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Pink PUmpkins At Dawn

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

An international film crew has been in Newtown the past couple of weeks

shooting scenes for the motion picture Pink Pumpkins At Dawn .

Tuesday afternoon, cameras were rolling in a field at the Orchard Hill Nature

Center off Orchard Hill Road. The bright autumn leaves were at their peak,

providing a near-perfect backdrop for the shooting.

The "low budget" movie is being directed by Rick Onorato, a Brookfield High

School graduate, who said he chose Newtown for the film because of its

picturesque settings and close proximity to New York City, where he makes his

home.

Rick is the son of Newtown resident Nancy Onorato, an assistant principal at

Newtown Middle School.

According to the director, Pink Pumpkins At Dawn is the story of a troubled,

suicidal 18-year-old man named Brian who crosses paths one fateful autumn day

with Melanie, a beautiful woman in her early 30s. Though they come from

different worlds, the two soon find they have more in common than first

thought. Their chance meeting ends up significantly affecting both their

lives.

Each scene takes several minutes to prepare for and Rick encourages his crew

to speed things up. He knows he's under the gun to put a wrap on the filming.

With little money, every second counts.

"We're so low budgeted that we're really pressed for time," said Rick, a

graduate of the London International Film School.

So far, Rick said filming has gone well, although last week's rain did push

the production back a day or two. More rain is expected this weekend, adding

to the director's concerns.

Once the 16 millimeter-filming is completed, Rick and his crew will fly back

to London for the long editing process.

"The editing will take a while," he explained. "That's when I'll probably run

out of money."

Fortunately, the London International Film School has allowed Rick to do the

editing there at no charge.

In keeping with the movie's title, the film crew rented hundreds of pumpkins

from an area farmer Monday and hauled them in for the filming of several

scenes.

"If I see one more pumpkin..." joked one female production manager from

England.

Rick, who has already had three of his films shown at various international

film festivals, said the Pink Pumpkins At Dawn title is an allegory for the

film because in it the young man talks of cutting the pumpkins off their stalk

while at their peak, while the woman wishes to wait and allow them to grow.

In addition to Danbury and Brookfield, filming has taken place at Fairfield

Hills Hospital. The crew, which is expected to be in town until October 28,

plans to shoot scenes at several local residences and along Newtown's Main

Street, as well.

Because the movie is being shot on a low budget, the crew has had to rely on

the generosity of several Newtown residents, including Judy Craven of Grand

Place, who has at least 10 crew members staying at her home.

The United States, Japan, Norway and England are all represented on the young

film crew.