BECOMING THE HARDEST WORKING MAN IN SHOW BUSINESS

Publication: THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE
Published: 3/21/2008
Page: 1D
Headline: BECOMING THE HARDEST WORKING MAN IN SHOW BUSINESS
Byline: BILL LYNCH

Sam Holdren is finishing his master’s in film,
while writing and producing movies of his own.
photo by CHIP ELLIS

South Charleston filmmaker Sam Holdren's lair is a movie nut's paradise.

In the back of the small 10th Avenue house, the 29-year-old has a muscled-up computer loaded with sound and video editing software. On the walls are a few framed prints that reference a movie he's worked on or the film festivals he's taken part in and the awards he's picked up along the way.

Those include the awards he took for last fall's showing of "Audition" at the Bluegrass Independent Film Festival in Kentucky and the West Virginia Filmmakers Film Festival in Sutton.

He took "Best Student Short Film" and "Best Regional Student Film" in Kentucky and won the "Award of Excellence" in West Virginia. He's also won awards for his animation at the West Virginia International Film Festival.

In the front of the house, there's a comfortable chair and a couch suitable for lounging with an oversized bowl of popcorn. Nearly an entire wall, from ceiling to floor, are shelves containing several hundred films and television shows on dvd.

"It's all research," he said. "That's one of the nice things about being a film student. I can write all of this stuff off on my taxes."

Holdren doesn't say how many titles he has, but it's more than an average video store. The meticulously alphabetized and ordered collection is a mix of styles and genres spanning the past hundred years of visual entertainment. He picks them up wherever he can.

"You have to love the $5 bin at Wal-Mart," he laughed. "I like to go and see what other people pull out of there, see what they think is a bargain."

Holdren says people snap up those direct-to-video sequels to the evangelical end of the world epic "Left Behind." He looks through the bin hoping for the older gems other people ignore, movies by directors like Robert Altman ("M*A*S*H") or David Lean ("Lawrence of Arabia").

He's glad to get whatever he can from the bargain bins. As a struggling filmmaker, money is always tight. All of the films he's worked on since he started the master's program in film and art media at Temple University have been on the cheap, with volunteer cast and crew.

Like every film student, Holdren says he's gone through periods where he's been more interested in one style or another, one director or another. He gravitates toward the kinds of movie he'd watch.

"I tend toward dialogue-driven programs," he said. "Witty comedies masking drama."

His last short feature, "Audition," was a comedy with dramatic elements dealing with an overeager actor going to an audition. It screened at small film festivals across the country last year and will end its run by the end of the summer.

Following "Audition," Holdren has several other projects he's either directed, written or helped produce. Among them is a short (10 minute) comedy of manners called "Play," a controversial "dramedy," titled "The Paradigm Shift," about a college professor who assigns his students to assassinate the president and an experimental art film called "Meat."

All of them will be taken around to film festivals over the coming months.

"It's been a good year," he said. "I'm hoping this one is even better."

Holdren grew up in South Charleston. He started making films after his family got a video camera for Christmas in 1989. Within a couple of months, he'd taught himself a few of the camera's tricks and was making cartoons using the camera for school projects.

He studied communications at West Virginia State University, and got involved the Kanawha Players and the Charleston Stage Company. He acted, worked on sound for productions, wrote short plays and directed. He said it was a great experience for him.

"I was given the informal freedom to fail," he said.

Upon graduation, Holdren entered the Temple program. After five years of classes, papers and film projects, he hopes to graduate in May.

"It's May or nothing," he said. "I feel like I've done the work for two degrees. I need to move on."

After May, Holdren will have to decide where he wants to work next. He's accumulated $100,000 in student debt, which would be difficult to pay off and work in film or television in West Virginia.

Currently, he divides his time between Temple in Philadelphia and South Charleston, where he helps take care of his grandmother.

"I can't say how important it really is to develop a relationship with your grandparents," he said. "When I'm here, it's doctors appointments, errands and taking care of her. Both of my grandparents have meant a lot to me. I've learned a lot from them."

With the projects he's already completed, there's plenty to keep him busy for months, but eventually he's going to have to pack up his lair if he wants to make a living in movies or television.

"Eventually," he agrees, "but there's still time."

To contact staff writer Bill Lynch, use e-mail or call 348-5195