A love affair with the neighborhood: Directed by Jim Cantiello

First published in the Times Beacon Record Newspapers

Some people can’t wait to grow up and move away from the neighborhood. Some enjoy their nostalgia long distance and some come home to visit or to stay. Jim Cantiello wants to share his happy memories of growing up on the north shore of Suffolk County Long Island with everyone. So, he’s set his first “real” movie here, and populated it with the people and places he loves.

According to the film’s prospectus, Directing Rye is a “heartwarming comedy about a wedding videographer who volunteers to film his son’s school musical production of “The Catcher in the Rye.” Sam, the videographer, is a divorced ex-film student and movie buff who “struggles to make wedding videos works of art, even when it challenges what the customers want.” His son and best friend, Brian, who is awkward and longs to be part of the “in” crowd, has just been given the lead in the school play. He hopes it will help him move up the junior high social ladder.

Directing Rye is filmed almost entirely at Gelinas (full name?) and uses local talent for the leading roles (“Rich Romero – a history teacher at the high school! Who knew he’s a fantastic actor?! And Valentin Staller – a natural talent who will take everyone’s breath away,” according to Cantiello) as well as the extras, casting “every single Gelinas student who auditioned for my project somewhere in my film – over 60 of them!” This project has been “a labor of love – a love-letter to growing up in the Three Village Community.” The locations outside the school are also filmed in Cantiello’s home town, including a home and street in Poquott, the Stop N’ Shop in Setauket and PJ Cinema in Port Jeff Station.

Filming took place during spring break and the Gelinas cafeteria was transformed by the constant flux of cast, crew, extras, parents, photographers and others eddying and pooling around the waiting, eating, wardrobe and makeup stations. The auditorium served as the main shooting location, providing a stage on which to produce “The Catcher in the Rye: The Musical” and a backstage and surrounding areas as settings for the characters to work and play and talk.

According to Cantiello, the script was written in February 2002 as a final project for the first semester of his last year at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he has been majoring in film production. “I just fell in love with the characters,” he said. When the script was “green-lighted” to be made into a film the following semester he recalled a number of friends who had “tried shooting at schools in the city and it’s been a real disaster.” So he thought about coming home, determined that if he could not shoot at Gelinas and “do it properly” he would just write another script and save this one for another time. However, when he met with NAME, the principal at Gelinas, “she welcomed me with open arms. The whole staff at Gelinas was terrific.”

Boyish enthusiasm lights up his handsome face as he talks about the film and the actors. Romero was his history teacher back in high school and they have kept in touch sporadically over time. “Jim sent me an email two months ago,” said Romero, sitting in a special chair to coddle his bad back between scenes. Romero traveled to NYU to audition and was “a little caught off guard” when he got the part. “I am thrilled on two levels,” he said. “I have known Jim since he was a student in high school and I am trying to help him make his project successful, and I am thrilled personally to have a creative outlet.”

Staller, (yes, he’s part of our locally famous Staller family) is described by everyone on the set as talented and nice. “He’s such a natural,” said Romero. “He’s one of the most poised and self confident eighth graders that I have ever met – and I taught eighth grade for two years. He’s an amazing performer.” The wardrobe mistress, Lisa Goldman, who also serves as script supervisor, and Lisa Ganz, the professional hair and makeup artist Cantiello hired, just adore him, fussing over him like birds feathering their nest. He remains calm and smiles slightly, changing his clothes or tilting his head as requested. Then he’s gone – off to film his next scene.

Other than the “two huge leads” there is Mrs. Inners, the drama teacher and author of the school play who Cantiello found by attending the Purim play at his girlfriend’s temple. Local talent Sophia Amaro had just the something he was looking for and at the coffee following her campy performance as Queen Esther he approached her about being in his movie. Amaro, who has extensive musical and theatrical experience was charmed by the young director and joined his growing band of dream weavers.

Interviewing a director in the middle of making a movie is a little like trying to catch a butterfly. The wind shifts and the creature comes within reach, only to be caught by the next breeze (or crew member, lighting issue or worried extra) and fly away. The old adage about sitting quietly and waiting for it to land on your shoulder is useless as the “just a minute [to take] a quick look at something becomes two, becomes 10, becomes half an hour, as the director gets involved in the important minutia of his film and forgets you’re even on the set. Then, he’s back and you’re impressed that he recalls your last question and has even considered an answer. Half of which you hear, before he flies off again for another extended “minute” of consultation. You can’t even be annoyed because this is what he’s here for, and he’s trying so hard to make time, and he’s clearly busy enough for three people and he’s so apologetic, so adorably, sincerely sorry to be making you wait while he works on his dream.

Making a movie is seriously un-glamorous. It is disjointed (the scenes are never filmed in the order in which the movie-going public sees them), it is boring (a lot of time is spent waiting for the lighting, sound, set, makeup and other essential elements to be just right) and it is frustrating (the same 45 second scene can be shot a dozen times, not because the director is being a jerk but because someone sneezed, or their was a hair on the camera lens or because in the last scene that extra had a hat and now he doesn’t). However, it’s also a kind of performance art. A good director – and Cantiello is that, working with a talented team, creates a marvelous sort of dance.

Standing in the Gelinas parking lot in the chilly late afternoon sun, one long arm laden with jackets and sweatshirts doffed by his amateur extras for the shot of them entering the school to attend the play, Cantiello is the picture of good natured patience. He gives back the jackets and chooses four or five younger children to play tag around the flagpole while the adults enter the school, shooting them several times as they chase each other around the small patch of grass. Now he retrieves the jackets and assembles the older kids and adults in small groups at the outside edge of the frame so they can make their way to the door in a natural scattered manner. He seems to be everywhere at once, a virtual perpetual motion machine. Utterly focused on the task at hand, yet able to spot a shivering extra and call out an apology and a reminder that we’re almost done out here. As though the unseasonable chill were somehow his responsibility. As though he even noticed it himself, intent as he is on capturing this tiny moment on film.

Behind schedule as usual Cantiello sends everyone but the last few inside to get warm and, with the attention to detail that will make him a well-known director some day, asks these last few to half-run to the door. There are always people running late for these things he says, so look worried and move quickly, but don’t actually run. After a few takes they’re done and he’s off to set up the auditorium, reminding everyone once again to watch the lights and the wires that are strewn like streamers after a party all over the hallway floors.

Everyone follows the sound of the assistant director’s voice toward the auditorium. Recommended by Producer Jason Zemlicka who works for Nickelodeon, Assistant Director and Unit Production Manager Rob Schroeder came in from Los Angeles at the last minute when the guy Cantiello originally hired “stood us up.” His job is to make sure that everything is set up as Cantiello requires – and when the director is away from the set for any reason, he gets to shout “Action!” Cantiello, modestly deflecting attention from his own talent is full of praise for Zemlicka, Schroeder and the rest of his crew.

Now the extras are strategically seated in order to make the auditorium appear full to the camera lens. Romero is poised to climb over several already seated audience members to get to his seat and watch his son’s performance and the lights and sound equipment have been tuned to perfection. “Stand by for rehearsal,” says Schroeder, motioning for quiet. “OK, rehearsal’s up.” He pauses for a moment, “Jim?” Cantiello glances around and, seeing that everything is ready calls out, “Action!”