Emma Joy Galvin -- 04-13-2006

Aspiring filmmaker brings crew back home to Middletown

ASBURY PARK PRESS
Thursday, April 13, 2006

BY MICHELLE GLADDEN

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Leslie Zak, 20, of the Lincroft section of Middletown has found her calling: filmmaking.

"So many people my age are searching for what it is that they want to do with their lives," she said. "It's great to have figured it out."

After learning how to edit film while a student at Middletown High School South, Zak, who attends New York University, said she was hooked.

She has completed 10 short films, she said.

"I knew I wanted to do something in the arts, because I always liked music, theater and writing," she said during the filming of her latest project, "Off Course."

The student film was shot over three days at Navesink Country Store & Deli in the Navesink section of Middletown on April 1 and 2, and on Muhlenbrink Road in Colts Neck on March 31.

"You could say it's my junior-year thesis," she said of the project that requires her to write, direct and edit the 10-minute piece. "This is the largest project that I've ever done."

Set in rural Maine, the story captures the moment an 8-year-old girl named Ivy becomes aware of how dangerous the world can be, Zak said.

During a road trip to Canada with her mother, sister and grandmother, the family stops at a convenience store. Tensions between the mother and grandmother mount, and as their attention is averted, Ivy is approached by a stranger.

"The story is told from a child's point of view, so we don't know if he is trying to abduct her or just playing with her," said Jennifer Markey, the film's producer who also is a junior at NYU. "But it captures the moment of loss of innocence for Ivy."

A crew of 18 NYU students worked with Zak. After auditioning actors for the five roles — among them her 2-year-old cousin, Caroline Sherle — Zak set out to scout locations.

"I spent two weeks looking for locations," she said. "I went all the way from Barnegat to Jackson."

She said it was her father, Gary Zak, who approached Navesink Country Store owner Pat Verange about allowing the students to film there.

"This is the first time we had a film shot in here," Verange said of the 47-year-old building. "I put my full trust in them, and I'm impressed with how they worked. They were very polite, and I was impressed with how they raked this place up, from carpenters to everyone."

Although the university provided most of the equipment, funds and sponsors were needed to complete the project, Zak said.

That's when Zak's father got involved. He obtained discounts on hotels and catering.

"Because they (Leslie Zak and the crew) had a limited budget, I tried to call in some favors," he said. "A friend donated the use of his flatbed truck to help with the Friday shoot."

Gary Zak said he also became a member of the crew.

"I was one of the gofers, because a lot of the crew didn't know the area," he said.

In full support of his daughter's intended vocation, Gary Zak said he thought she'd choose fashion or art school.

"It didn't surprise me, though," he said. "Even at a young age, she was interested in independent films and films the general public wouldn't find interesting. I really feel good about (her choice)."