The Oberlin Review
<< Front page Arts March 14, 2008

Teen Director Dreams Big

Lorain County has never seemed more exciting than in the hands of 17-year-old Matt Zaleski. Last Sunday’s free test screening of Zaleski’s film Red Battle told the tale of a small-town drug heist gone wrong when a briefcase worth $14 million disappears. As the search intensifies, high-school students “Matt” (Zaleski) and “Ryan” (Ryan Bliss) are roped into a nexus of secrets and betrayal implicating the county police, an ex-convict, an international drug trader and a gang of burly teenagers. 

“This film was originally inspired from when I got jumped by some drug-obsessed kids,” said Zaleski, who wrote the screenplay.

Zaleski also produced the film, compiled the soundtrack — some of it from scratch — and coordinated the veritable bonanza of special effects. Boys leap over moving cars and men run with guns. The audience sees real sparks and explosions, done over a screen then composited carefully over the footage. Actors, wielding wrapped knife blades and air-soft guns for safety, performed carefully orchestrated movements.

“The choreographing took what seemed like forever. It’s extremely difficult to make a punch look real without actually hitting someone,” he explained.

But as Zaleski acknowledges, Red Battle took a village. 

“My dad used to be on the board of the Lorain County Regional Airport. So they did us a big favor by pulling a jet out of the hanger and letting us film in it. Then, ironically, the same plane took off an hour later so I got a shot of it taking off, creating the illusion that our actors were on board,” said Zaleski.

The film session yielded a highlight scene of the film, a mad-scrabble getaway via jet plane. Another shooting session, this one of a bike chase, did not unfold so smoothly.

“Naturally we had to get it just right, so on the last take somehow my wheel

got caught in another actor’s wheel. I instantly collapsed to the side and my neck got caught on another actor’s gear…I was rushed to the emergency room,” said Zaleski. “…The big thing about this was, I rescheduled the shoot and being the good people that they are, they came back to do it again, safely. I think it was experiences like these that really built our friendship over time.”

 Among the actors are Mike Rose of Grafton, Andrew Koethe of Westlake, Thomas Tamesis of Avon, Sean Prior of Amherst, and teachers Preston Postle of Avon High School and Steve Perry of Vermilion High School, who also performed a song used in the movie.

“After getting the bugs worked out, I’m going to have a premiere at Dave and Busters in one of their back show rooms. This will be for family, friends and most importantly the entire cast. My main goal is to get into Sundance Film Festival, then a few others,” said Zaleski.

The Vermillion teenager has the gravely ready look of Matt Arnold in Big Trouble and an air all his own. 

“I want to be a professional filmmaker…. I look at my films and try to see how it could have been improved. As for the big names, such as Spielberg or Jackson, I appreciate their success and I hope I can one day rival their work.”


 
 
   

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