There are people you meet once and forget about.
There are people you run into here and there and chat with.
There are people you call your friends.
And then there are people like Bethany.
My number 8 college memory is the story of how I met Bethany Nagle.
Bethany and I actually had a class together a couple years ago: Italian. But our class was very segregated in where people sat and who they sat with. The stoners and slackers sat on one side, the quiet kids sat on the other side, the teacher's pets sat up front and the goofballs sat in the back.
I was a goofball, and Bethany was quiet. So I was in the back and she was on the side. And we never talked to each other, except maybe once or twice out of the blue.
Unknown to me, Bethany was friends with my friend, Loui, at the time, and mentioned to Loui a few times how I was in her class. One day, Loui told me this, and said that Bethany thought I was funny. Her follow up was then, "I don't know how anybody could think you're funny, Zach."
One day, Loui came over to watch a movie and brought Bethany. I had other friends over too, though, and since Loui rented the worst movie ever made, I barely said a word to Bethany as I was in another room most of the time.
Somehow, the two of us became really close friends. The story of how we met isn't all that exciting, I know, but it ranks high because it was sort of a chance thing that ended up making a huge impact on my life the past couple years. Bethany was there for me when I really needed a friend. She somehow put up with a lot of crap I threw her way but never complained.
Bethany is, in short, one of the kindest, most caring individuals I have ever known. No friend has ever cared for another friend the way she cares about me, and I'm incredibly thankful that I know her. Even though I've warned her that I'm going to fall off the face of the Earth for awhile and not speak to her for a long time, she knows that when I come back and am famous and rich that she'll be on the next flight to my mansion to celebrate with me.
So, this one's a little weird, but it was a lot of fun while it lasted. It's the time my roommates and I stole a gnome from our friends, and it's Number 9 on the countdown.
The gnome has a name: Paddy McSeamus, and he resided in the apartment of my friends Allison, Julie, Sarah, and Laura, and was a mascot of sorts for their group of friends.
The story begins early in sophomore year when we wake up to find that our house and front lawn had been covered in toilet paper as a prank.
Apparently, my roommates figured out it was their female friends and concocted a plan to get their revenge. They went over to their apartment for dinner one night, and when everybody was in another room, one of the guys stole Paddy and ran out with him.
That's when we took this wonderful picture of Paddy:
The girls were pissed off and tried a number of times to get Paddy back. The best story is quite elaborate, so I'll try to make sense of it here.
Ben Trout, a friend of my roommates, was riding home with all of us from somewhere one night. He lived in the dorms and we were dropping him off, and he asked if we could drop him off without stopping the car. He wanted to see if he could successfully jump out of a moving car. So, Luke - who was driving - slowed down a bit in front of the dorm and Ben jumped out successfully. At the time, we laughed and thought nothing of it, but Ben had a plan in place and was merely practicing.
At an intramural soccer game a week or two later, we were surprised to see that some of our female friends (the enemies in the Paddy McSeamus War, which was very much gender-biased) showed up to watch us. But then they left for awhile, only to come back again for a second at the end.
When we got home, I noticed that the front door was deadbolted, and not locked by the door knob as it usually was. I was immediately suspicious, and went to check my bedroom, where we were hiding Paddy. He was gone. I screamed for Luke, and told him what happened, except he had already been sent a ransom message from Ben Trout asking for a book he had never read, candy, and one other thing I can't remember.
But how did Ben get Paddy?
Apparently, Ben was hired by the girls to help them break into our house. They came to the soccer game only to rummage through our bags for the key. They broke in, and took Paddy. On the way back after they returned the key, Ben was sitting in the back of the car with Paddy and - as he had practiced before - jumped out of the car with the gnome.
It was then that Ben Trout sent Allison and Luke the same message, and decided that whoever brought him what he wanted first would get Paddy back.
Back at the house, the next words spoken were by me: "I'll drive."
Luke and I went to CVS, picked up what Ben asked for, and drove to his dorm, where - after being chased through campus - he was waiting with Allison. When Luke showed him the bag of goods - which the girls refused to get - he grabbed Paddy out of the bushes. Luke tossed the bag over Allison to Ben, who tossed Paddy to Luke.
Luke started running down the street, as Allison chased him. I grabbed my car, drove to where he was, and he jumped in. We went home. Shortly thereafter, Loui, Katie Grand, and Allison showed up at our front door. Paddy was in the living room. I yelled up the stairs for Luke to come down before letting them in, and had Peter lock Paddy in his room.
Luke came down, saw them, and just turned off the lights. They were pissed. We let them in eventually, and after Katie gave me a death stare for a few minutes, Luke and I went to bed, leaving them alone, knowing Paddy was safe.
It took us a few days to realize that our silverware had gone missing that night.
In the long run, we returned Paddy and it all died down. But it was fun, and we got these pictures out of it:
David Letterman talks about the "comedy rule of three" - that anything is funny three times. As much as I'd like to say that's not true, experience tells me otherwise.
My number 10 college memory is the time Bethany and I went to the same baseball game three times.
The story begins in late April of 2012, when the two of us decided to go to a Tigers game together. We chose a night game against Texas, the defending league champions, when Justin Verlander was scheduled to pitch. And I had front row seats in the outfield. Basically, it was perfect.
GAME ONE
So we go to Detroit early, get dinner at Hockeytown Cafe across the street and then we look outside and there's a frickin' tornado on the horizon. I remember texting my uncle and saying "oh, no way they cancel this game...it's fine." It wasn't.
We waited in the stadium an hour or two before they finally called it off.
The problem was, not only did I lose that perfect situation, but I was supposed to go home the next day. I was going to get some homework done at my grandma's house before leaving to surprise my sister at her choir concert in South Carolina. I was on a schedule. So Bethany and I decided we'd exchange the tickets for a game in the fall.
Well, over my summer exile from society, I still managed to keep tabs on the Tigers, and as it turned out, they were pretty good (albeit not as good as they should've been). So I picked a date, called the Tigers box office, spoke with someone about exchanging the rainout tickets, and they helped me out. I had the tickets sent to Bethany's apartment.
They never showed up.
GAME TWO
I called the box office again, and they re-issued the tickets and sent them to will call.
Bethany and I, again, decided to make a night of it and went out to eat (I think at the Greektown Casino). It was another potentially great night. We get to the stadium, go to will call.
The tickets aren't there.
Eventually, we find a window that does, in fact, have our tickets and we make it in. We go and make friends with the people sitting next to us, who are wearing ponchos.
Yep, you guessed it. Rain. Another long delay. We wait in the same place we waited the first time: in the walkway behind the center field fountain. And waited. And waited. Talked to some little kids. Had a daiquiri. And they told us to come back tomorrow.
So, to recap: we get rained out, exchange our tickets, and pick the next rainout...five months apart.
GAME THREE
So, the next night, we leave later, eat at the ballpark (no more fancy dinners because I was going broke at this point from the first two) and greet our new friends.
The third game was worth the wait of the first two because, even though they lost (I think), there was this hilarious guy in our section who at one point actually was removed by security before being allowed back in the section. His crime? Heckling the opposing team's pitchers.
It was great, really. The guy actually got a Minnesota pitcher to talk back to him. Then, when security told him to stop, he started yelling nice things at the pitchers, which pissed off the guards even more. We were all enjoying it, and pleaded with the guards to leave him alone.
Overall, it was a fun trip. Although now every time I make plans to catch a ballgame I lose a considerable amount of sleep checking the forecast.
Anyone who knows me knows how much my grandfather meant to me, and how much his passing affected me.
He was often one of the few people who ever seemed to really get me, understand me, appreciate me completely. We had such an awesome relationship, and I think about him every single day.
But he is always with me, because everything I am doing with my life right now can be traced back to one moment from my freshman year. It's the only moment in the Top 25 that comes from my freshman year, and it's my number 11 college memory: writing the essay about my grandpa, called "Thoughts on My Future: Life, Death, and the Summer of 2009."
My grandpa died on a Saturday. September 12, 2009. We played Notre Dame that day. Tate Forcier threw a last-second, game-winning touchdown pass to Greg Mathews shortly after they carried his body out of the house.
The story goes like this:
-In my freshman writing class, the first assignment was a personal narrative.
-Immediately, I wrote down ideas about an essay detailing my relationship with my grandpa.
-I structured the story based on The Godfather: Part II, which I had just watched.
-I wrote the entire essay in one sitting.
-I received almost no feedback from my classmates in workshop, who all felt it was good as is.
-I changed, maybe, two paragraphs.
-I wrote 12 pages when I needed 6.
-I cried upon writing the emotional last line.
I'll let the essay itself do most of the talking, except to say this (which I kind of alluded to in my post on the screenplays I wrote based on this essay): my decision to get back into writing was the result of the experience of writing this. Never before and never since has something just poured out of me as easily and as effectively as it did when I wrote this.
Sleepover, Casting Call, Ann Arborland, Aftermath...they all happen because of this. The screenwriting sub-concentration. The Love You Take. The Designated Driver. It's all because of this. It was the essay I submitted to the Minor in Writing to get in.
No moment in my four years at college was more significant than this. Enjoy.
So, originally, this was supposed to be number 21. Then 18. Then it just kept climbing up the ladder. It is the story of my second directorial effort for the RC Players, "Sleepover," and it is now my number 12 college memory.
The story of Sleepover is not merely the story of the play itself, but also the stories of its creation and its consequences: particularly, the stories of my friendships with Grace and Anne.
The story of how I met Grace will come later (I think this is the 3rd time now I've teased that, but it is coming), but out friendship really took off after we had known each other and worked together for awhile. After Casting Call and Aftermath, I had been very impressed with Grace's writing ability. She was always coming up with great ideas, and was very easy to work with.
So, when I began brainstorming ideas for a scene to direct in the fall of my senior year, I mentioned something to Grace, who at the time was studying abroad in China as I was living in South Carolina.
(from Skype. July 23, 2012)
Zachary Bucholtz: Grace I have an important question
Grace Hawkins: talk to me
Zachary Bucholtz: I need a setting. A place where, if you were to put characters, they could interact and reveal themselves. My first thought was alcoholics anonymous. I need better ideas.
Grace Hawkins: hmmm
Grace Hawkins: what needs to be revealed?
Zachary Bucholtz: I'm not sure yet.
Grace Hawkins: a parent teacher conference
Grace Hawkins: a meal at a round table, people gett drunk
Zachary Bucholtz: Keep going. I like the pt conference
Grace Hawkins: a talk show
Grace Hawkins: reveals a story
Grace Hawkins: operah
Grace Hawkins: talking to a therapist is cliche
Grace Hawkins: an anger management class
Grace Hawkins: sleepover with girls
Grace Hawkins: something in war where the guys have to wait for a looooooong time
Grace Hawkins: and are stressed
Grace Hawkins: staying up late working on a group project to the point you're all silly
Zachary Bucholtz: Good thoughts
Zachary Bucholtz: I'm thinking of evening of scenes this fall.
Grace Hawkins: yeah?
Grace Hawkins: what do you want to do?
Zachary Bucholtz: Well I thought about another casting call type thing but I already did that.
Zachary Bucholtz: So now I'm thinking something with less people
Grace Hawkins: haha
Zachary Bucholtz: Where I'm not relying on celebrity impressions
Zachary Bucholtz: And actually have to write something original haha
Grace Hawkins: ten minutes right?
Zachary Bucholtz: Yeah. I like the idea of a girl sleepover with a guy who is stranded there because of a storm. And how he fits in. I could do something like that. Which is basically my life.
Grace Hawkins: Haha yes
Zachary Bucholtz: Parent teacher conference could be really really funny
Grace Hawkins: can i help you write something?
Zachary Bucholtz: Yes. I was thinking about it for awhile today and was actually going to see if you wanted to cowrite a scene
Grace Hawkins: let's do it
Zachary Bucholtz: Yesssssss
Grace Hawkins: how should we go about this? brainstorm now?
Zachary Bucholtz: Yes.
Grace Hawkins: okay, so we want the situation to allow for something to be revealed
Grace Hawkins: haha maybe you should guide me, i'm better at filling in the blanks
Zachary Bucholtz: one sec
Zachary Bucholtz: i was on my phone but now i switched to my laptop because it's easier to type
Zachary Bucholtz: ok
Grace Hawkins: perfect
Zachary Bucholtz: yes, it should be one scene, one location. like with casting call, it was one room obviously. eliminates the need for set changes. more time for story. and one thing we learned in screenwriting is that setting often dictates the action. a great example is the scene in the diner in RENT. the dancing on the table, "wine and beer", benny walking in, etc
Grace Hawkins: okay, i like that. plus the scene changes are distracting in something as short as EOS
Zachary Bucholtz: exactly
Grace Hawkins: so do we want a common setting, or something strange
Grace Hawkins: or something common with a strange part (boy at girls sleepover)
Zachary Bucholtz: the second. nothing too common because it'd be boring and nothing too strange because then it'd be weird
Grace Hawkins: haha
Grace Hawkins: okay
Zachary Bucholtz: i kinda like the boys at a girl sleepover thing. what do you think?
Grace Hawkins: i like that
Grace Hawkins: just thorwing this out there
Grace Hawkins: because it's happened to me, but a student moving in with a teacher
Grace Hawkins: (aka literally happening to me here in china)
Grace Hawkins: but i do like the boy at the girls sleepover
Then, after discussing some other ideas...
Zachary Bucholtz: i keep going back to the sleepover idea
Zachary Bucholtz: with greg as the main character
Zachary Bucholtz: hahahaha
Grace Hawkins: yes
Grace Hawkins: okay, greg nervous in the corner
Grace Hawkins: how does he end up ther
Zachary Bucholtz: snowstorm
Grace Hawkins: haha so can he come in like extremely bundled up
Zachary Bucholtz: and the girls are in their underwear (or bedtime apparel)
Grace Hawkins: haha nooo they have to be little girls
Zachary Bucholtz: and he's wearing something totally embarassing underneath and refuses to take it off
Zachary Bucholtz: hahahaha
Zachary Bucholtz: not too little
Grace Hawkins: they should all be like 13-years-old
Zachary Bucholtz: teenage
Zachary Bucholtz: exactly
Zachary Bucholtz: haha we're on the same page
Grace Hawkins: so there's still a separation between the sexes
Zachary Bucholtz: good
Zachary Bucholtz: yeah
Zachary Bucholtz: i really like this idea. there's a lot that can be done with this. what do you think?
Zachary Bucholtz: it's a classic greg role, too
Grace Hawkins: i like it, i just want to steer away from anything "slutty" or too stereotypical
Zachary Bucholtz: agree
Grace Hawkins: like, the innocence of a sleepover needs to be maintained
From there, out writing partnership was officially formed. We are, in terms of writers, the perfect complements to each other. Grace is comedy, I'm drama. She comes up with great premises and characters, I come up with storylines and structures. She comes up with seeds of ideas, and I take ideas and develop them. Or, as she famously put it: she's the meat and I'm the bones.
As a screenwriting student, I've been trained in structure and character arcs. Grace, with history in theatre, has a lot of creative juices that I just lack completely.
With "Sleepover," I fell in love with Grace's idea to make it innocent. I also liked how we were relying on physical humor, and PG-level stuff. It felt very "old school" to me, which I loved.
Our friendship, of course, extends beyond two people who like to write together. Grace is one of the few people I've been able to share my complete, unabridged life story with; she's not only a great listener, but she's not afraid to tell me when I'm wrong and need to get my head on straight. I've told people before that if they ever want to get me to change my mind, go to Grace, because she's one of the few people who can get me to change my mind on anything.
Grace is also one of the most trustworthy and trusting people I know. She knows my secrets, and has shared some of hers with me, in addition to trusting me to direct two things she's written (Sleepover and Ann Arborland).
The pinnacle of our friendship can be defined in two events. The first was when we took a roadtrip together to Minnesota. I was going to see my cousin, Justin, and when I told Grace she asked if she could tag along to visit a friend of hers. On the drive to my grandma's house (where me joined my aunt and uncle), and on the drive back, Grace and I had one of the deepest, most honest and intimate conversations I've ever had with anyone. It was such a fulfilling experience, it almost received it's own entry in the Top 25 before I decided to incorporate it into this.
The second, of course, was Sleepover.
When we got back to school from summer vacation, the two of us started meeting regularly to brainstorm more ideas. I would tell Grace what we needed in terms of structure, characters, and story beats, and she would begin the brainstorming.
The character of Greg (the naive, innocent little boy) was somewhat autobiographical for me. I also think I did a lot of the creation and writing of Hannah's character (the good girl, the party host) and a lot of Jo (the tough girl), as well. Katie (the emotional one) was all Grace, and it was Grace's idea to make Hannah's mom a flamboyant father. Grace recognized the importance of Katie's character, too; we came up with the idea that Katie was the heart, Hannah the brain, and Jo the soul of their group.
The way the writing process worked was I would come up with a basic outline, Grace would fill it in with ideas, I'd write the script and then she would punch it up with better dialogue. This near-perfect system we came up with allowed us both to play to our strengths as writers and eliminate the potential for disagreement.
Casting was a unique process because I could only make it to the first day of auditions (there were two), and therefore Grace cast it based on my notes (she was directing another short play at the same time, and I would be the sole director of Sleepover, but with her input). Greg and Ryan were obvious decisions, as the parts were written for and named for them. Anne was my top choice to play Katie. Grace loved Andrew as the father, and then we were impressed with Micah and Phia's auditions, but not necessarily for a particular part. Grace cast Phia as Jo and Micah as Katie.
Everyone in the cast thinks I'm creepy for telling this story, but the day of the first rehearsal I was int he shower thinking of how to approach directing it, and had an epiphany that Micah and Phia should switch roles. Creepy or not, I think they were both much better than the other would have been in each role, and it may have saved the show.
Rehearsals were a blast, in part because of how I overused the line "DO IT LIVE" and in part because of the chemistry Grace, Greg, Ryan, and I already had. I also loved directing Andrew ("juxtaposition of extremes," I told him, in how I wanted the tough dad and gay dad to be polar opposites of each other). Phia was awesome in how she took so many different sets of directions from Grace and I in coming up with her character. Micah, despite never acting before, was really good and had a natural ability to act that impressed me.
Ryan made up a lot of his own lines, of course, including the "Californians" reference he makes upon seeing Greg at the sleepover. Greg also came up with the "put a ring on it" line (watch him come up with it on the spot here). But Greg and I also fought (bickered, maybe) quite a bit during rehearsals. I love Greg, but he has a tendency, admittedly, to try to direct the director (being a director himself), and had a hard time taking my direction.
The one most memorable argument Greg and I had was when he told me that we needed to be further along in the rehearsal process than we were (which is already laughable because I rehearse more than anyone as it is). I yelled at him, told him not to question me, and continued. Then, after the rehearsal that day, I explained to him that I was slowing things down intentionally to let one of our actresses catch up because she was holding herself back. It worked, I was able to get everyone motivated and the show was a great success, as you can see here:
And that actress was Anne Scheps.
Anne instantly made an impression on both Grace and me. I remember at one point during rehearsals, the two of us just kind of shaking are heads and saying to one another how perfect she was for the role of Hannah and how naturally talented she was.
And that's very true. Anne is one of the best, most talented actresses or actors I've worked with in any capacity (writing, directing, acting) and I could see that right away. I could also see, as I told Greg that one day, that Anne was holding herself back. She was obviously very shy and very nervous, which I understood seeing as how this was her freshman year and her first college production.
So, after my discussion with Greg, I sent Anne a text message and told her how talented I thought she was; so many of the things she does on stage - with her face, the inflection in her voice, her body language - are very difficult to teach. I also told her that I knew she was nervous but that I needed her to come out of her shell soon. She did, and was awesome in the show.
Anne and I became friends after that, which is one of the best things to happen to me at Michigan. I've told her that one of my few regrets is that I didn't meet her earlier. I'll spare you all some of the details of how we became friends, but the bottom line is this:
Anne is, truly, one of the most genuine, kindhearted, and nicest human beings I've ever met. She's one of the few people that has the ability to brighten my day at any time, and is a reminder to me that really good people do exist in the otherwise awful world we live in.
It's my hope that someday I'll have the ability to fly Anne out to LA (or wherever I'm living) and cast her as the star of a movie or play, because she's not only one of my favorite people to work with, but one of my favorite people, period.
One nice way to simplify the college experience is this: it's not about what you LEARN, but what you DO. With that, my number 13 college memory is something I DID that I'm very proud of: Ann Arborland.
I apologize right away if this post goes sort of all over the place. Making movies is like that sometimes.
It all started, for me, with my desire to have something to show for the work I had done in college, something to prove I had learned something. For me, that was directing a short film for M-agination Films. M-agination is great because they provide you with the resources to make your movie, and then screen it at the historic Michigan Theater at the end of the year.
I originally heard of M-agination via a departmental email, I believe, and submitted a pitch for "The Designated Driver," a shorter version of a feature-length script I'm writing right now.
At the same time, I was directing a short play I had written with my friend, Grace (SPOILER ALERT: tomorrow's entry in the Top 25). One of the other directors was Anna, who I would find out is a producer for M-agination. Anna's first impression of me was that I was some a-hole director because I was harassing auditioning actors and making a real fool of myself, but I think she picked up on my odd sense of humor before too long.
At the after party for the play, Anna approached me several times about my pitch, and encouraged me to write the script, which I would. She said she liked the idea and enjoyed working with people she knew.
During the writing process, I reached out to Grace for feedback on The Designated Driver. She ended up writing much of the dialogue in the script for me. At that same meeting, she read me a short scene she wrote with her friend, Reid, during a road trip. She said it was based on a scene from the show Portlandia, which I had never seen. To be honest, I didn't quite get it at first and didn't think much of it, but that script she read me, of course, was Ann Arborland.
I submitted the Designated Driver, and assisted Grace with another script she had written for the M-agination submissions, and was disappointed to find out neither was chosen. But I did recognize the name - Ann Arborland - of the script chosen by none other than one Anna Baumgarten.
So, here's where the story takes off, I suppose. Grace invited me over to her place to talk about the script. She said she wanted me involved in some way, and I had hoped to direct but wasn't going to push it. I was going there to give her my feedback and advice. Coincidentally, Anna was at my house the night before for a party and I told her then what I told Grace and Reid, the other writer, at that first meeting. I knew they wanted to act in it - and I knew that Grace, in particular, wanted to return to acting - but I advised them that it'd be very difficult to direct themselves.
"Then you'll direct," was what Grace told me next. I said my only requirement was that if I were to direct, I wanted to DIRECT, and have all the power and responsibilities of a director. The great thing about Grace Hawkins is that she has always trusted me, and she told me that was fine, that she trusted me to make it work, and her one order was "make me look good."
This was the first time I had ever directed something I didn't at least co-write. My job, as I saw it, was to get the most out of the script. One thing Grace and I talked about very early on was improvising a certain amount of the film, bringing in props and visual gags to increase the comedy, and making it as realistic as possible in its look and tone.
Reid had connections at Amer's, a local restaurant, and said we could shoot there. Grace knew some people she thought could act, Anna was working on finding a crew, so I thought we'd be all set. We picked a date for our shoot, but then things weren't coming together as quickly as we planned and we weren't very prepared, so I pushed the shoot back a few weeks and said that instead of this person doing this and this person doing that, everything was going to run through me.
THE CREW
I'll use this section to just talk about everyone involved in the making of this movie, and share some memories of the production along the way.
Grace Hawkins: "The Brain" - Grace is one of my best friends at this university. We've worked together about six times now, all in just the past year even thought it seems like it's been a lot longer. She's a brilliant writer, but a great actress, too, and took any notes I gave her and used them well. I will never forget, it was about 4 a.m. and we'd been shooting for hours, and Grace and Reid had been sitting idly for a long time at that point. I was worried they were going to be too tired or forget their lines, but as soon as we started rolling, they just flipped a switch and nailed everything.
Reid Walborn: "The Movie Star" - I admit, knowing that Reid was the only member of the cast with no acting experience scared me. Not as much as him showing up drunk to the set, though. But he was awesome, and really surprised me. And he probably saved our extras by keeping some of them awake between takes with his sense of humor.
Lena Drake: "The Pro" - I did not know until after I added her on Facebook how legit this girl is. We cast her based on her audition, and then I found out she had been in EVERYTHING produced at U of M the past couple of years. The third-scariest moment of the production was Lena texting me as I was driving to the set to tell me she had the flu. But she came in, was funny and nailed every take, and somehow managed to still look like that good at 3 a.m. with the flu.
Paul Vites: "The Comedic Relief" - Paul. If they gave a Best Supporting Actor Award at the film festival, he had it locked up. Immediately after meeting this guy, I knew we needed to add more to his role. In the script, he only had a few lines. But I gave him free reign to improvise his lines and told him to just keep going with the ordering scene. Lena has told me she never came closer to breaking character, and several of the extras were worried their laughter was picked up by the mic. Paul also wrote the opening scene with him and I. He also was a savior for me in the ADR process, making me lunch and coming by to give me a morale boost and a fresh set of eyes in editing.
Anna Baumgarten: "The Boss" - We owe Anna everything. This doesn't happen without her, and she did a great job in helping us build a crew and was a valuable advisor for me during the whole process. I had several late night chats with her when she either calmed me down (which was often necessary) or lit a fire under my butt, like when she told me the sound was so bad we couldn't screen the movie and said it'd be near-impossible to dub all the dialogue in three days.
Matt Infante: "The Genius" - This movie is what it is because of Matt. I've never seen anything like him. He told me several times I was "a machine," but really he's the machine. He'd spend sometimes an hour setting up a shot (the extras hated him), and it was worth it. Everyone who has seen this movie comments on how beautiful it is, and that is 100% on his shoulders. He also contributed a lot to the opening title sequence, planning shots and encouraging me to run through each shot. Matt's also a really cool guy to chill with. He was my right-hand man in this, and I often deferred to his expertise on decisions during the shoot. He, too, was with Paul and I in the late stages of post-production, and even came in last-minute to edit some shots he didn't like.
Zoe Crowley: "The Savior" - Zoe was, like Matt, someone I gave a lot of leeway to. She edited the video for us, and did a spectacular job. She cut some scenes better than I thought they could be cut and was able to use some shots (such as the typewriter bit) that I thought wouldn't make it. She also took direction really well, and fixed a lot of concerns I had with the film (mainly, the pacing).
Dylan Sundberg: "The Ice Man" - Dylan came through big in the clutch for us. He joined us very late in the game and wrote three songs with almost no direction whatsoever. I think my favorite part of the movie is the opening titles, which his song really completes.
Paige Pfleger: "The Resident Hipster" - Paige did it all for us. We originally considered her for the barista role before casting Lena, so we made her "Barista #2" and her presence in the background really completes a couple of shots in the film. She was also our hair and makeup expert, and a perfect choice for our costume designer. Paul's shirt (which cost 60 bucks) was golden, as was Grace's outfit, which I love so, so much. One of my favorite moments from the shoot was Paige coming up to me about 5 hours in to give me a hug and say, "I can't decide if I hate you or love you right now."
Austin Bucholtz: "The Voice" - I called my brother to talk music with him, as I knew early on I wanted to include one of his songs. I knew none of them would work during the narrative, but I wanted to promote him a bit with the closing credits. "Fairytale Shadowland" ended up causing quite a stir at the screening, with people wanting to know who he was. And its inclusion made Juube cry, of course.
One thing I decided on right away was the need for as many extras as we could get to fill out the room, because I wanted this to look as realistic as possible. We had 10 extras show up, and it was incredible and I'm so thankful for all of them.
Anne Scheps: "The Natural" - I was so glad I got to work with Anne again. She was supposed to play the lead in a play I never got off the ground, and I felt so bad about it. She's one of the 3 most talented actresses I've ever worked with - a real natural talent that is very rare, I think - and one of my best friends, too. And she's also the most prominent extra in the final cut.
Greg Hicks: "The Good Luck Charm" - Greg has been in almost every play or movie I've directed. He gets on my nerves a lot - and knows it, too - but I love him like a brother, and he also helped out quite a bit in post-production. And that look he gives during Reid's improv...
Devin Brooks: "The Favorite" - one of my old pastimes is telling people they're my favorite _____. In this case, I tell Devin she's my favorite actress ever (she's in the top 3) and I'm glad she came.
Gabriela Granados: "The First" - Gabi was the first person I worked with on a movie, ever, and one of my first friends at Michigan. I thought it was a great full-circle ending that she came.
David Brownman: "The Toga" - Davey. I love this guy. Originally, I wanted this to be a Casting Call reunion, but most of the cast backed out. But not Davey (or Greg and Gabi). He's one of the most naturally funny people I know.
Tiffany Reynolds: "The Laugh" - I had acted in a short play with Tiffany, and I was actually kinda surprised when she agreed to come. But I'm real glad she did, and we've become friends since. One of the highlights of the shoot was when she started laughing for a reason I'm still not quite sure of (her laugh is unmistakable, a real classic).
Sam Kavalier: "The Typist" - Grace has joked about making a sequel about Sam's life as a professional typist. He killed that scene, and also kept Reid on his toes with his wit in-between takes.
Phia Blumenthal: "The Sass" - I don't know WHAT I would have done if I did not have Phia there to keep my ego in check. She's one of the few people I let get away with sassing me as much as she does.
Jon FitzGerald: "The Hat" - That hat. It cracks me up. And Jon was one of the last extras to leave because he was so close to the action, but never complained once.
Becca Volpano: "The Quiet One" - I don't know if Becca said a word the whole night. She is one of Grace's friends, and proof of how valuable the extras were because we used so much of Paul's improv in which she is in the background.
And, we'd be nothing without our crew:
Caroline Schaper: "The Shot" - Caroline also auditioned, so in addition to being an AD, we put her in as an extra (she's a great actress). She also directed my second-favorite film from the festival. But her biggest contribution to Ann Arborland was perhaps taking the picture of Grace and Reid I used on our Facebook page as the official image of the movie.
Danielle DeLuca: "The Interviewer" - One of my favorite moments, personally, from the shoot was Danielle asking me if I was having fun, and I got to say "No, directing is not fun. It's a job." She also was great in helping shoot the production videos and drove Lena home early for me.
Nick Alderink: "The Wingman" - One of the great things Matt did for us was decide to shoot with two cameras for a couple of scenes, and Nick was his #2 cameraman and also helped out in lighting a lot.
Jorge Gonzalez: "The Muscle" - Even though the audio didn't work out, Jorge was a big help during the shoot in holding the boom pole, and was I think the last person to leave besides Matt and I.
Britt King: "The Right Hand's Right Hand" - Matt brought Britt with him, and he ended up serving as essentially the assistant DP and was a huge asset for us.
Loui Vong: "The Geek" - Loui, one of my oldest and best friends, designed the official "Ann Arborland" logo for us, and recreated the M-agination logo to near-perfection, all in just a couple of hours on my couch.
And, lastly, myself:
Zachary Bucholtz: "The Ringleader" - I thought about calling myself "The Machine," as Matt did, but I really like this better. The way I see it, 26 other people made this movie, and I was just the guy making sure everyone was on the same page. I didn't write anything, I didn't shoot anything, and I only edited when I had to (oh yeah, I acted, but we can't really count that).
I think I did contribute a few things, though. The decision to improvise was my idea. The opening scene and the title sequence were my ideas, but other people brought those to life. My two biggest contributions were in solving the two major crises of the production.
The first was when we had to change locations the day before our scheduled shoot. I won't go into details of the switch, because there's nobody to blame, but I was really happy we got Sweetwater's, and I think that was a great move.
The second was when Anna said we didn't have enough time to dub the movie. My response:
"I'm screening it Thursday. I'll record the all myself if I have to and put it together in the middle of the night if that's what it takes...Whoever you talked to says there's not enough time. But whoever you talked to isn't me and doesn't work like I do..." WIN.
This was the most rewarding experience of my college career. I'm not only honored to have had the help of so many talented, kind individuals, but I'm also pretty damn proud of the work we did. A lot of people asked me if I was excited or having fun, and every time I said no. Because this was extremely stressful from start to finish. But, in the end, it really was a lot of fun.
I came to Michigan because of the academics. It's one of the finest institutions in the world. But anyone who comes to Michigan is at least aware of the football tradition, if not a full-blown superfan by their third game at The Big House.
For me, Michigan football is in my blood. I grew up a fan and had been coming to games for years, so being a student was merely an extension of that. Yet, being a student also gave me a new appreciation for what it means to sing The Victors. I finally understood what all the old-timers on the 50-yard line were there for. I finally understood the whole "leaders and best thing."
Coming to Michigan has been, overall, a life-changing experience and the last football game I was at as a student signaled an end of an era for me. And it is my 14th-best college memory.
Football games were special for me the past four years, not just because I'm a fan of the team and proud of my school, but because my grandpa was there for every game. Two particular games will make appearances on this list for other reasons later on, but in general, it was always special to have my grandpa there. My uncle provided the tickets and was there too, but I always sat with my grandpa and it was special every week. He used to go to games, but never went to EVERY game until I was here. I like to think I had something to do with that.
Each week we had lots of rituals. My uncle would call me to let me know where they parked; I'd lie and say I had been awake for a little bit and was on my way. In reality, he woke me up. I'd shower and get dressed and walk over. Juube packed a bunch of food that nobody would eat. They'd tell me to take it or they'd be in trouble and I would tell them to throw it away.
Usually toward the end of the tailgate, I'd stop whatever I was doing and go through my weekly pre-game prediction routine. I'd start by raiding my hands in the air, then go around to everyone in the group (my uncle, usually one or two of his buddies or my aunt) and say "are you ready?" with a pointed finger. I'd end with my grandpa, and repeat "are you ready?" a few times to him. He just nodded, playing along. Then, I'd pick a player or two who would stand out and end by saying the predicted score, but calling the teams by their hometown, not school name (i.e. the South Bend Fighting Irish, the Evanston Wildcats, the West Lafayette Choo-Choos, the East Lansing Little Brothers, and as always, the Ann Arbor Wolverines).
We'd head in about an hour before game time. I'd take my grandpa's seat cushion and -with mine- bang them against each other on the walk up to the stadium, to the tune of a song usually. I'd hit the same tree every time. We'd go to the M-Den, then the old guys used the bathroom. I'd wait in the same spot every week, the same spot I used to ait at when I was a kid. Then, we'd find our seats. And watch the band. Then, at halftime, we'd meet Fred at the eagle.
Our section had a bunch of characters, mostly older people. I often sat next to this old lady who sounded like she smoked 19 packs of cigarettes a day. My favorite was this guy who always dressed up for the games, as well as this younger douchy guy who kept the section entertained. My grandpa -true to his "Mayor" nickname, knew everyone around us and would ask them how they were doing each week and joke around like they were old friends - which, I guess, they were.
The last game was really hard for me, since I knew this routine would be ending. I prepared my uncle and grandpa by telling them I'd cry a lot. I did. During the tailgate. The national anthem. When Brady yells "THIS IS MICHIGAN," when the band took the field. When the team took the field. All the memories come back: my grandpa telling me how to thrust my fist in the air during the fight song, Braylon Edwards going up in the corner against MSU in '04, Mike Hart running wild behind Jake Long, showing my sister the field, Roy Roundtree cradling the football under the lights (shhh...more on that to come later). And, most of all, that feeling that my college experience was nearing it's end.
HONORABLE MENTION: Brock Mealer leads the team onto the field
I've spoken many times about how watching movies with my dad growing up was the original inspiration for my career path, but in any such story there is invariably one point where the dream began to see the light of day, where an idea became practice. For me, that point was the introduction to film and television production course I took at Michigan my sophomore year, and as a whole, that class is my number 15 college memory.
Long before I knew that Gene Simmons was the real "Dr. Love" I wrote and directed a movie called "The Adventures of Dr. Love" with some classmates. It was my first real exposure to making a short film, and I loved it so much, I haven't looked back since.
It began the first day I went to class, which was actually the second day of class because I was taking the class only after dropping another one. The instructor, Alexis, was assigning groups for the first project (the short video) and that's how I met my friend Gabi. Gabi doesn't know this, but I actually was really hoping to be paired with her because she was easily the prettiest girl in the room, but she ended up being so much more than that that I feel really bad for thinking that.
The writing process was so cool. The four of us in the group (Paul and Vicki were the other two) met up and spit out ideas. The "Dr. Love" idea was mine originally, but we all contributed ideas before I finalized the script. Gabi played casting director and brought in a few of her friends to be our stars, and I asked my buddy Ben Trout to play the last role.
The movie wasn't great, but you can see it here. The biggest issue was a boom pole in the corner of one of the shots. But, it was a lot of fun to make and the experience - as I said - was a contributing factor in me declaring my major.
The class, as a whole, was a lot of fun. I got my first taste of acting in a couple of short interview projects (here and here), and produced our whole-class film project.
Like many of these older memories, the aftermath is also a big deal. Gabi later appeared in two projects I did (stay tuned...) and Minhdzuy, one of our classmates who directed one of the interviews I was in (the pokemon one) cast me in my first play, which led to many great things later on.
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