Cable televisonÕs Discovery Channel chose films produced by Boyne City High SchoolÕs graphic imaging department and the community to air on oits program. Director of the department, Randy Calcaterra (seated) worked with 22 students on the spoof films. Three of those students are (from left) Oliver Ryan, Shelley Koteskey and Amy Anderson. Photo by B.J. Hetler

The call last week was from the showÕs producers to Boyne City High SchoolÕs graphic imaging department. Students and others had created three films and sent them to the show in response to a contest by the channel.

Chosen out of thousands of entries worldwide, excitement is high throughout Boyne City High School and the community members who had worked from the ground up to produce the films.

It all began one evening last fall when graphic imaging director, Randy Calcaterra, was viewing the channel. A commercial called for entries in a contest put on by the show. The challenge was to create a spoof of one of the channelÕs programs. The rules: entries must be no more than 10 minutes in duration, and oh, yes, they were due in to the Discovery Channel by Nov. 1, 2006 Ñ less than four weeks away.

Calcaterra immediately formed a team of about 30 people, some from the school and some from the community. Ideas were written into scripts, of a sort. Sets had to be built, animation and graphics created, shoot and editing completed - all with people learning on-the-job.

ÒThere was no practice,Ó Calcaterra said. ÒIt was sink or swim, literally.Ó The students in the graphic imaging department smile broadly when they remember receiving notice that their films were chosen by the channel. ÒWhen he (Calcaterra) told us we were finalists, I was shocked,Ó high school senior Amy Anderson said. She was one of the 22 students who hit the ground running and produced the films within less than four weeks.

ÒI was on all of the sets, writing down the scenes and what we needed for props each day,Ó Amy said. Working at a computer, she logged and captured scenes.

Senior Oliver Ryan was also part of the team that produced the films. ÒI was excited because with Boyne City being a small town, itÕs great to be chosen,Ó he said. Oliver is one of the stars in a film.

ÒI was the one pelted with water balloons,Ó he said cheerfully. One of the films is a spoof on the Discovery show ÒMythbusters,Ó a show designed to amaze, entertain and teach viewers about science.

This spoof film known as ÒThe Myth YouÕve Heard a Thousand Times,Ó features a number of students from the high school.

The films will premier at the high school auditorium, tentatively on Saturday, March 10, Calcaterra said. He suggested checking with the schoolÕs Web site the first of March to confirm that date. The Web site address is: boyne.k12.mi.us. Click on high school, student gallery and then Mythbusters. Or by telephone, the number is: 231439-8100. The channel aired the films on Sunday, Feb. 25. The specifics of the film that spoofed ÔMythbustersÕ are being held by Calcaterra so that people will be surprised when they view the film.

In the spoof of Mythbusters, six ÒscientificÓ tests were performed and Òeach test raised the level of Ôridiculism,ÕÓ Calcaterra said.

High school senior, Shelley Koteskey, worked on the spoof. ÒI enjoyed working on the projects and being able to see the results,Ó Shelley said. Her interest is in graphic design and illustration and she plans to study in those fields when she enters college.

ÒThis was a good opportunity to learn how to do a major project,Ó Shelley said.

The other two films are spoofs of ÒSurvivor ManÓ and ÒThe Mike Rowe Parody.Ó

The Boyne City Fire Department had a part to play in the projects. Calcaterra said the city and the community were all helpful and willing to participate.

ÒThe fire department and the city were so fantastic to work with. It couldnÕt have happened without their support. Everyone came together.Ó