Rose Talbot
Student Life Editor
Director Lindsay Corriveau; photo retrieved from facebook.com/oakbonesfilm. Photo credit: Anthony Watkins
A woman carved from wood, trying to break free from her master carpenter to discover the world outside her window.
This is the story of Oak Bones, masterfully crafted and directed by Lindsay Corriveau, a senior digital media and film double major. The film is Corriveau’s senior project, the final showcase of her time at Messiah.
The short film, which runs about 20 minutes, will be premiering this Friday at Splice, the Messiah College Student Film Festival. The event will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. in Parmer Cinema with a reception following in Boyer Atrium. Students can reserve their free tickets by contacting Messiah’s ticket office.
Oak Bones features a cast of professional actors as the three main characters—Chris Tilley as Felix, Tue Hoe as Master Knox and Messiah alum Katharine Reid as Marvel.
While the cast was recruited off-campus, the crew is comprised entirely of Messiah students including Corriveau as the director, junior Erin Zakin as the producer and professor Krista Imbesi as the project’s supervisor, as well as a host of other students in roles ranging from sound mixer to costume manager.
Actress Katharine Reid with Oak Bones crew members; photo retrieved from facebook.com/oakbonesfilm
The work involved in organizing a production of this scale was all-encompassing, from the original creation of the script to every detail of filming. While Corriveau says the story’s inspiration struck long ago, the process of script-writing, auditioning and organizing the cast, assembling the crew and directing and editing the film was an enormous task. The crew spared no detail during filming, including extensive full-body paint for the character of Marvel to make her look as though she were made of wood.
While the amount of hours that have gone into the project were intense, that’s not to say that it was all work and no play. “The crew was just ridiculous and really funny,” says Corriveau, recalling a time when actor Chris Tilley was swaddled in blankets and fur coats and “looked almost exactly like Macklemore from the ‘Thrift Shop’ video.”
The scope of the film was made possible through a Kickstarter campaign, which, thanks to generous donors, went over the target goal of $3,000. The film’s first version, originally titled The Puppet Master, involved an extensive community of characters. It has since evolved into the story it is now, with its three-person focus and one central filming location—the historic Dill’s Tavern.
The length of Oak Bones keeps the film simple and brings the plot together, says Corriveau, who has also spearheaded student films Like Rain and Thornbird.
It’s a timeless story with overarching themes of self-identity and discovering the adventure beyond. To find out more information about Oak Bones, check out the official website or stop by the Splice Film Festival to view the short film yourself.
Rose Talbot, Student Life Editor
I’m a senior journalism major from the UK with a love for travel, tea, writing, and all things The Pulse.