Two years ago, Lina and Vincent Salvatore, of Manchester, Connecticut, decided to have another child.  Their son was old enough now . . . even old enough to participate. The journey to the birth has been a monumental family project, and none of them can wait for the next one.

This new child is a 2 hour and 9 minute feature on mini DV entitled THE RETURN, starring the Salvatores’ son Christopher.  The story, which, Lina declares, “Just popped into my head one day,” follows the reunion of a father and son whose relationship, strained in the beginning, resolves itself into a genuinely happy ending. 

Lina was working fulltime as a banker when she conceived THE RETURN. “I would come home and write, especially early mornings on weekends, and I had the script in about five months,” she declares. “Then Vince and I talked about bringing the story to  life combining our abilities, with him on the Technical side and me with my vision.”

Vince was a television cameraman and lighting director until he retired a few years ago.  Then he and Lina decided to follow their dreams of learning filmmaking and attended classes at the now closed Boston Film and Video Foundation with Director Raouf Zaki. Vince then expanded his experience in cinematography with DP Dan Hnatio of Boston and DP Rob Draper in New York City.

He said, “I knew from the beginning I was not a writer, and I am not a director. That was all Lina. I chose the lighting to express the moods and tell the story, but she had most of the creative responsibility. I was there to bring her vision to life.”

Lina moonlighted at the time as a greeting card and graphic designer. “We shot with the Panasonic AG-DVX100 in 24P,” says Vince; “And we edited on Adobe Premiere Pro.”

“At first,” says Lina, “We thought we’d hire an editor. But we couldn’t afford to pay anyone so we just concentrated on editing it ourselves in the privacy and comfort of our own home after Vince set up an editing suite.” Vince studied editing, and he shared his knowledge with Lina who, crows Vince, “really is a quick study!”    

Using local talent and actors from Boston and with help from friend Curley Marcano who was their right-hand person throughout, from Mark Sorvillo and from friend Don Seaton who gave two days and one day of camera work respectively, soundman Bob Allison and Ted Pilch as a Grip and PA, Lina says proudly, “We didn’t use storyboards. There was no time for them. So Vince would study the script the day before each shooting session, and we would plan the shots on the set.”

Lina and Vince shot on weekends for four months, logging in thirty-five hours’ worth of tape.  Rehearsals were held on set just before each scene was shot, and actors were coached through the process by Lina.

“Some people didn’t believe,” laughs Lina, “That this would be like a ‘real’ film. They expected some home video. But when they saw it at our screening, then the reality set in that it’s the real thing.”

The screening was a big event at Central Connecticut State University’s 1800-seat Welte Theater in New Britain. “No one else could do it for us affordably, and almost nobody had any digital projection.”

The Salvatores had spots on local television and in local papers, and they were delighted to see that over 1,000 friends, family, neighbors, strangers, well wishers of all kinds attended the event. 

“This was real guerilla filmmaking,” Lina nods. “I can’t wait to do one with a real budget.”

The Salvatores are presently seeking distribution for their film, and they are entering a variety of festivals around the country. 

“The main objective, says Vince, is to get this one out there so we can make another one. That’s what we can’t wait to do!”

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Carla Stockton is an independent film writer/producer, a partner in Bagel Fish Productions, and Associate Publisher of IMAGINE, Southwestern Connecticut. You can email her: carlaatimagine@yahoo.com