By Denise Richardson
Staff Writer
July 22, 2008 04:00 am It's not Oscar season, but two Oneonta writers are eager to thank local folks who helped them become scriptwriters whose work is headed for the silver screen. Lori Kelly and her son, Joel Plue, will be spending August in Ontario, Canada, where their script ``Silent But Deadly'' will be produced as a feature film. And Kelly's ``Mineville'' also is being set up for production. Two years ago, Kelly and Plue filmed ``Heartache,'' a story about a teenager and his need for a heart transplant. The project was done in Oneonta and the surrounding area with help from residents and businesses. The ``mom-and-son'' team, as they describe themselves, agreed having two films in the making is an exciting and thrilling development. Kelly, 50, said Monday she remembers the creative-writing spark being lit by her sixth-grade teacher Joe ``Mr. C'' Campbell, who painted pictures with words. ``He put me into his creative-writing class _ 40 years later, I still remember vividly the creative release,'' Kelly said. ``Yea, Mr. C.'' Campbell said Kelly approached him a while ago during a shopping trip, and it was hard to ``remember a sixth-grade girl who now is a mature woman.'' But a teacher is happy whenever a student shares that instruction had a positive impact, he said, and Kelly's compliment was more than flattery. ``It means an awful lot to me,'' Campbell said Monday. ``I'm just overwhelmed.'' Plue, 21, worked at Hannaford grocery store in Oneonta from 2005 until recently. He said he is grateful to local businesses, institutions and the city of Oneonta for helping with supplies, set locations and other support for ``Heartache.'' ``It takes a town to raise a movie,'' he said. He credits his current success to support from the community. After ``Heartache,'' the team's next project was ``Silent But Deadly.'' Kelly said she posted a notice about ``Silent'' on Internet Movie Database Pro, and within about two days, Michael Patrick Entertainment responded. "We are really excited about the caliber of talent we have lined up for this film,'' Michael Patrick said in the release issued Monday. Filming will begin next month, according to a media release, and actors include Jordan Prentice and William Sadler. The 21-day filming session will be in Chatham, Ontario. The release headlined Jason Mewes, star of Kevin Smith's films ``Clerks'' and ``Dogma,'' as lead actor in "Silent But Deadly." This movie will mark the feature-film directorial debut of Much Music Video Award-winner Stephen Scott. "Silent But Deadly" presents ``a fresh look at a classic genre staple of the 1970s and 1980s,'' the release said, in which a ``mysterious serial killer takes aim at the cesspool of sin that is a Hollywood film set, as he unleashes his own brand of retribution.'' Plue said, ``It's a regular, campy horror-film spoof.'' Kelly, who graduated from Oneonta High School in the mid-1970s, said she and Plue have collaborated as a mom-and-son writing and producing team for the past 12 years, beginning with Plue's early acting and stand-up comedy career in New York City. Kelly said the turn-around time for ``Silent'' has been quick compared with ``Mineville.'' ``Mineville'' tells stories about Irish immigrant workers who mined iron ore in Moriah's Mineville hamlet about 100 years ago. Kelly had been trying to find backers since 2000 and used a preview video made in 2001 to attract investors. The idea for the film arose during a visit to relatives in Mineville, she said. Kelly said she contacted the manager for Irish actor Jason Barry to see if Barry had any interest if a producer were found. In December, she said, she received an e-mail from Barry inquiring about the script. Barry, who appeared in ``Titanic,'' will make his directorial debut with ``Mineville.'' He and his wife, Nicola Charles Barry, are making the film through their production company, Marathon Pictures LA. Other actors signed on to the production are Giovanni Ribisi, William Sadler, Anthony Lapaglia, Ian Hart and Tony Curran. "Jason and I are really excited about the film," Nicola Charles Barry told the Irish Film and Television Network, as reported on its website. "It's a great script, and a story that hasn't been told before.'' The $20 million project is funded through a combination of private sector funding, New York State Film Board and I Love NY tax breaks, according to the April IFTN article. Kelly, co-producer of ``Mineville,'' said Monday she didn't know release dates for the films. Mother and son say they collaborate well and are pleased to have stepped into the industry. ``We have plenty of other ideas,'' Plue said. ``I really want to focus on my career in writing.''
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