A Gardner filmmaker is preparing to shoot his first feature - how you can help

A young local filmmaker is inviting residents to share in the experience of bringing a movie to the big screen.

Alex Lucier of Gardner is in preproduction for his film, “Summer Interlude,” and he’s looking to raise $16,500 through crowdfunding to make his vision a reality. So far, he is at about 14% of his goal.

Lucier, who is 19 and graduated from Gardner High School in 2022, said his movie, which he wrote himself and will direct, will depict a few days in the life of an aspiring filmmaker struggling to balance his college career, the pursuit of his dreams, and the wishes of his parents in a small coastal Maine town.

“It’s a coming-of-age story that takes place between the end of the main character’s senior year in high school and the start of college,” Lucier said. “It’s about meeting friends, losing friends, and all of those things that happen during that time. And the whole concept is that the entire film takes place in a week at the end of summer.”

Lucier has taken part in several smaller movie-related projects in the past, but he said he is excited at the prospect of finally being able to direct his own feature-length movie.

“It’s been very cool to see all the people involved sort of just come together around this project,” he said. “I’m hesitant to ask people because I don’t want to bother them, but it turns out most of them are really excited to be a part of it.”

Film currently in preproduction, eyeing a June shoot

A crew of 14 has already been enlisted to take part in the production, and Lucier is currently in the process of casting his film. The main character, Levi Parker, is described as an 18-year-old feeling lost about his future. The film’s cast of characters also includes Sarah Mitchell, a free-spirited and independent girl, as well as Andrew, Levi’s younger brother, and Levi’s parents.

“We’ve just started auditions,” Lucier said.

Filming locations to include Hubbardston campground, Maine amusement park

Lucier, who is a sophomore at Worcester State University, said much of the budget for the film, which evolved from a school project into an extracurricular independent feature, will go toward securing certain locations as necessitated by the script. For the film’s climax, set at a resort town carnival, the movie’s production team has secured permission to shoot at York’s Wild Kingdom in York, Maine.

“We have it for two nights, with the ride operators there and everything,” Lucier said. “I did not think that was going to happen, but they said we could film there after 5 o’clock.”

Another location will be familiar to many Greater Gardner residents of a certain age.

“There’s a private campground, Peaceful Acres in Hubbardston, that I didn’t even know existed,” he said. “They've just started building Airbnb cabins, so we’ll have one of those cabins for the family’s house in the film.”

Other scenes could be shot at locations in Gardner, Lucier said.

The rest of the funding will go toward paying the cast and crew, equipment rentals, food, travel and lodging, and insurance, according to Lucier. The film is scheduled to shoot for 12 days in June.

The finished movie will be sent to various film festivals for screenings, after which a public premiere will be scheduled, according to Lucier.