Think you can’t find Hollywood anywhere other than California? On Sunday, the Quinnipiac Film Society transformed a little piece of Hamden into its own production set.

This year’s annual QFS production, “The High Life,” centers around two main characters: Jack (John Scholl) and Jill (Joslyn Stabile). Both characters come from wealthy families and have to adapt to living in an abandoned beach house.

“QFS has a history of being very professional in every film they produce,” said Scholl, a junior public relations major. “I always love working with them because they have everything scheduled out to the inch.”

The day began at approximately 10:30 a.m. with the production crew arriving to transform the living room and kitchen area of the residence of Noah Galembo, Peter Courtien and Orrin Creighton, all QFS members. Production lasted until 7 p.m. with actors changing outfits and on-site crews calling out orders.

“The shoot today went really well despite minor setbacks,” said Sean Doucette, “The High Life” director and Quinnipiac senior. “The entire process is extremely complicated and very time-consuming, but the end result is absolutely worth every moment of it.”

Thirty-five Quinnipiac students, mostly QFS members, assisted in the second day of shooting. The first day took place at a local beach in Madison, where only 10 members were needed. The close-quarters were an obstacle that crews had to deal with throughout the day.

“We’re trying to compose our shots, set things up, we have a million people running around. It’s awesome because we want to have a lot of people here, we want to have a lot of people involved, but it can also get in the way sometimes,” said junior Noah Galembo, director of photography for the production.

When all was said and done, QFS came away with 40 minutes of usable footage that will need to be reevaluated and edited into the final product.

“The experience I gain from the QFS projects vastly outweighs the experience I receive in class,” Doucette said.

And for the members getting involved with QFS and film production for the first time, the process is tightly managed so that everyone can contribute no matter how experienced.

“I felt like I was connected to every person working the camera, people who were working with the sound and lighting. I just felt like I was doing everything, not just one specific part,” first-year QFS member Creighton said.

Hollywood came, went and is now gone for a week or so until the third day of shooting comes in what will be a seven or eight day process.

Photo credit: QFS