Help Local Eighth-Grader Produce His First Film

A group of Shorewood teenagers in togas will convene in the Milwaukee Art Museum this weekend, fake-stabbing each other with needles and debating the future of the "Dominion"— the dystopian government imagined by Shorewood Intermediate School eighth-grader Marcus Hoffman.

Hoffman plans to start shooting today a short film he has been working on for about two years called "Dinner at the Arena," using volunteer actors from SIS and the high school.

Hoffman describes the story as "a political narrative of a futuristic sort of dystopian society with really distinct class rules and sort of a retro-futuristic setting."

The characters in the script are part of a corrupt government hooked on drugs, directing purges against civilians that feed a rebel population.

"I drew a lot of facts out of modern society," Hoffman said.

Hoffman said he plans to do most of the filming this weekend, film any remaining shots next weekend, and have an finished project by June 8.

He said the final film will be about a half hour long, and he plans to do all the editing himself. It's a quick time-table, but Hoffman's not worried. He said once produced a seven-minute documentary-style video for a class in one afternoon.

"So, I know if I know what I'm doing I'll be able to pull it off," Hoffman said. "I know exactly where I need to shoot the different shots and I pretty much know the set-up for everything."

Hoffman was inspired to write the script after creating a line of artwork illustrating the female form in a futuristic environment.

"I realized, hey, this is a good idea," he said. "I should make some background story for this stuff."

He had also been looking for a chance to try filmmaking.

"I've always tried to explore the arts in as many ways as possible. Another art form for me is just film-making," Hoffman said. "There's a deep process behind it. ... The process behind making the thing I think is fascinating to me as an art itself, especially as an independent producer because they have such limited access to resources and they really have to stretch their dollar."

Before deciding to pursue "Dinner at the Arena," Hoffman wanted to do an anti-war film about the Vietnam War.

"But, I decided that because I would have to travel down to Florida and have to bring the whole film cast and crew over the duration of the summer, it wasn't really a financially viable option, being my first film," he said.

Though Hoffman wanted to raise $2,000 for "Dinner at the Arena's" budget, he said he only had about a quarter of that on Tuesday. 

Hoffman said he owned all the necessary equipment except a professional camera, which he was hoping to borrow from UWM.

"Whatever I don't have by the time I need to start filming, I'll just make up on the spot," he said. "So for example, my mother's a seamstress. If I need more togas, then I can just run home and tell her to make some of those out of some fabric that I have laying around. Anything I can't improvise will be just cut."

Anyone interested in donating can email Hoffman at MarcusProductions@live.com. His projected $2,000 budget would cover four days of meals for the cast and crew, fees at the art museum, film equipment, props and costumes.

Regardless of whether he raises the money, the show will go on.

"We'll convene at my home, because we don't have anywhere else to do it, and get make up, costumes, everything set up, and then go over there in a van," Hoffman said.