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by Virginia McEvilley
November, '96
Director Neil
Cunningham pauses for a moment, while a dozen teenage actors await
the call for ACTION. He consults a script that reads something like
this:
INTERIOR CABLE ACCESS TV SET--ESTABLISHING SHOT
Simple desk in front of the wall. Cable access cameraman, JESSICA focuses camera. JILL, DIMEKA, and AARON, all crew members for the show, standby. NOAH is behind the desk. AARON does the countdown.
AARON (pointing to Noah)
"Three, two, one..."
NOAH
"Hello, I'm Noah Siemsen. Welcome to THE FUTURE, the cable access show that breaks the boundaries of everyday television. We talk about the social issues that concern us, exploring all possible professions, and finding out what it takes to get there. We ask the questions you want to ask, for the answers you want to get, to help you prepare for your future, whatever it may be."
CUT
With this introduction, the first television pilot ever produced in Fairfield was launched late last summer at Hawthorne Studios. An unlikely town, you might think, to film a TV show. But then Fairfield, Iowa, might also be considered an unlikely place for many things. Take, for instance, an exclusive Ayurvedic health resort frequented by celebrities. Or two of America's fastest growing and largest international call-back phone companies. Or a company that designs and markets world-renowned high-end audio equipment. Or how about an award-winning audio production facility with clients in over 40 states. And don't forget Hawthorne Studios, a pioneer among infomercial production companies now using one of the most advanced editing systems in the country.
Fairfield is, in fact, a town well-known for it's successful entrepreneurs in almost every field. And now local television entrepreneurs are in the post-production phase of a recently completed pilot, "The Future." Originally conceived by writer Jim Claitor as an educational program where adolescents explore career possibilities, the show has evolved into what producer and co-writer John Huff has described as "edutainment"--educational material presented in entertainment style.
"This show has a universal theme that appeals to youth around the world, empowering them with choices for their future," says Neil Cunningham. Neil, who is a veteran actor and long-time member of the Actors Studio, began directing in the early '70s while studying with Lee Strasberg in New York. He was also the director for "Denim Blues," a Canadian national television show which he described as "a soap opera for teens." Neil is much more excited about "The Future," which he calls "a breakthrough show," because, he says, "there is nothing like this around. This is a vibrant group of young actors, empowered from the beginning to the end. They are beautiful, intelligent, clean, wholesome, and innocent. It's not the kind of tough professionalism you see coming out of New York and LA, where the kids are already hard around the edges."
Tim Hawthorne agrees. Before founding Hawthorne Communications Inc. in 1986, Tim worked in the industry for CBS in Minneapolis, and NBC in Philadelphia. Shows he produced included "Real People," "That's Incredible," "You Asked For It," "Ripley's Believe It Or Not," and "Entertainment Tonight," to name a few.
"I've worked for over 23 years in this industry, and I felt an energy on this set I've never experienced before. These kids are not like the kids you see on MTV," he said. "There was a quality and sincerity about them that astonished me."
Huff says that he and the other producers originally "thought we would have to go Hollywood" to find kids that could act. Instead the actors were recruited from Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri from state speech and drama competitions and talent agencies. Noah Siemsen, 19, of Fairfield, is a graduate of the Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment, and now a student at Maharishi University of Management. "The purpose of this show," he says, "is to get people to think about their lives and their futures ... to get them involved and create a conversational attitude with the audience in order to think about our actions in terms of our lives."
According to producer John Huff, "The Future" is actually a show within a show. The first half is set at Leo's Cafe, a trendy coffeehouse where the kids hang out. It features dialogue among high school kids who are curious what their futures will be like when they graduate. They then decide to create a low-budget cable access show, and the episode segues into on-location interviews in California that address college and career choices. Interviews featuring real people, like Dr. Lynette Iles of Washington, are filmed across the country and offer the teens insight into their chosen careers.
The cast of teens has been involved in the evolution of almost every aspect of the show, from the script to the set. Some of the show is scripted, and some is not, but even the script was extracted and created from the actor's improvisations.
"The whole script is drawn from the kids," says Huff. "Part of our job was just to stay out of their way as much as possible." The president of Lusha Productions, Greg Wadsworth said he and his partners sought input from the teen-agers from the beginning. "We're a generation away from those kids," he said. "We had to do a lot of brainstorming. The kids have played a critical role in the development of the show."
Production co-ordinator and artistic director Elaine Manno assembled an impressive set with multi-cultural symbols, creating Leo's Cafe, which also includes everything from primitive art to computers with Internet connections. It's where teens meet to discuss the issues they are dealing with. "When we designed the set," says Manno, "we got their opinions on the decor and props, such as furniture and paintings that worked for them, and things that they could relate to."
Says Wadsworth, "Leo's Cafe is a place where you can be anything you want. This show is not just fluff. Hopefully, it will provide a model for these kids, some encouragement and some real information."
Wadsworth has been instrumental in organizing and funding the project, and is currently raising funds for the final edit. Now in post-production, the show should take approximately two months to edit, depending on finances. Hawthorne, who thinks "The Future" has an excellent chance of being picked up by a cable network, says the decision has been made not to present anything to syndicated or cable networks until the pilot has been edited and ready to show potential investors. "There have been a lot of hopes and dreams over the years among people who wanted to produce a television show locally," he says, "but this is the best one so far, and probably has the best chance of getting picked up."
John Huff also thinks the chances are extremely high. "We have broken new ground and made a new genre. Besides the fact that it's a combination of education and entertainment, we've blended fiction and reality, and created a show within a show that gives us a lot of latitude to create new characters. Each week we have a choice. We can focus on the dramatic interaction between the teens in the cafe, or we can explore real-world characters through the tongue-in-cheek cable access show."
Assistant director Michael Rosner, who has acted and directed on both coasts, says, "This show has unlimited potential. It's an incredible group of people working together for a common goal, and the kids have tremendous input to cover the issues."
Jim Claitor says the coordinators are very gratified that recent federal legislation requires a minimum of three hours of educational programming to be featured on every network and TV station in America each week. "We know there will be a market for this show," he says.
The pilot, when completed, will be marketed to HBO and other cable networks. Wadsworth, who recently spoke with HBO president Bob Conti, has also established contacts with USA and Disney, and all three are now waiting to see the finished pilot. If it sells and is picked up as a series, filming will continue to take place in Fairfield at Hawthorne Studios. Producers and directors will be auditioning more young actors and actresses locally, and hiring an extensive production staff.
"There's a certain--no a definite--pride in producing an Iowa-based TV show with Iowa talent," says Hawthorne. "Every one of these kids is professional enough to have a Hollywood career if fortune shines on them that way."
Hollywood! Who needs Hollywood when "The Future" looks so bright in Fairfield?
