"Lights, camera, action"¦"

All the signature terms were there, though the stars and locations are local and the budget considerably below Hollywood scale.

Even so, perfection was expected on the set of independent film "The Fish Ladder."

"I felt like you were frozen. "¦ Use your eyes a little more," writer/director/producer Paul Bonfante told actress Kim Hughes during one take in the old Willsboro Central School building.

At last, he was satisfied. Or almost.

"Take one more for safety," he said.

And then, "you gave me the chills."

TALE OF INTRIGUE
Filmed almost entirely on weekends, shooting of "The Fish Ladder" sometimes commenced at 6:15 a.m. and ended in the early morning hours of the next day.

The script weaves a tale of intrigue around a small town newspaper whose lagging circulation is given a boost by the nefarious deeds of its over-zealous editor, Cyril Flagg, (Chris Ford). Then there's the naïve cub reporter, Andrea Gerber (Kim Hughes), who becomes prey for the lecherous Flagg.

"It's almost like a 'Twilight Zone' episode — a thriller," said Bonfante.

Added to the plot are the good-ol'-boy sheriff (Chris Huber) and the perhaps less-than-ethical mayor (Jason Borrie), along with a cast of others who try to propel Andrea into a spiraling morass of convoluted facts and social depravity.

When not acting, Huber conjures up cuisine as chef at the Turtle Island Café.

"I used to tell people I would be sheriff of this town someday, and now I am," he chuckled.

The bow-tied Borrie, who in his other life teaches history at Northeastern Clinton Central School in Champlain, has trod the local stage since high school.

"Being in front of the lens is a totally different experience," he said.

Hughes has appeared locally in numerous musical productions, but this is her first movie.

"It's really exciting. It's so completely different from anything I've done before. There's a different energy. There are so few people around, but it makes it intimate."

She has very few lines, but the part is still a challenge.

"I have to respond with facial expressions."

Hughes appreciates the fact that scenes can be shot over and over, so mistakes aren't irreparable.

"(I) can't wait to see the final product," she said.

Ford, a guidance counselor at Willsboro Central School, is definitely out of character.

"This is different," he said. "I have never done anything like this before. I'm not a very nice person (in the movie). I don't know how the students will react."

In some ways he has returned home, as he worked at the old school building for five years before it closed.

MURDER AND MAYHEM
The filming was not done in a vacuum.

Traffic through Willsboro came to a stop during the bridge scene, with Drew Belois director of that mundane task. He also helped build the set and performed a myriad of other duties.

Tom Mero was a walk-on; he ambled across the bridge as primary characters acted out their scene. Shortly, he would be due to work his shift at the nearby Sportsman's Diner. "This is fun," he quipped during a delay to sort out a technical difficulty.

Mero showed his versatility as he became the second murder victim later in the movie.

In the old school, a classroom was transformed into a 1980s newsroom for "The Dash." Some of the furniture and books were culled from the building itself. Other items, such as the rifle and deer's head on the walls, give the room a manly atmosphere.

"The Dash," its masthead boasting "Essex County Community Paper" proclaimed in the lead story: "Hit-and-Run Shocks North Country: Sheriff Suspects Reckless Teens." "This is the second death in the past three weeks," the fabricated story reads, "and an addition to countless acts of violence"¦"

SEEKING PERFECTION
Though the movie has serious overtones, there's humor between scenes, in some cases to break up the intensity.

"You're the worst sheriff I've ever seen," Ford chides Huber at one point. "Good thing there's an election next week."

And perfection was the perpetual goal, even with the little things.

Ford spilled coffee on the cuff of his white shirt between scenes and had to change. At his desk in one shot, he had to open an envelope, and after several takes there were concerns if there would be enough stamps.

There is also the continuance of a scene that was shot the previous week. Photos had to be examined to make sure everything was in the same exact place on the editor's desk.

Others in the cast include: Susan Richards as the narrator and older Andrea, Jacky Wardell as old Edna and victim No. 1, Andrew Decharme as Burt, Tyler Nye as the bartender, Drew Belois as the ticket officer, Steven Patrick as the man in the train station and Joshua R. Bridge as the young journalist.

Scenes were also shot at Jacky Wardell's house, on Highlands Road and at the North End Tavern.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT
The editing for "The Fish Ladder" is now under way.

"It is an exciting yet anxious time, as all the hard work up to this point is literally laid out in front of me," Bonfante said. "I have watched the story develop from this abstract thing in my head to what is now on my computer, being cut and spliced into 20 minutes, and I am constantly reminded of the struggles and mini victories along the way."

The projected finish date is Feb. 12.

Plans are to show the film in the Willsboro Central auditorium through the auspices of the Champlain Film Society, but a date has not been set. In addition, Bonfante hopes to enter it in a short-film festival with other films from the area.

The film cost $7,000 to produce, with the bulk of the funding from Ron and Paula Davoli, and Win and Polly Belanger, along with the Willsboro Development Corp, which would provide matching funds for up to $3,000 for any money donated by the community.

That budget does not count all the donations from the town in terms of volunteers, equipment and props, as well as the many hours of unpaid labor by the cast and crew.

"The experience was worth the effort, I hope," Bonfante said. "Overall, it took a collaborative effort from everyone involved to bring this film to fruition, and I am proud to have worked with so many talented people."

E-mail Alvin Reiner at: rondackrambler@yahoo.com