Telegraph, The (Nashua, NH) January 5, 2006
Section:
Michael
Brindley
![]() Nashua grad's film pays tribute to hometown
The way Nicholas Fabiano sees it, he's getting into a field that should appeal
to everyone. And if it doesn't, he would recommend heading to a local movie
theater, plunking down $8 and enjoying a film. "Everyone
loves movies," said Fabiano, a third-year film student at the School of Visual Arts in New York
City. "If you don't, you just haven't found the right one yet." Fabiano hopes he's making that right
one now. Joined by a crew of fellow film students and old high school
buddies, Fabiano is directing "Gate
City," an appropriately titled film he is shooting in Nashua during his
break from college. It's Fabiano's homage to a city he's proud to call home. He graduated from
Nashua High School in 2002. But
as much passion as he has for filmmaking, Fabiano isn't kidding himself - he knows he has work cut out
for him. "I'm
going into a career that is very cutthroat," Fabiano said. "But I know I can
make it. Support is the biggest thing in the world and I've had the best
support for this film." That
support has come not only from those working on the film with him and from
his parents, who have helped financially. After reading the script, Nashua
High School South Principal Jennifer Seusing gave the crew access to the
school this week. "If
I wasn't an alumni, I don't know if I would have gotten the same
treatment," Fabiano said, laughing. The
crew secured four hours of ice time at Conway Arena, where they arrived
bright and early Wednesday morning to film a scene with Chad Hursa, the lead
actor, who plays Danny. Hursa, also a film student in New York, helped write
the movie and lives with Fabiano. In
the short film, Hursa's character learns he has a brain tumor and has eight
weeks to live. But he doesn't tell anyone, and the film tells the story of
Danny coming to grips with his impending death. Hursa,
who played hockey for 15 years, skated around the rink for hours, doing take
after take as Fabiano watched intently, trying to get
different angles with different lighting. "We
need the house lights for the shot!" Fabiano yelled across the ice at one point to other crew
members. There
were moments of frustration, but also moments of satisfaction when they got
the shots they needed. Hursa
said Fabiano has been an inspirational
leader. Hursa was asked to come on board because of his prior acting
experience.It's been a unique experience working on a professional level with
one of his friends, he said. "Nick is animated," Hursa said.
"He's been able to keep up crew morale and he knows what he wants,
visually." Aric
Jacobson, also one of Fabiano's fellow film students, is
working on the cinematography, or "helping the director realize his
vision," he said jokingly. But
not everyone on the set knew Fabiano prior to this. Rafael Cora, a 2005 South graduate, is helping on
the movie as an intern as he prepares to go to film school. He was recently
accepted to the New York Film Academy. He had come to the school last week,
just to visit some former teachers, when Seusing told him about the project. Cora
jumped at the opportunity to get involved. He figures any experience he can
get before heading off to school will help. "It's
a lot of work," Cora said, when asked what he has learned during his
time on the set. The
film is Fabiano's project for college, and he
has high aspirations for the final result, hoping to submit it to film
festivals across the world and get a distributor. He's even planning a
special screening at South in the spring. Fabiano originally wanted to be an
actor, but soon realized that he wanted to focus on directing, inspired by
filmmakers like Cameron Crowe and Michele Gondry. Fabiano loves the editing process and
the feeling of ownership once a project is completed. "It's
way more fun," Fabiano said of directing. "I'm so
much more proud of myself (when I'm directing)." That
being said, Fabiano found a role for himself in his
own movie, playing the best friend of Hursa's character. After
shooting at the hockey rink, the crew packed up and moved down the road to
South, where they had reserved the gymnasium for two hours of filming. As
Hursa walked into the South gym, his eyes were glazed over from the long
hours of shooting in the last few days. This
was Hursa's second time to the city; he and Fabiano had come up here earlier to scout some locations
for shooting. "It's
a really aesthetically beautiful city," Hursa said. Later
Wednesday, Fabiano said they planned on driving
around, shooting B-roll in the city. Finally, at night, they would be
shooting a hockey game back at Conway. All together, it would be a 16-hour
day. Filming wraps Saturday. Two
of Fabiano's high school friends, Nashua
High graduates Jack Pelletier and Mark Oswald, are working on sound. Fabiano wanted to be surrounded by
people he knew while working on the film, and he got his wish. After he
graduates, Fabiano may work on bigger and better
things. But it's doubtful any project will mean as much as this one. "I
gathered a lot of people for this," Fabiano said. "Some of these people, I haven't seen in
years. It's amazing." Illustration: Staff photo by Don Himsel Nick Fabiano, left, checks the shot composed by videographer
Aric Jacobson during the filming part of Fabiano's movie in the gymnasium of Nashua High School South
Wednesday.
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2006, The Telegraph, Nashua, N.H. All Rights Reserved. |