he made his first movie trailer. It might not have been based on anything at the time, but after a friend’s suggestion to turn it into a full-length movie, the making of “Prominence” was under way.
First thing on Jason’s list was to write a screenplay. Sitting himself down for 20 days in June 2009, he started his summer off by writing the longest screenplay he had ever attempted. After acquiring an amazing Cannon HD camera it was time to find actors. With the help of his friend Jeff Hauser, Chadwick class of ’09, he sat down for his first casting call with 20 professional actors.
“It was rough at the beginning, no one else was really on board yet,” James said of getting the project started. But soon friends began filling in the necessary positions, actors volunteered their time, and James learned what its really like to make a movie.
Filming over the summer, the high school student had to take time off from the project for school, but he was determined to have a final project by May 14, “even if I had to show rough cuts.”
His original plan was small, as he hoped only to show it at Chadwick’s Laverty Center, but soon he was shooting for screenings at The Avenue’s Regal Cinemas, and ultimately landing at San Pedro’s historic and timelessly beautiful Warner Grand.
The entire project came together in a celebration for both the premier of the movie and James’ birthday. Once everything came together – the movie posters, VIP passes, and lots of food – the entire project came in at less than $1,000.
“I didn’t even know my name was on the Marquee until halfway through the opening,” James said.
“I never thought it was a huge deal until I finished it. As long as you have the Internet and a loan, I thought anyone could do it,” he said.
James remains both humble and confident in his talents.
“I don’t want to be the guy who hides away from his real accomplishments,” he said.
“I learned a lot about myself and life through this experience,” James said. He plans to study directing at the Pasadena Art Center after finishing at Chadwick.
“Everyone in my family has an ‘art part’ to them, and my own experiences have caused me to think in a very obscure way,” James said. But his experiences with photography and with “Prominence” have shown him a clearer direction in which he is heading.
“I’m a problem solver,” he said, while admitting, “I’ve never seen the classics, I like doing things, not watching things.”
And yet he manages to turn what some might consider a flaw into a confidence booster.
“A lot of times I will get ideas only to find out later that they’ve already been done by some of the biggest directors,” he said. “I just think it means I have good ideas.”
He plans on continuing to explore his directorial talent with new projects even before entering college. Taking the summer before his senior year to work on as many films as possible, he is choosing to concentrate on an ongoing project documenting Starbucks coffee, and a venture into the world of zombie movies.
His biggest concern with these new projects is giving himself the space to concentrate on directing. He acknowledged the help of friends in the making of his first film, but intends to stretch beyond volunteers and begin working with professionals.
“What I like most is the collaboration,” James said.
To land bigger budgets for these future projects, James teamed up with friend and fellow Chadwick student Mary Ela to create SnowHawk Productions, filming commercials for Cox cable among several other smaller projects. They have been waiting to get the business started until this summer because, as James put it, “school gets in the way.”
“I like expanding my creative mind even if it puts my grades on hold some times, I just don’t like limits,” James said.
For more on James or SnowHawk see snowhawkproductions.com. PEN
