by Robert Oakes
When independent filmmaker Nick Raposo talks about his experience making his debut film “The Play” in the Berkshires, he seems hardly able to contain his astonishment.
A native New Yorker and long-time writer-for-hire deep in the trenches of high profile New York agency work (an environment he describes as a ‘blood-bath’), Raposo was used to constant struggle, intense pressure and the rigidity and jadedness that can so easily take hold there. He never expected that his first time sitting in the director’s chair, bringing his own script to life on film, would be anything but a nerve-wracking test of mettle. He never imagined it could actually be an enjoyable experience.
But when Raposo decided to bring his production to the Berkshires, he found himself at the center of what he calls “a perfect storm” of quality talent, beautiful locations and a community of professionals drawn together by a spirit of cooperation and a passion for their work.
“The Berkshires are magic,” says Raposo. “That’s a word we used on set all the time: Magic.”
From the moment the film’s producer David Librizzi secured the beautiful ’62 Center for Theater and Dance in Williamstown as a location, Raposo said he felt the hands of fate at work helping all of the pieces of the production fall almost effortlessly into place.
“To have that entire theater – the director’s theater, the dance studio and the main stage – for two weeks was amazing,” he said. “It’s been a major theater in this region since the early 1800s, and it’s an astonishing complex.”
With script in hand and a beautiful location found, Raposo and Librizzi put out a casting call to all of the local theater groups, including the Berkshire Theater Festival, Barrington Stage Company and the Williams College theater department. Raposo says they saw 30 really good candidates before making their casting choices.
“I couldn’t believe the caliber of actors we were seeing,” he says. “And they were all local. Some Hollywood producers have seen clips and have commented that these people are amazing.”
Though Raposo said his initial plan was to shoot the film himself using a GL2 video camera, he decided that this excellent cast and location demanded a top-notch director of photography. They began making phone calls and were excited to find Rick Sands, a pro DP who has worked on a number of major Hollywood films, living right here in the Berkshires … and he was available! One phone call and a quick conversation later, Sands was onboard.
Raposo remembers feeling terrified at the start of shooting. Here it was, his first time directing a film, and he was working with top pro DP.
“But Rick was very helpful,” Raposo recollects. “He gave me guidance and helped me translate what I knew from stage to film.”
Before long, the cast and crew – including an excellent local sound guy and gaffer – fell into a camaraderie built upon a spirit of collaboration and exploration. Flexibility and ingenuity were buzzwords on the set, as the crew made smart use of rough and ready materials to capture certain shots, and the cast inspired Raposo to change scenes and lines on the fly.
“There was a feeling of flexibility,” says Raposo, “and that was awesome. The more flexible you are, the easier it is to create. I don’t want to put down New York City, but it is very rigid, and not being rigid is good for creativity.”
Raposo feels that while city life can be stimulating, it can also be hard on the heart.
“If you want to pursue something with love, you can’t do it if you’re just barely surviving,” he says. “In New York, you survive. But in the Berkshires, you can live. In New York, in my studio apartment with all the expenses, I felt squished like a bug. But up here, I can look out my window and just go outside. Up here, there is freedom.”
Raposo acknowledges that there is an allure to the city with its energy and excitement, but that’s something he doesn’t have to sacrifice by living and working in the Berkshires.
“The reality is that New York City is close,” he says. “You can go down and take it in and then drive home.”
One great thing about working here, says Raposo, is the feeling you get that unseen forces are conspiring to help you get things accomplished.
“In the city, things fall apart,” he says. “There are so many obstacles. But here, I had this experience that it was fated to happen. There was really no reason why it should all just come together, but it did. It was amazing. I’d like to take all the credit, but I don’t think that’s true. The Berkshires are magic. There’s no other explanation.”