P.J. Magerko set to release Nemacolin-filmed venture
With a backdrop of the luxurious Fayette County resort where he spent much of his childhood, and a cast and crew featuring many members of his family, P.J. Magerko is releasing his first independent film venture, "Beyond the Backyard," online on July 17.
Magerko, 23, a 2016 Tisch School of the Arts at New York University graduate, planned the project as part of his senior thesis film.
But the 17-minute film's large-scale production, including live animals, a carousel and hot air balloons, led Magerko to instead produce it as his first independent film project.
"I challenged myself as producer and director. ... This is my calling card," he says of the project.
Screened in June at the Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival, the short will be available for viewing at Beyondthebackyardfilm.com.
Its Facebook page, BTB:Beyond the Backyard, details the film's progression.
It was shot primarily at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington over a one-week period, following five months of pre-production.
Inspired by a dream involving a playground roundabout, revolving doors and a carousel, the film is about past, present and future, Magerko says.
It's also based loosely on Magerko's favorite movie, "The Wizard of Oz."
@Nemacolin posted this tweet of the movie's progression.
Filmed at Nemacolin, PJ Magerko’s first independent venture, Beyond the Backyard premiers this Monday. Learn more at https://t.co/ufrOYxdu1n pic.twitter.com/VaCqAtlZEb
" Nemacolin Woodlands (@Nemacolin) July 13, 2017
In a release, his mother, Maggie Hardy Magerko, says the film "pays homage to the memories we've created as a family at Nemacolin."
"In a way, Nemacolin is our very own Land of Oz, and with the whimsical nature of the property, this wonderland is central to the story," she says.
Child actor Harrison Salvi of Pittsburgh portrays Magerko as a child, Magerko plays himself in the present, and British actor Nick Collis stands in as his future.
"Everyone else in the film is actually my family, portraying themselves in a hyper-stylized way," he says.
Parents Maggie Hardy Magerko and Peter Magerko Sr. play mom and dad.
Joseph A. Hardy III, founder of 84 Lumber and a former Fayette County commissioner, and Magerko's 94-year-old grandfather, plays the grandfather. In one scene, wearing top hat and tails, he ascends skyward in a hot air balloon.
Hardy's daughters, Paige and Taylor Hardy, play the Pink and Green daughters, respectively.
"My Aunt Kathy (Drake), who always told me to use my brain, plays a scarecrow. My cousin Jennifer (Fike) plays the cowardly lioness. She always told me to be strong and brave," Magerko says.
Dreamy sequences show a young boy's happy childhood on a bucolic estate, his loving parents, him growing into a young man contemplating his present and crossing paths with his older, future self.
Family members can be seen dressed in costumes and in ball gowns and black tie, riding a pastel carousel, placed on the Farmington property specifically for the shoot.
"It's a 12-page script with probably 40 scenes. We essentially crammed a feature-film script into a seven-day shoot. I hope everyone enjoys it, but I made it for my family and to encapsulate those memories (of growing up). It's a longing for the past, dealing with the present and the uncertainty of the future," Magerko says.
Calling the film his "passion project," he says because the film is about his family, it makes sense to cast them in certain roles.
And his family is no stranger to drama, Magerko says.
"We are a very theatrical family. During our Christmas parties we do talent shows," he says.
Singing Broadway show tunes at the dinner table was not unusual, Magerko adds.
"I feel like a black sheep in a way because no one in my family has ever made a film before. ... They were so into it and so excited," he says.
Pittsburgh native Ronald Quigley, now an actor, director and writer living in Los Angeles, founded the Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival in 2010.
He says Magerko's film was one of 59 selected from 600 submissions.
"It was visually stimulating. ... It was just visually imaginative in such a way. Even if he had not been from the Pittsburgh area we would have brought it into the festival," Quigley says.
"He did a very nice job on it. ... He's got a future. He's got an eye for framing and he definitely has talent. There is room for him," he says.
Though the piece is shot without dialogue, Magerko managed to portray the story he wanted to show, Quigley says.
"My only criticism is that he used actual home footage. ... But I can understand on a personal level why he did do that," he says.
While acknowledging he gravitates toward thrillers and horror, Magerko says he also strives to include an emotional component.
He cites "The Shining," The Amityville Horror" and "American Horror Story" as examples of stories that embody both fear and tug at the heart strings.
The experience of writing, directing, editing and producing, Magerko says, has convinced him that he is in the right industry.
"I was raised to work hard. I'm looking to make my mark in the industry and get rolling and rocking with my next project," he says.
Mary Pickels is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-836-5401 or mpickels@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MaryPickels.
