CREDIT: ESHAAN GUPTA
Alex DiCarlo, left, and Justin Maglunob, two Fanshawe Audio Post- Production students, got hands on film experience working on the set of Kingdom Come, a movie being filmed here in London.

The cold night air stings my eyes as I survey the rather horrific traffic collision in front of me. The intersection is barricaded by cop cars on all four sides. I immediately rush towards the mangled wreck, where a group of people are congregating, likely sorting out matters. One of them, a lady in a yellow jacket, sees me, and approaches me smiling.

"You're from Interrobang, right?"

I was definitely on the set of Kingdom Come, the second film in production from the up-and-coming Matchbox Pictures.

Enlisting the help of Fanshawe's various media students, Matchbox pictures embarked on a journey in London, to make their second horror film after shooting the studio's debut, Devil Seed, in an abandoned house on Princess Avenue.

But why choose London as a film location over, say, Toronto or Vancouver?

"It's cheaper here," according to producer and Matchbox president Dwight Coughlan. "There's less bureaucratic red tape, and the city and local businesses are more open to help."

"Plus, all of us are from the London area, and we'd like to stay here."

Filming is mostly based around the abandoned mental hospital in Chatham-Kent, and various other areas in and around London.

Let's not rush ahead, however. Kingdom Come is about eight people who wake up in an abandoned hospital, and, seeing as this is a horror film, spookiness ensues. "Without giving the storyline away," explained Coughlan, "they're given the opportunity to go other ways in life. So basically, they're in purgatory, deal with the devil, call for redemption, that sort of thing."

The low-budget nature of the film has made the assistance of Fanshawe's Advanced Filmmaking students a boon more than anything. "This production would not have happened without the students," said Coughlin. "They've played key roles in helping us to get to a finished shoot. They were all very keen, brought great attitudes to the set and have a definite thirst to learn."

The Fanshawe students themselves see a chance at working in a legitimate film production as a blessing as well.

"The people here have been working in film for years," said Audio Post-Production student Alex DiCarlo. "I never knew how a producer of film differed from music, for example. You get to learn new things."

The students might bring the skills they've learned in their programs to the table, but ultimately, what has the experience of working with the production given them in return? "The sets are creepy... but the atmosphere of the crew is good," said DiCarlo, reminiscing of his work at the set based in the abandoned hospital.

"My being exposed, seeing what the set is, going on the set, seeing people in this industry is valuable to me," said Audio Post- Production student Justin Maglunob. "It's a lot of work but the end product is always entertaining."

Of course, seeing as there's many students in Fanshawe wanting to make it in the film business, Coughlin himself offered his two cents.

"Don't!... Just kidding. Take every opportunity like Kingdom Come, to get a chance at being familiarized with the industry, to find out how different directors of photography, lights and shoots, the management sides are handled. You have to have a passion for the industry to succeed in this."