Capturing 'Wise Kids'

Utter the phrase "coming-of-age story" and the image too often conjured is that of a genre bereft of fresh ideas, a slave to the tried-and-true.

With notable exceptions, we get hopelessly cliched tales whose characters and plot, however "charming," are more than a little threadbare.

Stephen Cone was determined that his second feature, "The Wise Kids," would be cut from a different cloth.

"I wasn't interested in doing a movie about slackers," says the Chicago-based writer-director who is a son of Frank and Judy Cone of Charleston. "A lot of teenagers are brooding and passive and apathetic. I'm interested in teenagers who are actually engaged with the world and with themselves and are interested in opening themselves up to life, growing and becoming better."

With an ensemble of Chicago and Charleston actors on board, and a crew from as far away as Los Angeles, "The Wise Kids" opens principal photography here Monday.

The shooting schedule, working from a budget in the "mid-to-high" five-figure range, calls for work at various peninsular and West Ashley locations through Aug. 14.

"The Wise Kids" is described as a Southern coming-of-age drama focusing on three main characters, set in and around a Charleston Baptist church.

Cone knows the territory. His father is pastor of Rutledge Baptist Church.

"I'm the son of a Baptist minister, so I always knew I'd make my church kids movie one day," says the director, 29, who grew up in Florence, Columbia and Charleston. "The story is about that important transitional space between high school and college when one leaves home and starts becoming an adult. It's based on the kids I grew up with in church youth groups, but the church is mainly a backdrop. First and foremost, the movie is about people."

Starring in the lead roles are Chicago actors Molly Kunz ("The Penny") as the preacher's daughter, Brea; Allison Torem ("Trust") as Laura; and Tyler Ross ("Little Men") as Tim.

Among the supporting players are veteran actors Matt DeCaro ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Ann Whitney ("The Fugitive") and Charleston's Rodney Lee Rogers ("Steaming Milk") and Sharon Graci ("One Tree Hill"). The latter two star as Brea's parents, Jim and Kathy Lightsmith.

"The cast is a mix of actors familiar and new to me, but mostly new," says Cone. "We held auditions in Chicago and Charleston in April, and benefited from some wonderful casting directors. We're working with great talents, but nothing about the film reflects a large production budget. It's a labor of love for all of us. No one's in it for the money."

Cone established the production company Cone Arts in 2005 to make his own short, experimental and low-budget commercial features. He is the writer-director of the short films "Church Story," "Young Wives" and "7 Experiments"; the "mid-length" film "The Christians"; and the debut feature "In Memoriam."

"Actually, we just completed 'In Memoriam' recently," Cone says. "I wanted to move quickly into this new project ('Wise Kids') for the sake of momentum, having felt I learned important lessons on 'In Memoriam' and wanted to capitalize."

The pace of production doesn't daunt him.

"It's what I most love doing, what I've always wanted to do. I dabbled in theater as a training ground, writing and directing some of my own plays in Chicago, but literally had a day back in 2005 when I said, 'OK, now I'm going to start making movies.' And those earlier movies were my film school."

At this stage of his career, Cone says his goal is the festival circuit, at least for "In Memoriam" and "Wise Kids." Meanwhile, he supplements his film work with "a typical Chicago office job on the side."

Several of the film's comparatively small crew are in the same boat.

"Our crew is from Los Angeles, Chicago and Charleston, and we have some amazing people on this. Probably about half are making a living in the industry. But I like the energy of working with a mix of professionals and talented 'nonpros.' "

Reach Bill Thompson at bthompson@postandcourier.com or 937-5707.