Holding Court

Mike Sciacca,

It was the perfect neighborhood.

On the lushly landscaped cul-de-sac, amid several beautiful

upscale homes, a few residents were outside, sprucing up their

already meticulous yards; others, meanwhile, watched as their

children played on the front lawn.

Down at the closed end of the street, another group, this one

consisting of several young girls, had gathered to play a casual

game.

But while suburbia seemed perfectly in bloom on this brilliant

fall afternoon, it was a different type of perfection they sought to

create at one home in the middle of the block.

Inside this 5,000-square-foot residence, nestled between

neighboring homes of equal size and stature, entered three young boys

-- Rex, Cosmo and Mouse -- whose rumpled street attire, piercings and

Mohawks suggested that they might be in the wrong neighborhood, not

simply the wrong house.

But they weren’t.

The whole “scene” was make-believe and caught on film.

The Huntington Beach home of August Court and Donald Foster was

serving this day as the backdrop for these fictional young men and as

the centerpiece of the student film “Irvine, a Planned Community.”

It is the senior pet film project of their son, Dain Court, 24, a

third-year student at the University of Southern California who will

graduate in December with a degree in cinema television.

Court, a 1997 graduate of Huntington Beach High School, where he

served as student body president and was homecoming king during his

senior year, is co-producing the film along with his friend Joseph

Oliver.

“I wanted to shoot in Huntington Beach because I grew up here,”

said Court, who recently moved back to his father’s home. “It’s was a

great place to live and a perfect backdrop for our film, a community

similar to that of Irvine.

“This is a really good film with a great point to it, and that is

showing that the most important things in life are family and

community.”

“Irvine, a Planned Community,” tells the story of three young men

-- two of whom are brothers, and the film’s pitch packet described

the trio as “three punk, latchkey boys” who grow up in, but don’t fit

into the well-planned Irvine community.

They are not “jocks or preppies,” Court said, and become punkers

whose wild ways include robbing a neighbor’s house.

As the story goes, their sordid ways will eventually lead them to

what they have been searching for all along: a family.

The script was written by Curnal Aulisio.

“When I first read the script I was thrilled because I had shared

some of my adolescent years growing up in a unique community,” Court

said. “My interest in this story stems from my compassion for these

characters, who remind me of friends I had brought home when I was a

teenager.”

On this day of shooting, a large, white truck parked in front of

the home indicated to a few curious onlookers that something out of

the ordinary was happening in their neighborhood.

That, and the two young men who could be seen holding a giant

reflector outside the front entrance to the home tipped them off.

Court and Oliver are among the leads of a crew who number close to

30 members working on the student-produced film that Aulisio is also

directing.

Aulisio had asked Court to help pitch the project to a school

board consisting of one student representative and six faculty

members. That board would ultimately decide which of the 10 finalists

would become one of four projects to have their film come to fruition

this semester.

Between 40 and 60 scripts were considered this semester, Court

said.

USC is home to a highly competitive film school whose alumni

include George Lucas.

Steven Spielberg was on campus recently and met with students,

Court said.

“Dain brings many aspects to this film that are invaluable,”

Aulisio said. “One important aspect is that his creativity is equal

to mine on this film. He also has a really great business sense.”

The USC crew spent six weekends shooting in Los Angeles,

Huntington Beach and Aliso Viejo. Two of those weekends -- including

last weekend -- were spent in Surf City.

Court had to secure various permits through the city for the crew

to film in Huntington Beach and noted that several, local restaurants

provided amenities to the crew.

“We assembled a crew of talented fellow students, each of whom has

worked hard to make this film,” Court said, as a large number of crew

filtered in and out of the house, each working on a different aspect

of the film.

“The City of Huntington Beach has been incredible in their

support, people like Michael Mudd, who helped us get our permits, and

local restaurants like Baci’s, who helped feed our group.”

The 16-millimeter color film is 13 1/2 minutes in length. With

credits included, it cost $40,000 to make, Court said.

Funding came from the school donations and a student “slush fund,”

for which students working on the film each contributed $200, Court

said.

Production began last May and is scheduled for completion by

month’s end.

The finished product will be seen at USC and from there, Court

said, the plan is to send the film to several festivals, including

the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Court also directed and did cinematography work for a network

project his parents are producing, along with Dana Miller, which can

be seen in November.

The program, celebrating the 20th anniversary of AIDS Project Los

Angeles, features tributes to and by several celebrities and will be

hosted by Tom Hanks, Court said.

It is scheduled to air on NBC on Thanksgiving weekend.

“This has been a really incredible time for me,” Court said. “I’ve

learned so much from this student project. One thing that the USC

film school does is train you for the real world by sending you out

into that world. I’ve made so many other contacts through this

project. It’s really been invaluable, and doing part of this film at

home has made the experience even greater.”