PRINTMidwestern Movie Machine
MU student filmmaker works behind the camera, script and screen
VALERIE MOSLEY
Evan Melkersman, a senior communications major at MU with a thirst for filmmaking, exchanges labor for the use of a small studio space at Hope Photo Studio in Boonville.
June 3, 2009 | 12:00 p.m. CST
Crime families, revenge missions, post-apocalyptic zombies and deadly class crushes are only a few of the thematic elements that Evan Melkersman is exploring. The 22-year-old MU senior has his own production company, Melk78 Productions, a couple of films and a miniseries in the making. He’s not messing around.
Melkersman recognized his knack for filmmaking six years ago. That’s when he first found himself looking at films in a different way. “I wasn’t just watching them purely for entertainment purposes anymore,” he says. “I was more interested in the camera angles. When I was buying new DVDs, I wouldn’t watch the movie right away. I would watch the background stuff first to figure out how they did it.”
Fear of being judged by a public audience kept Melkersman from touching a camera until after high school. College helped him build up enough courage to start shooting, as well as a circle of friends to cheer him on and assist with some of the technical work.
A good buddy to have around, Melkersman bases his characters on personalities of friends, then asks if they would like a starring role. They don’t need to be all-star thespians; the role is essentially created with them in mind. Lorna Alexander, a nurse who administered a flu shot to Melkersman, ended up getting involved in some acting. “Evan has a very good eye for writing, directing, everything,” Alexander says. “For someone so young, he’s very good.”
Friends also help him make the films. MU computer science major Jordan Kempf is Melkersman’s assistant director/cameraman. “I’m not really a camera guru, but Evan and I had a class together and he mentioned wanting to work on this stuff,” Kempf says.
Edward Lang started his own production company and is Melkersman’s go-to guy if he needs any post-production work done on his films. They met in a high school art class and have just recently started collaborating on ideas and methods for Melkersman’s projects. “Evan has a great visual mind,” Lang says. “He thinks like a director.”
Even if you don’t know Melkersman, you could still have been an inspiration for one of his characters. People-watching, he says, not only captures the essence of human behavior, but also helps cure writer’s block. Melkersman focuses more on building the characters of his films, rather than the plot. “I believe that the characters, if they feel real, the world that they’re in will make sense,” Melkersman says.
Two films, Forsaken and Requiem of a Savior, should be completed within the next year. Requiem tells the story of a man whose brother becomes infatuated with gaining control of the family business and the horrible events that unfold because of his greed. Forsaken takes a turn down the sci-fi thriller road and follows the lives of four brothers struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Melkersman’s miniseries Crush airs in multiple installments on his YouTube channel.
Without taking a single film class, Melkersman managed to write and direct both films. In fact, he always found classes to be restricting. “I don’t like the notion of implanting a theory in the back of your mind because I think it takes away from your ability to experiment and take risks,” Melkersman says.
Melkersman is eventually hoping to submit his films to festivals across the country. “My ultimate dream would be to get picked up at one of those festivals and get a ticket to Hollywood,” Melkersman says. With self-taught skills and a talent for juggling multiple projects, stardom seems that much closer for this director-turned-dynamo.
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