Crackling with the energy of a 1980s punk rock, seat-of-the-pants, totally wired DIY production, Danny Plotnick’s Elevator to Stardom is a return to his filmmaking roots.

The film was shot on Super 8 with sync sound like many of Plotnick’s award-winning films from the 80s and 90s. The film was made with, and stars, a group of his film students from the University of San Francisco. The entire production was shot in under a month, from conception to production to its first screening.

Raw and unfiltered, it’s a blast of fun. Set in a film school, Elevator to Stardom chronicles a student group film shoot gone horribly wrong. Great performances abound from a cadre of young players. Myles Marquez plays the monomaniacal film student. Cencere Baker is the student who just wants everyone to get along. Chris Rama kills it as the aggrieved member of the group who can’t believe what a blowhard they have to work with. Ava Klubberud is the over-it equipment manager handing out the gear. Plotnick regulars Ray Wilcox and Bill Daft, who co-starred in Dumbass From Dundas, team up again 35 years later as the dead-end security officers who can’t believe how stupid college kids are.

Clocking in at eight minutes, Elevator to Stardom is a reminder of how films got made back in the day. Come up with an idea, use the small footprint and immediacy of Super 8, and knock out a crowd-pleaser in a month’s time. Grain-be-damned, thread up the projector, and let’s get viewing.

Starring:Myles Marquez, Cencere Baker, Chris Rama, Ava Klubberud, Ray Wilcox, Bill Daft and Danny Plotnick.This film was shot with the prototype of the new KODAK Super 8 camera.