Out of the Inkwell

Western Mass. readers who are also film fans should make a date to attend this free show.

When the script calls for a film to be set in a busy airport terminal, the question confronting a western Massachusetts director is just where he can shoot it.

The answer to that question is the former Basketball Hall of Fame.

Longmeadow filmmaker Scott Kittredge will debut his new short film, "Terminal Conversation" with a public showing on Aug. 17 at 6:30 at the Basketball Hall of Fame Theater. Admission to the premiere is free.

Kittredge's new 17-minute film is his last short before taking on producing a feature film. He explained to Reminder Publications that he and his creative partner, Brian Jackson, had produced a horror film, a romantic comedy and a children's modern fable.

"Terminal Conversation" was going to stretch the team's abilities even more with a dramatic offering.

Jackson had to bow out of the production early in its development and Kittredge produced, directed and edited the film himself.

Kittredge shot the film in March over two days and was proud to say it was on time and on budget.

The film is about a young man who receives a troubling phone call from his wife while he's traveling and a subsequent conversation he has with an older man while waiting for his flight.

Western Massachusetts residents Clark Smith and Marty Langford wrote the script.

Longmeadow native Douglas Dickerman stars in the film as the younger man. Dickerman has received critical acclaim for his work in plays in New York. He has appeared in a number of short films, commercials and an episode of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." He currently is pursuing his acting career in Los Angeles.

The other cast member is John Depew, who has appeared in a number of plays in Massachusetts and 12 short films. In his non-acting life, he is CEO of Bradford Medical Associates in North Andover.

Kittredge said the biggest challenge was finding a space that could convincingly double as an airport terminal waiting area. He said he needed a long space with huge windows and the third floor of the former Basketball Hall of Fame had those two requirements.

It was also in "bad disarray," said Kittredge.

One hundred-fifty of the red carpet tiles were missing and Kittredge and his crew had to pull others up from other parts of the building to fill in the gaps.

Benches that were still in the building, large houseplants and realistic signs contributed to the terminal look. When Kittredge added extras walking in and out of the scene as well as the necessary sound effects, the illusion was created.

Although he hadn't inquired about shooting the films at Bradley International Airport, Kittredge said he appreciated the complete control he had over the set something that would have been difficult to have at a working airport.

Kittredge plans to do with this film what he and Jackson did with their last film, "Snacks." He will be submitting it to festivals around the country to gain exposure. Snacks, which was shot at the Wolf Swamp Elementary School and used a local cast of children, has been seen at the Nolita Film Festival in New York City, the Foursite Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Besides showing his film at the premiere, Kittredge will also screen previews of other films made in western Massachusetts and conduct a question and answer period.

© 2006 by Gordon Michael Dobbs. My words alone.