Milltown native fulfills her filmmaking dream

Filmmaker Rachel Schaff is living out her dreams by going back to the place and time that formed them.

PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT Above: Rachel Schaff, of East Brunswick, greets people outside the United Methodist Church in Milltown at the start of a day of filming "The Yellow House Mystery." Below: Jess Dunlap, first assistant cameraman, sets up equipment at the church last week. "The Yellow House Mystery," which hearkens back to elements of Schaff's own childhood in Milltown, is the New York University Tisch School of the Arts student's senior thesis film.

"I wrote the script around the location," Schaff said.

Filming has been ongoing for the past two weeks in the borough, incorporating local nonprofessional actors to bring Schaff 's characters to life.

The 21-year-old director, who lives in East Brunswick, said she decided to use nonprofessional actors to follow in the tradition of some French filmmakers, like Robert Bresson.

"He would take nonactors and put them in these intense roles to keep it as organic as possible," Schaff said.

In the case of Madeline, the main character of "The Yellow House Mystery," Schaff had the role cast before it was written.

Mara Burack, a 10-year-old East Brunswick girl for whom Schaff has baby-sat for five years, helped provide inspiration for writing the film, and seemed a natural for the lead.

"She's a character," Schaff said. "She is very, very intelligent for a 10-year-old. I tell her parents that I would hang out with her even if I wasn't baby-sitting her."

Mara acted in one of Schaff's shorter films at the age of 8, and though the youngster was nervous about "wasting film" during the shooting of "The Yellow House Mystery," she has a great grasp of the character and nothing to worry about, Schaff said.

Mara's parents, Michael Burack and Elizabeth Laufer, have also been helpful in Schaff's work, as in allowing her to shoot scenes in their home.

"They've been so supportive," Schaff said. "They've been amazing."

Like Mara, Madeline is 10 years old and smart for her age. Like Schaff as a child, Madeline is a voracious reader, particularly a fan of the Boxcar Children Series' "The Yellow House Mystery."

"I've always been a big reader, and I knew I wanted to make a childhood film," Schaff said.

In the film, Madeline gleans the adventures for which she longs by reading books. When Mrs. Hunter, her fifth-grade teacher, presents her with "The Yellow House Mystery" to read, it opens up a whole new world for the adventuresome girl. As the children in the book seek to uncover the truth about a hermit in their town, Madeline decides to do the same, searching for answers about the recluse in her own quiet hometown in the borough.

"I've always been fascinated about the idea of a hermit," Schaff said.

While the story of Sammy Lewis, a small-town hermit, and the secrets that surround him provide for a compelling plot, the film delves into a deeper theme that touches each of its main characters.

"In my films, I define tragedy by the loss of passion," Schaff said. "I'm really interested in that."

Schaff's favorite film "The Red Shoes" explores such a theme, and she calls upon an exchange between two of its main characters to explain her own passion for the art form.

"Why do you want to dance?" Boris Lermontov asks Vicky Page in the movie.

"Why do you want to live?" she asks him, in the form of an answer.

That inherent need to express one's innermost dreams by bringing them to fruition has been a theme in Schaff's life.

"I always wanted to be a storyteller," she said.

As early as second grade, Schaff was writing short stories, which she would then craft into books. By fifth grade, in response to the question of what she wanted to be when she grew up, Schaff wrote "writer/director." Though she wasn't quite sure at the time exactly what a director did, Schaff said, she somehow knew it would be her calling.

After graduating from NYU, Schaff plans to attend ColumbiaUniversity's graduate program, for either film theory or English, she said. She also has big plans for the film.

"My highest goal for the film is to get it into festivals [like] Sundance, Cannes — especially Cannes," Schaff said.

According to Schaff, such films can also serve as a "calling card" for fledgling filmmakers, sometimes getting picked up to be made into feature films.

Using various techniques she has picked up during her education, Schaff is working to create her vision in a way that will capture audiences in the way she has been captivated by the work of other filmmakers.

"I love epic films that use experimental technique," Schaff said. "I love watching things that work to expand and improve on the medium."

Schaff's own area of expertise is French New Wave, an experimental movement that bucked established norms in filmmaking. In "The Yellow House Mystery," Schaff uses Technicolor during flashback sequences, and a black-andwhite New Wave Hollywood cinematic style to represent the present time.

Reminiscent of 1950s films by Douglas Sirk, "The Yellow House Mystery" falls into the melodrama category, much in the way American Movie Channel's (AMC) popular series "Mad Men" does, Schaff said.

"Melodrama has become such a negative term of recent date that I try to stay away from using it," Schaff said.

Casting for the film came easy to Schaff for the most part, and the actors are as enthusiastic as she is about the project.

"I'm really into working with actors — that's my thing," Schaff said. "They're really excited to do it, they're willing to take direction, they want to know more about the characters ... they're amazing."

Like her casting of Mara in the role of Madeline, Schaff knew exactly whom she would use for the role of Mrs. Hunter. Mary Ann Cochran, an Advanced Placement English and drama teacher at Spotswood High School, taught Schaff during her high school years. Schaff told Cochran at the time that she would one day write a role for her, and made good on her promise, revamping a character she had created in high school, she said.

Finding someone to play Sammy Lewis was not quite as simple. At first, Schaff searched for a violinist for the role, as the character plays the violin extensively in the film. When that did not pan out, Schaff used her resources to search elsewhere.

Her father, Michael Schaff, is an attorney with Woodbridge based Wilentz, Goldman and Spitzer. Schaff trolled the firm's Web site for possible candidates for the part, and came upon Richard Lert, who was happy to take on the role, she said.

"He's really great," Schaff said, adding, "I think he was kind of confused about why I wanted a lawyer [for the part]."

Along with the glowing appraisals of her cast, Schaff could not say enough about the help she is receiving from a number of other sources.

"Film is such a collaborative process," Schaff said. "I wouldn't be able to do this on my own."

She lauded Milltown Superintendent of Schools Linda Madison, with whom she said was close while growing up, and Mayor Gloria Bradford for their support and help with the project. She was also grateful to Michael Taubenslag, who runs a theater camp each summer at Middlesex County College, and helped her to find extras for various scenes throughout the film, she said.

Schaff's boyfriend, Noah Fessler, portrays a groomsman in the film's wedding scene, and is providing a wealth of help with production work. A number of her friends have also volunteered their time to participate in the project, she said.

Shooting began at the home of her friend Jody Carr's parents on Riva Avenue. Schaff expressed thanks to the Carr family, as well as to the Methodist Church, where the wedding scene was shot last week. Other filming was taking place elsewhere in Milltown, as well as in Metuchen and Princeton.

Schaff's parents are doing their part by housing and feeding those involved in the project, which is a great help, she said. Maria's Pizza and Subs onNorthMain Street, alongwith other area restaurants, donated food for the cast and crew, and Schaff is seeking donations of any kind from those willing to help with the project, she said.

For more information on the film or to donate, visit yellowhousefilm. com.