-A Virgin Islands Feature Film “Chance”!

By: KimmiE Mahoney

Ivanna Eudora Kean High School is now a part of the St. Thomas’ feature film, Chance, and is represented throughout the film by 21-year-old Terrence Bartley who plays the role of the main character, Darnell Smith. In this film, the life of a teenage boy becomes difficult as his mother falls ill, and he is given the responsibility of caring for his family’s financial needs. Unable to afford the treatment for his mother and having no one to look after his siblings, Darnell forgoes school and teams up with a crime lord to support his family. (See http://www.detailfilms.com/chancemovie/ for details)

Mark Owen, the producer of Chance, was originally from Texas but has resided on St. Thomas since April of 2009. He says he “was deeply inspired to produce a film that reflected the lifestyle many young teens have to develop, as they grow in a single-parent environment.” Directing the film is Evan Kaufmann of Texas; Cameron Schmucker of Los Angeles is the camera operator. Both Kaufmann and Schmucker came to St. Thomas in May of 2010 to work with Owen on his film.

Terrence Bartley, a St. Thomas Seventh- Day Adventist School graduate of 2006, stars in the film although he has had no experience in acting. Despite his lack of experience, he manages to bring out the characteristics and emotions that come along with the role of Darnell. “It’s amazing, you would never guess that he has never acted before, he plays the part well,” Owen said.

In a telephone interview, Bartley said, “the experience is amazing! So far, everyone is helpful, I’m open-minded to everything they tell me to do- everyone is cooperative. I enjoyed every minute.”

Allen Haynes and Lavar VanBeaverholt are seniors of Kean High who took part in the film. They both were given the opportunity of experiencing the duties and roles the film crew played in order to make the film a complete success.

“The experience was exciting, exhausting and even frustrating. There were times we had to re-shoot a scene over and over again- even if we thought it was good enough,” Haynes said.

“Working with Mr. Owen, Mr. Kaufmann and Mr. Schmucker felt like a regular school day to me. We worked with settings, and saw everything at a different point of view for every shot. It wasn’t easy- definitely a lot of work. We spent hours on a scene; nevertheless, it was a great experience,” VanBeaverholt added.

Producer Evan Kaufmann then added, “The students worked great with directions. They cooperated well when they were asked to make a change in the scene, and made working with them comfortable.”

The film Chance is being shot in various locations throughout St. Thomas. Scenes were shot in apartments, local neighborhoods, such as Hidden Valley, and streets. Schmucker did not have a hard time finding locations for the film. “Your island is beautiful! It was never hard for me to find a great shot for the film. The lighting was always perfect and the scenery was magnificent,” he said.

Chance is still being shot in St. Thomas as Owen and company work diligently to make the film something that people of the all ages and races could relate to. “I believe Chance will be big! -Bigger than ‘The Blind Side.’ This is a movie everyone can relate to and enjoy. It will reach out to a lot of Islanders most of all,” Bartley said. Corporations such as BET and Disney are showing interest in the film and are also here on St. Thomas, according to film crew members.

Virgin Islanders will have to wait a while for Chance to be open to theaters. In an exclusive interview with Keanwebexpress, Owen said, “We have 1 more month of filming, a few more for editing and hopefully, by September it will be out to the community.”