PRINTLit up
Locals take a break from their 9-to-5s to film a TV show
CLAY MCGLAUGHLIN
Rick Naik documents as director Brian Maurer works on a camera setup in Kaldi’s Coffee House. Maurer rigged a portable DVD player as a monitor for his video camera in order to increase the size of the screen. The crew is preparing to film a scene from Lit, a six-part miniseries produced by Maurer’s company Mathmission Films.
May 20, 2009 | 12:00 p.m. CST
Please see 'Related Multimedia' on the left side of your browser for the movie trailer for Lit.
After a hard day’s work, most people long for the drone of the TV and a cushy easy chair, but the main players in Lit want to be part of the drone instead of the audience. A homegrown project that can be run as either a five-part television series or two hour-and-a-half movies, Lit is the story of Dr. Samuel Kete, an insufferable professor haunted by the death of his wife. After an outburst at a meeting, he is forced to teach an introductory literature course.
Related MultimediaThe key cast members come from different backgrounds and have different expectations for what Lit will bring them. Director Brian Maurer hopes the show’s premier will happen late this summer.
Brian Maurer
DAY JOB: Administrative Assistant to the Extension Community Economic and Entrepreneurial Development program
LIT JOB: Director and Writer
Brian Maurer puts on no pretences: He wears tennis shoes and a 4-H shirt and lives in a small apartment with a roommate. Get him behind the camera, though, and he is subtly transformed.
Having never attempted a project of this magnitude, he is driven to make it right. Even a scene so simple as one where Dr. Kete says just nine words is re-shot nine times until perfect. A setback such as 14 extras showing up for a shot that required 1,000 does not stop him. “The whole idea of it was just to create something,” he says.
Michael Wilson
DAY JOB: MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. textbooks quality assurance department
LIT JOB: Dr. Samuel Kete, main character
“I’m a 17-year-old platinum blonde trapped in a 52-year-old’s body,” jokes Wilson after flubbing a line. His seemingly reserved demeanor belies his kooky outbursts, like breaking into a Riverdance routine just to test the echo in a room. With 30 years of professional acting experience, Wilson is able to become Kete even though he sees none of himself in the character. “The only thing that Kete and I have in common is a deep interest in literature,” Wilson says. “And I also hate Shakespeare.”
Wilson hopes to break into television or film with Lit’s help but says it’s fine if CoMo stays his home.
Dan Jordan
DAY JOB: Regulatory law judge with the Missouri Public Service Commission
LIT JOB: Carrey Wasse, Dr. Kete’s best friend
“I demand real french fries, or I just won’t act,” says Dan Jordan, putting on a fake prima donna routine before a shot where his character is eating a burger.
He wisecracks on the set, but his character is a solemn academic torn between his wife and another woman. In a scene after he has left his wife, he is able to show his fear and sadness all in one blank stare.
Jordan’s wit and way of speaking make it clear he is a man of intelligence, and his two law degrees back up that fact. He auditioned for a small part in Lit to kill time until spring when he can start landscaping and ended up with the second lead.
Nathan Pierson
DAY JOB: Delivery driver for Papa John’s Pizza
LIT JOB: Assistant director and acting coach
Since Pierson’s graduation from MU with a theater degree in December 2007, he has delivered pizzas to save money. He wants to move to Chicago where he hopes to find acting work. Pierson, a friend and former dorm floormate of Maurer’s, plays a vital role in the project. “I’m here for working with the actors and trying to get the best possible performance out of them,” Pierson says.
Originally an actor, he enjoys the challenges of directing. “We have been working with one of our main actors (Wilson) in pulling it back,” he says. “In theater, you act for the person in the very last row, and film is much more subtle.”
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