A Bewildering Encounter

"Mr. Leger! Mr. Leger! Could I trouble you for a few minutes of your time?"
"Not now, I'm already running late. Sorry."
"Please, sir. I'm with MPF Quarterly and I just have a few questions."
"I've never even heard of MPF Quarterly. Now if you don't mind, I've really got to get going."
"I'd like to talk to you about Treasure Chest."
"What did you say?"
"Treasure Chest."
"How do you know about Treasure Chest?"
"I'm not at liberty to reveal my sources, sir."
"Alright then, I suppose I can answer a few questions."

That's how their conversation started. The young man escorted Mr. Leger to a picnic table in the park and began conducting his interview.

MPF: What was it that started your love of film making?
Mr.L: I wouldn't necessarily call it a love of film making; it's more of a simple pleasure. I guess it all started when my cousins and I did a short film for our club A.B.L.E. using an old camcorder. It turned out remarkably well, and we had so much fun that we wanted to continue making more films. So, my cousins Eva and Katie along with my sister and I started saving all our money in order to buy our own camcorder. Then, Eva and Katie received a camcorder for Christmas one year, and their parents let us use it as much as we wanted. We ended up using the money we saved to buy most of the materials for a clubhouse my Uncle Marc built for us.

MPF: What kind of films did you start out making?
Mr.L: Well, we mainly did satires of commercials we saw on television. We also would do 'QVC' segments or just film ourselves hanging out or playing. We would also do the evening news, human interest stories, and another A.B.L.E. video. We really made all kinds of videos.

MPF: What led you to do lengthier projects such as Treasure Chest?
Mr.L: Eva and I used to talk on the phone all the time and we would write scripts to these movies. I don't remember exactly how Treasure Chest was conceptualized, but I do remember countless nights talking to Eva on the phone working on the script. We would each type the script as we came up with the lines, so we really had two versions once we were done, they were almost exactly the same, though. Mine always had more spelling errors.

MPF: What was it like filming Treasure Chest?
Mr.L: One word really sums it up: "Fun". I remember after finishing the script we planned a day to get together at Eva and Katie's house to film it. My parents had an old jewelry box that looked like a treasure chest and we filled with a bunch of silver and gold items. It was so much fun, and we had never worked on a project so big before. We used make-up, lots of different wardrobes, music, and some of us even played multiple characters. We did our best to follow the script and it turned out really well. I remember such a feeling of accomplishment and pride when we showed it to our family. The four of us worked so hard on it, it was so rewarding to see it come to fruition.

MPF: So it only took one day?
Mr.L: I think we actually filmed it over a two day period, but I'm not sure.

MPF: Any plans for a sequel?
Mr.L: Funny you should ask. Eva and I started working on a sequel years ago, but the script was never completed. We pretty much wrapped everything up in the original; we didn't leave much room for anything else to develop. Because if that, I think we just couldn't find a clear direction for the plot, and it just went to the wayside. I think I still have the partial script at home, though, so anything is possible.

MPF: You all had such great chemistry on the screen. Any chance of getting back together for any new film projects?
Mr.L: I've thought about that, but it's just a matter of getting everyone together at the right time. It's not as easy as it used to be. In fact, I was just talking to Eva a few months ago about making some new films. She liked the idea and seemed pretty excited, so something may be coming down the pike.

MPF: I can't wait to see what happens! Well, I won't take up any more of time. Thanks for the interview, Mr. Leger.

Mr.L: It was my pleasure, really. Your questions brought back a lot of fond memories, so I should be thanking you. Those were some of the best times of my life.

With that, the two men got up from the picnic table. As Mr. Leger was putting on his bike helmet, he looked at the young man and said, "Sorry I was so rude to you at first. I thought I may have taken your claim and you had some questions about it or something." The young man simply replied, "No hard feelings Mr. Leger. Thanks again for your time. I'm glad I was able to help you."

With that, Mr. Leger got on his bike and rode back to work; bewildered by a lunch encounter he won't soon forget.