Communication senior Steve Deline earned one of Studio 22’s major grant projects for his film “Outpost.” After spending nine months writing and directing a drama about a 16-year-old who blackmails his way into a family, Deline opens up to PLAY.

PLAY: What inspired the film?

Steve Deline: The seed came from a story that my younger sister told me she heard from a friend. Her 3-year-old brother was on the first floor alone, someone knocked on the door, and he opened it. Kids entered the house, robbed the family and left, and her brother closed the door behind them.

PLAY: So it’s based on a true story?

SD: I took that basic scenario, and from there I started thinking about how a situation could come about and the story developed out of that setup.

PLAY: Where did the title come from?

SD: “Outpost” is just a working title. It seems to give people the wrong impression of what the film is about. They assume it’s some sort of war movie or jungle epic, but it’s just a small family drama set in suburban anywhere, and it will be about 28-30 minutes long when all is said and done.

PLAY: What was your reaction when you heard “Outpost” was selected for a major grant?

SD: I was thrilled because there was really strong competition. I was fortunate and excited that I had a chance to make a movie on this scale.

PLAY: And how much money did you spend making it?

SD: I actually don’t know for sure. That’s a question my producers can answer, but something they wouldn’t be too excited to divulge. They kept me blissfully ignorant of that number through production. Probably around $12,000. Not a cheap process.

PLAY: How much of that does Studio 22 cover?

SD: Studio 22 gives $7,500 as a grant called the Bindley Grant. It’s funded by two brothers who are alumni, one from the radio, TV and film program, who were the first of the school to get together an ambitious 16 mm film and wanted to give others the opportunity to do the same. Beyond that we do a lot of student fund raising and rely on donations from family, friends, that sort of thing.

PLAY: How do you feel about Studio 22 and the grant program?

SD: In a lot of ways, they have been what has made my time at NU most worthwhile because they really give undergraduates that are interested in production a great opportunity to work cooperatively on larger scale projects and really learn some things in depth in the field that are hard to get in the classroom. Studio 22 is an invaluable organization to the RTVF program.

PLAY: When will the movie be done?

SD: It has to be done for sure by Studio 22’s premier, which is usually the week before finals week in spring.

PLAY: What was your favorite part of the process?

SD: Filmmaking is such a cumbersome process with so many logistical difficulties and complications. I love when all of that boils down to these short quick moments when the camera is rolling and you get a peak of the story coming to life in a lot of the ways you may not have expected. All of (our crew) really put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into making it happen. So it’s a very humbling thing to see it happen on a project where you’re called “the director.”