In the late 1990s, four teens struggled to survive a wilderness therapy program while facing an abusive staff—and a monster in the woods.
“I Crave U” is a Hawk Studios production written, directed and edited by Bee Messin, a fourth-year student double majoring in digital media production and theater studies.
The film follows four main characters, Billie, Fallon, Jude and Nickname. The group must deal with the abusive staff of the wilderness therapy program they have been sent to by their parents. The staff are played by second-year Jupiter Rizzitello, second-year Lillian Wright and fourth-year Tom Smith. Their characters are rarely seen but are constantly tormenting the campers. They are meant to emulate the Three Fates of Greek mythology.
Messin serves as the head of development on Hawk Studio’s executive board. She joined the group in her freshman year after attending a general interest meeting. She says that while digital production classes are sometimes limited, Hawk Studios provides a space that allows for more development of skills outside the classroom.
“I feel like I’ve learned so much in Hawk Studios. I’ve been able to expand my skills in every subset of film from post-production, pre-production, and production,” said Messin.
Messin pitched the project to Hawk Studios in September and was able to establish a crew to assist in the production. She describes the short film as a “weird queer camp” horror, which she tends to gravitate towards as a writer.
“I love Rocky Horror,” said Messin. “Queer stories are really important to me as a lesbian writer.”
Messin explained that the film focuses on the lack of autonomy that young people specifically face.
“I wrote these characters in a way that, like, each of them has been forcibly placed in this wilderness therapy program by their parents for reasons that are largely out of their control,” said Messin.
All of the characters are sent to the camp for reasons they cannot control. Fallon is gay, and that’s the reason he’s been sent to the camp. Jude’s parents sent her away in an attempt to fix her struggles with social interaction. Nickname was forced to go to the camp because his parents thought he had a drug problem after a misunderstanding at a house party. Billie is a victim of sexual assault, an act that deeply violates one’s autonomy.
Now, after being sent to this program against their will, the teens must work together to survive not only constant punishment from the staff but also the added threat of a monster lurking in the woods. “I think in their own ways, in the fact that they’re able to forge a friendship together, these four teenagers do find a way to earn some power over their lives,” said Messin.
The character Billie, played by third-year student Tessa Komar, is described as “your typical, offbeat teenage girl with a secret surrounding the moon.”
Fallon is Billie’s best friend. Played by first-year theater major Xander Primerano, Fallon is a narcissist who acts as above everyone else despite being deeply insecure about himself.
“I Crave U” is Primerano’s first experience in a short film, though he has acting experience from high school theatre productions. The university-level audition process was more stressful than what he was used to.
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” he said. “When I walked into the room, there were cameras and eyes on me everywhere, which was very different to what I was used to in high school.”
Despite the stress, Primerano says he managed to get into the groove and have a successful audition. “I found out I was cast and I was really excited and kind of shocked,” he said.
Jude is played by Morgan Enser, a first-year studying digital media production. Jude has selective mutism, which means she rarely speaks and, as a result, is seen as odd by others.
Enser finds her character to share similarities with her real self, especially when it comes to being shy and unsure of herself. “Being a lesbian and not knowing yourself truly is something that I have struggled with in the past,” she said. “It felt more as though I was the character and not myself acting as the character.”
Enser also found the audition experience to be daunting, though it turned out to be a great opportunity to break into the screen acting space. “I’ve done some self-taping in the past, so I had some experience with cameras, but nothing like professional work,” she said.
Nickname is constantly interrupted and forgotten about by the others. He is played by third-year digital media production major JJ Sievers and is referred to as Nickname because no one cares to know his real name.
Declan Caulfield is a third-year digital media production student and a member of Hawk Studios’ executive board. His role in the production of “I Crave U” was to train new members on the use of filming equipment and the overall production process. “Bee’s team were fast learners,” he said.
The film has been shot entirely on campus, in the woods and fields behind Esopus Hall. All of the cast, crew and production staff are current SUNY New Paltz students who are members of Hawk Studios.
“A perk of Hawk Studios is access to a lot of professional grade gear to support your creative vision,” said Caulfield.
Hawk Studios is dedicated to providing “informative and entertaining programming” to the campus community and beyond. Hawk Studios is part of the Center for Student Media and is fully operated by SUNY New Paltz students and staff, with the exception of a few professional staff who serve as advisors and oversee finances. The club utilizes professional-grade equipment such as Blackmagic Studio cameras, LED lighting and the Adobe Creative suite to give students experience before entering the professional field.
Filming for “I Crave U” wrapped on the weekend of Nov. 7 and is now in the post-production phase. Messin hopes that the film will premiere this semester.
