Students and faculty had the opportunity to get an inside scoop on movie making at Ball State University's premiere of "My Name is Jerry" last night.
The film's director, producer and several members of the crew answered questions from the audience after the screening of the film in the Art and Journalism building.
"A lot of the questions are about how we did stuff," director Morgan Mead said. "If someone's coming out to watch the movie, I want to be able to give back."
Questions ranged from how long it took to master the sound quality of the film to what attracted well-known actors like Don Stark and Catherine Hicks to the film.
Producer Roger Smith said a movie's script is important to making films and attracting actors.
"When you have a solid script and you get Doug Jones interested, and then you get Catherine [Hicks], it picks up momentum," he said. "It starts with the script. It's not luck, but it is fortune."
One student asked how much of the film's $100,000 budget went to actor's fees.
Smith said the actors took a major pay cut and that Starks and Hicks made about $100 a day. He said the majority of the money went toward housing, catering and transportation. He said their willingness to take a pay cut came back to the script.
"It's because they wanted to do it," he said. "They'll [act] for free if the script is good."
Junior English major Tyler Gobble said he was surprised by seeing Stark and Hicks in the film.
"I knew about Doug Jones being in it, but I wasn't expecting some of the other faces I saw," he said. "[The movie] had a quirkiness that I like."
Sophomore English education major Jordan Pridemore said the film's story appealed to her as viewer.
"The storyline is unique enough that it's not a cliché," she said.
Pridemore also said Ball State's involvement with the film brought about a type of school spirit for her.
"I'm from Ohio, so Ball State doesn't come up a lot, but when it does, telecommunications is the first thing that comes up," she said. "[The movie] is one of those things I can say ‘I was here for that,' and I have that connection to it."
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