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Indie flick filmed in Columbia makes debut 'The Four Children of Tander Welch' written by screen writing professor By: Tas Anjarwalla and Malia Griggs Posted: 4/28/08 Much like Columbia is being used as a set double for Washington D.C. now, over a year ago, an independent movie was filmed entirely around Columbia. The movie, now in release, is called The Four Children of Tander Welch and is written and directed by USC adjunct screen writing professor Ashton Langley. Many of the people involved with the making of the film are USC media arts students or alumni, including its producer, Matthew Sefick, who has been involved with projects like "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" and Lifetime's "Army Wives." The film stars Mackenzie Astin (Iron Will, The Facts of Life) as a hospice worker named William Dane who lives with his ailing mother, played by Astin's real-life mother, Academy Award winning actress Patty Duke (The Miracle Worker). After losing his job, Dane is unwittingly hired to help an older man, Tander Welch (played by Nicholas Pryor) commit suicide. Before doing so, Dane is given the task of telling Welch's three estranged daughters that their father is a dying man. Watching a movie with touches of locale was fun. The film was laden with palmetto trees, familiar settings like Bull Street and recognizable shots of the Columbia skyline. The soundtrack was created by local singersongwriter Danielle Howle and included artwork from South Carolina native Anna Redwine. At times, it was difficult for us to take the story line seriously considering the juxtaposition of the dramatic situation with the city we live in. We had to remind ourselves to judge the film as a piece of work with a lower budget and less glamorous setting than the movies we are accustomed to seeing. In that respect, we thought that Mackenzie Astin gave a notable performance as the down-to-earth Dane thrown into improbable circumstances. Sefick assisted us in contacting Astin, who currently resides in Baltimore, Md., and waits tables. Astin heard about the role of Dane when his brother invited him to participate in the project. "It was a good part and a story I thought was clearly written from the heart," Astin said. "I could tell someone had put his life into the story." The state of South Carolina's Film Commission gave money to the university to make a movie in Columbia. "The idea was to give locals experience in the trade of filmmaking," Astin said. "I had a blast here in Columbia. There was a great group of students and professionals who worked on the project with me."
Astin's portrayal of the identifiable Southern college dropout William Dane didn't try too hard to reveal the emotional journey of a tragic hero. At his best, Astin played a humble, slightly awkward guy trying to do the right thing for others, which fit perfectly with the modest atmosphere and budget of the film. "I only spent a little bit of time in the South maybe when I was a kid traveling with my mom. I've been to Florida a couple times, but I'm not sure if that qualifies as the South," Astin said. He comes from a family of actors. You may recognize his brother Sean as Samwise Ganges from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, his mother Patty Duke as Helen Keller from "The Miracle Worker," and his father John as Gomez from the original Addams Family. "When I need advice about stuff," Astin said, "I don't need to go too far to find people who have plenty of experience. My folks have been doing this a long time before I was born and my brother a couple years longer than me." Astin isn't currently working on any projects, but he said, "I don't think it'll be too long before I'm back in Columbia." Š Copyright 2008 The Daily Gamecock