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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 1, 2008 - 27 Oakville sites serve as backdrop for indie film By Hiba Kesebi SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Just like most of his other projects, Morgan Muscat immediately thought of Oakville when he decided on shooting his most recent short movie. The Sheridan College alumni revisited his old school memories recently to shoot footage of his upcoming film, The Soul Collector -- a sci-fi drama, in the vein of The Outer Limits. It marks Muscat's 21st film project, and his first attempt at screenwriting and producing a film independently. "It's the first official non-related Sheridan film," he smiled, adding that a lot of the people working on it are either alumni or current Sheridan students. So it was no surprise that the film crew felt like they were at home while shooting scenes recently, in spite of their 13-hour workday. The 35-person film crew gathered in Sheridan's Continuing Education office to shoot scenes for the film, voluntarily. Although they weren't getting paid for the time they spent on the film, they were all enthusiastic about taking part in it. Ash Catherwood, a professional actor who lives in Toronto, is one of those people. When asked what made him so interested in playing Jimmy Keenan in the film, his answer was the script. The movie revolves around Keenan's personality crises. "He's straight up conceited," laughed Catherwood. "He'll do anything to get ahead but he doesn't realize that people really don't like him." "His life is perfect in his perspective... he's got money, the perfect job, but in reality it's not. He's not a very likable guy," Muscat added. And when his self-realization comes through "everything crumbles apart." It took Muscat several months to write the 25 to 30-page script, and he plans to continue shooting scenes in Oakville's Less Than Level bar, as well as in Burlington and Mississauga. The bulk of his film, though, will be based in Oakville. "When I finished writing, I just thought, do they have this in Oakville?" Muscat said. "Oakville's always been like a second home to me... It's where I went to school and worked part-time. It's like a family." Muscat, who graduated from Sheridan last April, hopes to get his work recognized by submitting the 30-minute film to film festivals like the Mississauga Independent Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. He plans to finish shooting by the end of October and complete editing by early December. "It'll be like a little (Christmas) gift to myself," he laughed. "It a great feeling to see something you worked hard on happen." The Soul Collector will be released next year. MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: Morgan Muscat, left, screenwriter and producer of the new short film The Soul Collector, film director Dany Gehshan, centre, and lead actor Ash Catherwood, who plays Jimmy Keenan, take a break from filming at Less Than Level. www.oakvillebeaver.com Moving On Up! A fish can breathe out here. Sale Period: October 2nd - 8th For perfect homes and 0% commission fees visit Walter's Aquatic Adventure today. This week's feature: 219L complete Natural Aquarium System (stand included) Only $699.99! Regular $849.99 Milton Location Only Open 7 days a week 9am - 6pm 280 Britannia Rd. (West of Trafalgar) (905) 876-4000 While quantities last. www.terragreenhouses.com