While most of Cathedral Students were hanging out or going to the beach last summer, Junior Matt Thompson spent his days making his movie, “The Medallion of Man.”
Most of those who know Matt Thompson know him as a very energetic and fun-filled guy. But when it comes to movie making, he is all about hard work and dedication.
Matt has wanted to make a movie for a couple years now but he hasn’t found the time to film it. He said, “I’m glad that I didn’t make my movie last year or the year before because it would not have turned out as it did. I have a lot more experience now, and a whole new mindset on how to approach the correct angle I want my viewers to see.”
“The movie is basically about a boy named Mike who is entering his junior year in high school thinking that he will get all the girls and everything will turn out the way he wants it to, but, unfortunately for him, that is not the case. One day he comes across this Medallion of Man, which made any girl fall in love with any guy who wore it. Eventually, he realizes that the best kind of love is the love from the inside and the love that comes from being yourself.”
Matt’s inspiration comes from him wanting, “To change the world. I want to change the world by the art of entertainment. I had a very talented group of people around me, and I felt like I could really create an interesting project. I love movies so much, and the best way to express my passion for them is by making my own films.”
Even though the movie turned out to be a great hit, it was very stressful for Matt. because, as he said, “I had pretty limited resources, and we had about three weeks total to film the whole movie. And the two lead cast members were only in town for a week. We were forced to squeeze filming time. Since we were so short on time, it made it a really tough production schedule. Even though all these challenges made production so difficult, it made the end result feel even better. It was definitely a good learning experience,”
“Matt has always been a very motivated person, but I have never seen him so dedicated and focused on one project. He worked endlessly this summer, and it really showed how much passion he has for making movies,” said Matt’s mother, Pam Pulido.
When people watch this movie, they will notice many familiar faces because most of the cast currently attends or previously attended CCHS. “Matt gave a lot of people an opportunity this summer to do what they want to do in the future such as acting, composing music, visual effects, etc.” said Matt’s sister, senior Maria Thompson.
“The Medallion of Man” first came out on August 15th in La Paloma Theatres in Encinitas. This release was a private community screening for family and friends. It was a “dream come true, and it was a great turnout of people. It was such a great atmosphere. And I finally felt like a true filmmaker,” said Thompson.
The theatrical version came out on November 15th and was shown at the Ultra Star Theater at Del Mar Highlands. For this version, Matt cut off about 8 minutes from the original film.
“I trusted the feedback that my friends gave me. It was difficult to cut parts of the movie since it was my own work. Since a few months have passed since I have filmed the movie, I can look at it now with better judgment. It was better to look at it from fresh eye,” said Matt.