siuDE.com

Some screenwriters pour over their scripts for months to prepare their work for the big screen.

Sean Brown spent about one night.

Brown, a former Emmy nominee as a member of the alt.news 26:46 television show, is casting for his newest film - a look into the life of college students struggling to pay the rent.

After going through the process of accepting and reading scripts from other members from the group, which finished second in the 2006 Emmy awards, the untitled script was chosen as the fourth film in what has become an alt.news tradition.

Brown, a junior from Deerfield studying radio and television, is one of the last remaining members of the group that was selected for Emmy consideration more than one year ago. Brown is one of four executive producers for the film.

He said they were interested in another script called "Karaoke Dreams," but that would have been more of a production.

"We kept it simple with this, and it's funny," Brown said.

There are two producers and one director for the film, but all members of alt.news will have a hand in seeing the project through to completion.

There are seven roles to cast in the film. As of Wednesday, staff members Jay Carey and James Milner had a total of two auditions.

Carey, a junior from Carterville studying radio and television, said he wasn't expecting a big turnout because of midterms and spring break around the corner.

Both expected a larger turnout for Thursday's casting call and were proven correct. By 7 p.m. there were about eight people ready to audition.

Christopher Ancona, a junior from Naperville studying radio and television, said he felt comfortable auditioning because his friends were putting on the production.

"I will take any of the guys parts, or girls," Ancona said.

The short film is a story about a group of guys in college who sell their furniture on eBay, Inc., to pay the rent.

Milner, a senior from Springfield studying radio and television and photography, is allowing the film to be shot at his house.

"I'm always excited to start a new project, but there's always the anticipation and fear of sleepless nights," Milner said.

Jakina Hill can be reached at

536-3311 ext. 273 or jhill@siude.com.

Article Tools