‘Transition’ relates inspirational story

When actor Anthony Bradford, of Colts Neck, went looking for people to work on his first film script, his main priority was passion for the project titled “Transition.” Bradford knew that in order to bring his vision to the screen, he needed people to care as much as he did.

Lacrosse action between the teams at Colts Neck and Holmdel high schools is featured in the independent film “Transition,” which tells the story of young man’s battle with cancer. The movie was the brainchild of Anthony Bradford of Colts Neck. That’s because the film, which he produced and starred in, in addition to writing, brings together two things he cares about most: the story of his younger brother’s victory over cancer and his favorite sport, lacrosse.

Not only did Bradford, whose credits include a recurring role on “One Life to Live” and who will appear as a baseball teammate of Owen Wilson in an upcoming untitled James L. Brooks film, find experienced and passionate filmmakers who believed in his story of hope, but they were local boys to boot.

That commitment to his vision paid off as “Transition” was screened at the Garden State Film Festival on March 27.

Further validation for the team’s hard work came when they were also invited to show their film at the Sixth New York City Downtown Short Film Festival on April 26 at 8 p.m. “Transition” has also been accepted in the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner.

It all began when Bradford’s script, with the assistance of a mutual friend, landed in the hands of Long Branch film director Doug Bollinger, whose credits include “Waltzing Anna,” currently airing on Showtime, “Mail Order Bride,” starring Artie Lang, and “Just Lovers,” also filmed locally and the winner of the Myhelan Film Festival of Long Valley in Morris County, for best feature film.

Impressed with Bradford’s script and inspired by the story, Bollinger quickly reached out to Jay Webb, another Long Branch resident with whom he had previously worked.

Webb had recently produced the feature film “Breaking Point” starring Busta Rhymes and Tom Berenger. He, too, became excited about the project and, as they say, the rest is history.

“It’s great that for my first script I was able to find great filmmakers right in my own backyard,” Bradford said. “As an actor, most of my time and experience has obviously been in front of the camera. From this experience, I have learned every element of the production process, and both Doug and Jay were happy to share their experience and collaborate with me.”

Bradford’s eagerness to learn about the behind-the-camera process was an added bonus for Bollinger, who said that although they could not do it on every shot, he did not want just to tell Bradford what to do, but also to explain the reasons why they are done.

“It was fun to develop the trust with Tony,” Bollinger explained. “One of the great things I was taught as a director is to not just tell my actors what I see, but to invite them to stand shoulder to shoulder with me behind the camera so we can see it together. And since I started as an actor, I can really appreciate that.”

During the editing stage, Webb also worked closely with Bradford in his Eatontown Evolving Productions studio on the complicated lacrosse action sequences that anchor the film. These scenes are so important to the film because they represent Bradford’s younger brother Nick’s triumph over his pediatric cancer.

According to Webb, “The subject matter is intriguing to me, as there is always a close parallel between the challenges that are faced in sports like lacrosse and the challenges of life.”

That is exactly what the film’s message is all about, Bradford said. He said he also hopes to show people who might not be as familiar with his beloved sport of lacrosse how exciting the game really is. But filming the sports sequences created challenges both during the filming and in the editing room.

The lacrosse scenes were filmed on the field at Holmdel High School and some indoor scenes were filmed at Colts Neck High School. Administrators at both schools, according to Bradford, were extremely helpful and accommodating to the project.

“It was hard to get players together after the season was over, but we were able to get players from Colts Neck and Holmdel to come together and act out the game scenes.”

Fortunately for Bollinger, his years as captain of Ithaca College’s soccer team served him well during filming.

“It has always been a dream of mine to work on a sports movie, and the story Tony wrote will not only impress hard-core lacrosse fans, it will also interest any sports fan and even people who normally do not pay any attention to athletics,” he said.

That is because Bradford paid special attention to crafting a high school movie that does not conform to the stereotypical adolescent movie mold. He said he wanted to “create real characters that high schoolers and all people could relate to.”

“It was amazing to have had the opportunity to tell my brother’s story and to be able to work with such passionate filmmakers who believe in the project as much as I do,” Bradford said. “Hopefully people who see the movie will not only be inspired by the story of hope and survival, but will also walk away with a greater appreciation of lacrosse as a sport.”

For more information about the film, visit www.transitionthemovie.com.