Lights! Camera! Lanark!

The Lanark Village Mart became a little piece of tinsel town just for the day on July 3.

A group of 15 students from the Florida State University film school descended on the village to shoot a portion of "Forgotten Coast," the story of a runaway who finds happiness in Carrabelle.

Producer Mark Bendeck said the film, a joint senior thesis project for director David Leatherwood and production director Jason Ambler, is the culmination of over six months of planning and preparation. Ambler and Leatherwood collaborated on the script.

The production crew was in the county from July 2 through 7. Other scenes were shot on Carrabelle Beach and at Harry's Bar in Carrabelle. The team used several locals as extras.

Fran Weeks, manager of the Lanark Mart, was on the set Friday. She watched as the students shifted shelves and crammed the tight space inside the store with high tech equipment.

"It doesn't really look too different from the beginning of scallop season on a weekend, or maybe it's more like a rainstorm when the tarpon fishermen are out and they converge in here to stay dry," she said.

Bendeck said the company has enjoyed working in the county. "People are almost always willing to help but we've never seen anything like Carrabelle," she said. "There's such a network. Everybody knows everybody."

He smiled broadly as the film crew bustled about preparing for the shoot. "This is what makes it all worthwhile. We all work together many, many times in or out of school, so it's sort of like a family. There are very intense friendships that hopefully will last forever. It's so much fun. When you get to the point where you want to quit, you think about all of the sound sets you've ever been on and how much fun they were."

Bendeck said the group had a budget of less than $3,000 to make the film. Several members of the crew spent the week at the Moorings but most of the students commuted from Tallahassee and received compensation for their gas.

He said that FSU differs from most film schools because it provides equipment to students free of charge. Other universities require student film crews to rent gear. Much of the equipment available to the students is state of the art.

The film "Forgotten Coast" will eventually air on public TV.

Tiley veteran actor for FSU moviemakers

            He's been shot through the gut in a Western and accidently shot himself through the top of the head as a 19^th century Russian general.

            He's  been drowned and he's died of a drug overdose.

            He's veteran Apalachicola actor Ed Tiley, and in the last two years his comic timing and dramatic acting skills have been in great demand by both film and communication students at Florida State University.

            Ever since he began working with students in the school of communications in 2007, Tiley has appeared in more than 20 FSU student films, most made by film department students.

            "They're a serious bunch of kids who appreciate the fact I'm really easy to work with," he said. "I really like it because it's very different from live performance, although you don't necessarily get the immediate audience reaction.

            "It's a highly collaborative way of working that seems to produce good results," he said.

            Tiley has nothing but respect for the work of the young filmmakers. "These kids are serious," he said. "There's almost never a faculty member on set. They may visit once or twice."

            The young people work well together in part because they exchange roles in one another's' projects, with no one always the top dog. "The one directing today is likely to be on your crew tomorrow," said Tiley. "I've never seen anyone act up, act out, flake off, not do their job."

            While Tiley's acting contribution to FSU filmmaking is entirely voluntary, with no monetary compensation, he did note one perk for his performances.

            "They feed you good," he said. - By David Adlerstein