It has been quite a year for Jeff Bader.
Bader, 25, a Rehoboth Beach resident, just finished starring in the independent film “The Stone House,” where he was also director of photography.
This is not his first film, however.
“When I was 10, my family got a VHS camera and I would use my action figures to make stop-action movies. I did the different voices and everything,” he said, as the memory brought a laugh.
With a smile in his eyes that seems to hint that he just got away with something, Bader is approachable and friendly.
Which probably helps him with his business of making wedding videos.
About two years ago, he borrowed some money from his grandfather, bought some video and photography equipment and opened Cinemagic Productions, based in Dewey Beach.
He said weddings are some of the most challenging events that a person can shoot because many activities are happening all at once, while other things, such as the vows, are only going to happen once, and the shot has to be perfect.
Before he met his girlfriend, editing wedding videos was lonesome work, he said. “If you don’t have someone in your life it can get depressing sitting all by yourself,” he said. “Trying to match the video and audio, seeing the same scene over and over again and watching two people who have each other....”
Fortunately there is no wedding in the new movie. “The Stone House” is a psychological thriller set in Delaware and scheduled to open at the Milton Theatre, Sunday, Oct. 22.
“I saw the casting call online and I thought I would maybe get a small part,” Bader said. “I didn’t want to be part of the crew because I just didn’t think I had the time.”
Eventually Bader got a phone call from director and writer John Wattenbarger. “We started talking about film styles, camera equipment, and we had the same thinking. We shook hands and I was the director of photography.”
Even though Bader was busy with his own business, he wanted to be a part of the film. “I decided that I will make time for this,” he said. “It’s not every day that something like that falls into your life.”
Shortly after filming began, Wattenberger needed a new actor to play the lead role. The perfect actor was the guy behind the camera.
Bader stepped in.
“It’s not really that hard,” he said. “Rick’s personality is a lot like mine, so I just ask myself how I would react, what would I say.”
The character is a newlywed, so Bader has some romantic scenes with co-star Sarah McCarron.
“It was fun,” he said. “But it was weird because the first time I met her, we had a kissing scene.”
McCarron is the only member of the cast who has formal acting training, so Bader had to act as professionally as possible. “We just did it. Sarah would say that it didn’t feel right or something and we would do it again. One time, someone on the set said she said she just didn’t feel any chemistry so we had to do it some more.”
This is not Bader’s first acting role.
As a student at Christiana High School, he was involved with the drama department appearing in “The Music Man.”
“In my first acting role, I sang the Shipoopi song,” he said.
After an unspectacular two semesters at University of Delaware, Bader joined other theatre groups and appeared in “Damn Yankees,” “Evita,” “Grease” and “Oliver!”
To help pay the bills, he was a character at Six Flags, dressing up as Bugs Bunny, Sylvester or Pepe Le Peu.
As Bader tells it, that wasn’t much fun. “We got hit in the head, punched in the gut, and it was about 1,000 degrees.” Plus, Sylvester has no kissing scenes.
He wants to keep making movies, he said. “I want to do acting directing, all the aspects of film. I just want to make movies I can show to people.”
He will stay in Delaware, even though most actors are in Los Angeles or New York. “I’d like to stay here,” he said. “There are a lot of movies being made here, there is the Rehoboth Beach Film Society, the Milton Film Board.”
The film is currently in the editing phase. To see a trailer or to see how the actor has blossomed from his Bug Bunny days, visit www.thestonehousemovie.com.
