In 2002, the ArchMac Movie Works Club was basically a "movie club" in name only following the great filmmaking success of "Pariahs", a feature produced by Mac alumni who had by then moved on to bigger and better things. Maintaining a club such as this in a facility much more renowned for its academic achievements than its artistic endeavors can prove quite a difficult feat - case and point, having six little inexperienced Grade 10rs as sole members - but all of this was soon to change as the students decided to take matters into their own hands, making up what they lacked in experience thought sheer talent, hard work and dedication.

 

 

   The start was slow but steady as the group began experimenting with designing various commercials and short film segments showcasing and promoting their school for special occasions such as yearly school Open House Events. While this experience was definitely fun, interesting, and gratifying, the general consensus centered upon the need for a bigger challenge. After all, the club was called "MOVIE" Works, and it was definitely lacking in the movie department.

 

 

    As spring break approached, the general excitement in the group was accumulating and ideas were being thrown left and right as to a potential plot. The desire to appeal to a target peer audience was essential from the beginning, which soon enough highlighted the idea of having the storyline encompass school issues. By the beginning of April 2003, a preliminary 25 page script was front and center on the production agenda, although nobody thought of it as preliminary at the time. Armed with two camcorders and great zeal, the 6 were ready to dive head first into the world of independent filmmaking, the projective: making an hour and a half film.

 

       Ok, maybe that was not the best approach as everyone soon realized. Leadership, organization, and some sort of outside support are vital components that were seriously lacking. The script, even in its infancy stages, called for some serious dramatic moments upon which the believability, authenticity, and quality of the movie was pinned. Here is where the inexperience of the actors and overall lack of resources came in. The passion was there! The willingness to succeed was definitely there!...But everything else was not. The project was already struggling, the subject matter did not do much to increase support despite its popularity with pretty much every member of the student body, well....any student really at one point or another, and it is hard to believe that one could hear the word "NO" slammed in your face as many times as we did before going completely insane or plain giving up. The efforts took their toll on everyone. Out of the six original members, only two ended up staying the course and seeing the projects' completion.

 

 

       Even after acknowledging the odds, Ann Pirvu was determined not to let the project die. She meticulously revised the script so as to develop a more engaging plot and involve more characters and more meaning to the overall message of the movie. The focus of the story had never been centered upon the killing of a teacher, but rather upon the possible psychological effects and moral repercussions of causing such a tragedy and how this would subsequently be reflected in a person's behavior. It was necessary to polish the script to a degree that would allow this issue in particular to be explored. Deciding on an appropriate title became a nightmare. Experimental ones included "Stolen Innocence”, "Deadline Crossing" and even "The Door". Yep, we could sense the trouble brewing ahead, but regardless, more time and effort was devoted towards planning and enhancing before production could begin. When you don't have a budget, you have to plan and be as creative as you can. Leadership and organization became a priority, and finding dependable, dedicated actors a serious problem.

   

     The role of Terris has been played by more than 5 actors, and we've also had our fare share of Jakes too. One of them even lasted as long as one month into shooting and even landed his face on a bunch of posters that ended up being useless in the end (feel free to visit our posters page for direct reference). Despite managing to shoot about 15% of the movie by September 2004, production began all over again, this time for good and armed with a decent camera for filming and some actual sound equipment from the school, who realized that the project was in fact serious and became more financially involved.

 

 

     Production spanned from September to December of 2004, with scheduled shoots every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and any other necessary days that would not jeopardize school work...too much. Every aspect of production was entirely coordinated and organized by students from Archbishop MacDonald High School. The proud production team has recently enjoyed the fruits of their labor by watching their project come alive on the big screen at the Royal Museum of Edmonton June 1, 2005 for the "Pure Malice" world premiere.