By: Melissa O'Hara
Valley Stream lumber yard turned into movie set
The Five Star Lumber and Home Centers, Inc. on Merrick Road was turned into a movie set for the past two Wednesdays. Director Steve Bozga brought his cast and crew to the lumber yard to shoot his film, "Love Like Blood."
The film is based on the lead male character played by Thaddeus Schneider, a Howard Beach native, trying for the first time to live a normal life after being a car thief. "The movie is about second chances," said Producer Michelle Giancola.
Bozga added that there is a sub plot to the movie, involving romance between the leading male and female characters. "It is a labor of love," said Bozga.
The director chose to shoot his film at the Valley Stream lumber yard because he wanted to "show off the local character of the people and not have a corporate look but a genuine one."
"We also tried to get people from the area to work on the film, to bring it even closer to home," added Giancola.
The lumber yard's storage area was turned into a "makeshift office," said owner, Bruce Bauerle. "They brought their own props, everything to make the office as life-like as possible," Bauerle added.
Schneider, who previously was an extra in a movie with Angelina Jolie, said the reason he took the role was because he wanted to be in New York and he could really "relate to the role. Just as well as a lot of people from the New York City area could."
The movie was created for the local movie festivals in New York City and the Hamptons. Bozga also plans on getting his film aired on HBO. But there are still four to five more months of shooting and another six months of editing. "We shoot a few days a month, to catch the seasons which also reflect the characters' inner struggle," said Giancola.
