ANDOVER — Alex Perry sees a future for himself directing movies. And he isn't afraid to dream big.
Perry, 21, wrote and directed a six-minute short that won Best Picture at the northern regional finale of Campus Movie Fest, the largest college film festival in the world.
The Andover native and Bridgewater State College senior is the mastermind behind "Scrabble: the Motion Picture." The film was recently screened at Lincoln Center in New York City.
This week, he'll head to Paramount Studios in Los Angeles for the festival's International Grand Finale to compete with 45 of the world's top student filmmaking teams.
— Brian Messenger
Why combine board games with a Cold War-themed action movie?
The target audience was college kids. I made a serious drama for the same competition last year and it didn't quite get the response I was looking for. I said, 'All right, I'm going to make the most ridiculous movie I can make.' Hence, "Scrabble: The Motion Picture." And it's ridiculous. There's no way around it. But it's also very creative.
Are you a Scrabble fan?
It's the greatest board game of all-time.
What role did you play in making the film?
I actually wrote it the day after we lost this competition last year. I wrote it. I directed it. I was cinematographer and I co-edited it.
Your team was given one week to make a six-minute short. What was the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge was, I'd say, the last three nights. We pulled three all-nighters in a row. We had about four laptops in my dorm room going at the same time. We did not get much sleep those three days.
Who are the actors? Are they friends from college?
All the actors are just my friends from school.
What's this about hanging off of car hoods travelling 30 miles-per-hour with a video camera?
Those (scenes) were kind of dangerous, but we weren't really thinking at the time. On three different occasions we were approached by police. We almost got arrested but we talked our way out of it.
What was your favorite aspect of making the movie?
I'd say hearing the audience reaction for the first time when we showed it on the big screen. It was first shown at our school to a crowd of about 250 people. At Lincoln Center, it was shown to a crowd of 1,000 or more.
Did you ever expect you'd be on a red carpet in New York City, about to win best picture?
Absolutely. This is just the beginning. I expect far greater things than this.
As an aspiring filmmaker, what will it be like to visit Los Angeles and Paramount Studios?
It is something I've wanted to do for a very long time and haven't been able to do because of school. I've won my way there, and I'm prepared to knock down some doors and get my name out there.
How many movies do you watch in a week?
Some absurd amount. I watch a lot of movies. Probably like 14 a week.
What aspects of a good film catch you the most?
The emotional involvement is the most important thing, and I think why film has such a wide audience.
Where do you want this to ultimately take you?
I want it to ultimately take me to five best director wins at the Academy Awards.
You're not afraid to shoot for the top?
Absolutely not.
