Scott Peters may not be a member of the Dukes Family but he will be spending an awful lot of time with them this year. He has become so involved that he is now looking for other people on campus who may be interested in becoming part of the family too.

He is asking those who are interested to perform a dramatic or comedic monolog for him this weekend.

Peters, a senior film major, wrote the film ‘Dukes Family’ for his senior thesis, a year-long final project for film majors. This Saturday he will be holding open auditions at the Shaffer Art Building from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. to fill the lead roles in the film: a 40-year-old mother, 40-year-old father and their three college-aged children (two women and one man).

‘It’s the story of a family who goes to an emergency animal hospital because their cat is sick,’ said Peters. ‘One storyline is the cat, but at the same time it’s about the family and their relationships with one another. And more importantly their misconceptions about each other.’

Peters said that every year film majors spend either a semester or the full year working on an extended piece. But this is the first time he will be working on his own. He wrote the film and also plans to play the part of director and producer, although he says he is anticipating help from his peers in the film department.

Peters said he is excited to find his actors this weekend and put faces to the characters he created. He says if the film turns out well he may try to enter it in film festivals and will definitely use it in his reel – a portfolio of films used to get a job.

‘It’s good to see what you can do out of your own mind,’ said Peters, ‘It’s a lot of work but I’m excited to see how it turns out.’

ampaye@syr.edu

Published on September 23, 2009 at 12:00 pm