There's been quite a bit of buzz around Chilliwack secondary lately about an up-and-coming filmmaker's latest project.
And there should be. The Chicago Typewriter, written and directed by student Zachary Obbagy, was filmed largely in and around the school. The cast is made up of students, and even a few teachers.
So naturally, everyone is excited to see the completed project - the final cut remains unseen even by the main actors - but nobody is more nervous than Obbagy.
For him, the premiere night could mark the beginning of a career behind the camera.
"This is the biggest make or break thing I may do in high school," Obbagy said in an interview in the CSS theatre, alongside his executive producer, Travis Reid.
And after a year of writing, filming and editing, that premiere just around the corner now. The Chicago Typewriter has a special screening at Galaxy Cinemas on Feb. 16. The night is almost sold out, with limited passes still available as of this week.
The theatre has told him if the night goes well, they could book another showing. But it's the premiere that will be the thrill of a lifetime; in the audience will be staff from Vancouver Film School, where Obbagy plans to go after graduation.
He was invited to the school in December, and showed them a seven-minute demo of the film, and they were hooked.
So what's The Chicago Typewriter all about?
Here's the plot. "When the main character, Connor, realizes that not passing his test means failing his class, he must go to The Gang for help. A group of psychotic students that act and dress like 1930s gangsters, willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Not to mention that not paying up may result in a shortened life span. No one will be able to stop them from getting what they want."
While it's a feature-length dramatic film now, it all started out as a comedic short for a class project. When he shared some early work on a 12-minute comedy, his friends gave him some honest feedback.
"Apparently I'm not the best comedic writer," he says, smiling. They told him to write it as a drama, and he found ways to "bring the tension up."
It was the actors who sold it as a drama to him, and he made a 10 minute version for class and one twice as long for Youtube.
But the project kept going.
"Three months into filming, I realized this is going to be really long," he says. And shooting was a lot of work. Some of the shooting days were six hours long, but gave the cast and crew "a very satisfying feeling."
While about three quarters of the movie was shot in Chilliwack and specifically the school, they also traveled to Vancouver for some shots, to double as the mean streets of Chicago.
"There just wasn't anywhere in Chilliwack that would look realistically like Chicago," Reid adds. He's been supporting his friend through the project, and is just as excited for Obbagy to be at the precipice of a potential career.
It's not like this is his first stab at filmmaking either. Obbagy says it really began about 10 years ago, when he saw the Transformers movie.
"I saw these robots fighting in the street and thought anything is possible," he says. "It just clicked."
For The Chicago Typewriter project, the Grade 11 student had to find ways to focus in on school just as much as filming. So they had a thorough schedule of everyone's classes and other commitments that they worked on to create a workable film schedule. They even left days open to reshoot or reschedule, ensuring the project would eventually be completed.
They would block and rehearse school scenes after school when the halls were empty, so they could quickly shoot while the halls were full. This way, they could get in and out surreptitiously before fellow students would start hamming up for the cameras.
Now that it's all coming to a close, Obbagy is gearing up for that opening night.
"It's been a roller coaster of emotions," he says.
It's also been a big cost. He's poured about $7000 into the project, a reality for any filmmaker. And that's without even paying any of the huge support team and cast a penny. If the movie makes any money, he has a list of people he'd love to pay.
Passes were selling for $10, and there were a limited amount left this week for sale. They're nearing the theatre's capacity of just over 300 people, though, so they won't last long.
Theatregoers won't just be seeing The Chicago Typewriter.
The formal wear affair begins at 6:45 p.m., with a trailer for yet another student's work, Austin North. They'll also show the complete teaser for The Chicago Typewriter, before showing the feature film. Afterward, they'll hold a cast Q&A session.
For Obbagy, he'll be torn between watching the faces of his friends and family, and seeing his creation play out on the big screen.
For those who don't make the big night, he's making the film available by digital download on March 4.
The Chicago Typewriter, written and directed by Zachary Obbagy, stars Seth Chmelyk, Connor Johnston, Brian Harbourne, Damian Howel, Tina Huynh, and Brent Moore. Executive Producer is Travis Reid, and makeup including prosthetics was done by Kim Herridge.