NORWICH – The Norwich Fair hadn’t quite opened for visitors on the afternoon of Aug. 13, but the town green was still crowded with activity.
A film crew had set up in front of the gazebo, where a group of musicians ran through a soundcheck, the cry of their electric guitars soaring through the air. A couple dozen young people milled about nearby. They chatted in small groups or waited in line to have their makeup done, while the film’s director, Samantha Davidson Green, darted around the set, checking in with her crew.
Soon rehearsal would begin for a scene in “Valley Transit,” a feature film from Junction Arts and Media (JAM), the community media center in White River Junction.
Providing mentorship for teens and young people has been a longstanding component of JAM’s programming. Filming “Valley Transit,” the centerpiece of the new Summer Feature Film Intensive, which replaced the nonprofit’s usual youth summer camps this year, continues that effort.
The film “is the culmination of many years of laying the foundation,” said Davidson Green, JAM’s executive director, who also wrote the script for “Valley Transit.”
Shot at locations across the Upper Valley such as Shyrl’s Diner in West Lebanon and the Hanover Co-Op, “Valley Transit” charts an unlikely friendship between recent high school graduate Lizzie, played by real-life Hanover High School grad Alicia Sanyal, and an elderly man named George (Richard Noble, of Fairlee).
A second storyline follows a community uproar around a developer who plans to build high-end condos on top of a public park.
“I wanted to find a story that I thought spoke directly to the heart of the Upper Valley,” Davidson Green, a Plainfield resident, said.
She acknowledged that the Upper Valley is at once a home to kids who eventually grow up and move away – sometimes in search of more affordable housing – and elderly parents aging in place.
It’s a dichotomy she’s familiar with as a mother to three sons who’s also caring for aging parents. (One of Davidson Green’s children, Reeve Green, a student at Northwestern University, appears in the film as Lizzie’s bandmate Drew.)
Davidson Green also took inspiration from a 20-year friendship with an elderly neighbor she met while living in Mississippi and the close bond she shared with her grandparents.
It cost just under $300,000 to make “Valley Transit” — a slim budget by industry standards, Davidson Green said – and that money made it possible to pay the cast and crew of about 60. Fifteen unpaid interns who could receive college credit from the project also worked on the film.
One of the ambitions for “Valley Transit” was to create a professional film set where interns and newcomers to filmmaking could gain valuable industry experience.
“If I had this opportunity when I was that age, it would have been so mind-boggling,” said Noah Mauchly, a JAM staff member who serves as effects supervisor on the film.
College students were given central roles on the crew and expected to handle the responsibilities that came with them.
Anna Flaherty, a senior at Skidmore College, for instance, served as first assistant director, a role that entailed managing the day’s shooting schedule and coordinating with actors, Davidson Green, and the director of photography, Strafford native Quinn Thomashow.
“It’s the sort of experience I think I couldn’t really get if I lived in New York or if I lived in Los Angeles,” Flaherty, who grew up in Quechee, said in an interview during the shoot at the Norwich Fair.
For some participants, like 31-year-old Hayden Young, working on “Valley Transit” marked their first time on a film set.
“Seeing systems and how they work has really opened my mind up,” said Young, a production assistant.
Filmmaking opportunities in the Upper Valley can seem “very non-existent,” so working on “Valley Transit” has felt “unbelievable,” Young said.
Now that shooting has wrapped, the next steps are to assemble a fully edited version of the film and make any necessary changes before submitting to film festivals.
“There’s a world in which it could be finished by mid-winter,” Davidson Green said.
While Davidson Green acknowledges that the Summer Feature Film Intensive is very much a “pilot project,” she hopes it can become a regular part of JAM’s programming – maybe every other summer– and set a precedent for more feature filmmaking in the area.
“I’d love to see many more Upper Valley stories make it to the screen,” Davidson Green said.
Love for Norwich
Retired medical professor Ford von Reyn will read from his debut novel “Love from Afar: Finland” at the Norwich Bookstore from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9 The book centers around a married New Hampshire ski salesman who forms an unexpected connection on a trip to Finland that reverberates throughout the rest of his life. For more information, go to norwichbookstore.com.
New world music returns to Randolph
The 34th annual New World Festival, a celebration of Celtic and Québécois music and dance, is set for Sunday, Sept. 6 in Randolph. Among the 20 or so artists in the lineup is Canadian folk musician Mélisande, who recently performed at Nexus Music and Arts Festival at Lebanon Opera House. For more tickets to the upcoming festival ($62.34 for adults at presale; $36.60 with a student ID; free for kids 12 and under) and more information, go to chandler-arts.org.
Bey’s birthday
Beyoncé is getting a very special birthday celebration at the Filling Station from 8 to 11 p.m. this Friday in White River Junction. Bops provided by DJ Cartiér and Etna’s own Sir Babygirl. Come early to avoid getting stuck in line. Tickets are $5 at the door, and the event is for ages 21 and older.