As a new feature to the WPI Athletics website, WPI alumnus and current Sports Information assistant Ray Cotrufo '98 will take you Inside the Game, providing a closer look at Engineer athletics and some of the student-athletes, faculty and staff that make it all happen.

If you'd like to learn more about WPI athletics than just by attending an event or reading a game recap, then tune in here every other Friday as Ray takes you for a look Inside the Game. This edition of Inside the Game takes us for a look at a one member of the WPI Football team who is accomplishing great things off the field.

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Our second edition of Inside the Game takes us for an in-depth look at the WPI Football team.  Under the leadership of 10th-year coach Ed Zaloom, the WPI coaching staff, and senior captains LB Matt Boudreau, DB Andrew Sides and QB Justin Wells, WPI Football had a successful 2008 season, finishing with a 7-3 record and a 4-3 mark in Liberty League play. The seven wins were the most that WPI has posted since a nine-win season back in 1992, and reflect a marked improvement from the team's 4-6 record in 2007. The Engineers received a number of post-season honors for their efforts, including having eight players named to the All-Liberty League roster, eight that made the league's All-Academic team, and ten that were selected to the Worcester Area All-Star team.

One senior, in particular, was unable to take part in this success on the field, due to an injury that kept him out for the entire season. Offensive lineman Alex Laferriere suffered a dislocated wrist during preseason camp - a difficult injury for a lineman who relies on his wrists, arms and legs to keep defenders at bay and provide time for Wells and the rest of the Engineer offense to move the ball down the field.

Despite the injury, Laferriere did not dwell on the disappointment of missing his senior season. Rather, he focused his time and energy into his other passion, while still finding a way to maintain his close relationship with the football team.

Laferriere, an Interactive Media and Game Development (IMGD) major, had developed an interest in film a long time ago, while a student under Sean Cusick at Shepherd Hill Regional High School in his native Dudley, MA. His work as an IMGD major cemented this interest, which he began to pursue full-bore as his WPI career continued. Following his junior year, Alex spent a month in South Africa on a film internship that would drastically change his senior year at WPI. While in South Africa, Alex was inspired by both his internship and his life at WPI, and began work on a screenplay that would depict his experiences and life while residing in a WPI off-campus residence. The 115-page screenplay entitled Something Remote, would become his focus for the next year, thanks to some help from the WPI community.

The film, about the life of three college roommates and an ex-girlfriend that continually interrupts their downtime at their off-campus apartment, was inspired by Alex's experiences and those of his friends. He has described Something Remote as "the story of three friends that wish for nothing more than to be left alone with television and pizza, but a crazy ex-girlfriend isn't about to let that happen."

Following his return from South Africa, Alex began the arduous work of producing and filming, which would take up the bulk of his time while being away from the football team. While staying closely in touch with the football team's fortunes on the field, he would also find a way to involve the team in his new project. WPI Football teammates Brian Szpyrka, Anthony Corbo and Will Zigenfus all have roles in Something Remote. Coach Zaloom, offensive coordinator Pat Hickey, offensive line coach Pat Hatch, equipment manager Rick Beaulac and sports information director Rusty Eggen also make appearances in the 92-minute feature.

A majority of the filming took place in and around the WPI campus.

After months of production, Something Remote was released in January, first appearing at the Elm Draught House in Millbury. The film was well-received and garnered local acclaim in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, specifically in Jennifer Toland's article  entitled "Football's Loss Filmdom's Gain" and in Debbie LaPlaca's article from yesterday's T&G "A slice of college life with '24 pictures a second'". A subsequent showing at Clark University this month was equally well-received, and future showings are in the works.

Both the football team and coaching staff were extremely supportive of Alex as he pursued this venture. I spoke with Coach Zaloom recently, who had nothing but glowing remarks about Alex and what he has meant to the team during his four years at WPI. Zaloom stated "Alex and I have gotten very close in his years here at WPI, and I believe I have come to know him as well as anyone can. He amazes me with what he has accomplished as a student-athlete. I know that competing in a college football program and desiring to be involved with film have very little to do with each other; and on the surface, they may even appear to be in direct contrast. But I have had the pleasure of witnessing Alex’s commitment and work ethic, and I want to clearly state that my money is on Alex being successful at whatever it is that he puts his mind on achieving. You can rest assured that Alex will give you all that he has and more in his desire to succeed."

Zaloom made sure to stress the importance of having someone like Laferriere involved with the program, despite his unique goals and interests that are atypical of your everyday college football player. Besides his intense dedication to both his teammates and his career goals, Zaloom proclamed that one reason that Alex is so warmly accepted "is quite simply his likeability." "Alex has a sense of humor that is unrivaled. His sense of humor combined with an uncompromising integrity, and an undeniable compassion for others makes Alex a young man that others are quickly and comfortably drawn to," Zaloom said.

"Make no mistake about it, Alex is a wholly decent young man, whose personality and work ethic are worthy of emulation. I am certain that he is to accomplish great things."

I got in touch with Alex to ask him a few questions about his time with the WPI football team and about how Something Remote came to be. As one can see from his responses, Alex was very enthusiastic about the opportunity to share his passion both for football and for film with the WPI community, and it was easy to see the tremendous influence that WPI has had on him:

Tell us about your film Something Remote. How did it come about?
Laferriere: Something Remote is the culmination of about three months pre-production, three months production and three months post-production. It was a story based upon a Kilroy Sketch Comedy show I directed here a WPI for the Kilroy B-term ‘07 show. The influence for this show was life in my apartment with three great roommates: Neal Humphrey, Matt Lowe, and Eric Kolodziejczak. I posed an idea for having all the live portions of the show be about these three guys on the couch watching TV which would be the filmed sketches; a typical mix of filmed and live things happen at a Kilroy show.

It was not until April, when we premiered "Breaking Through," a collection of our three 25-minute shorts that we filmed during the summer of 2007, that we knew we had to take it to the next level and do a feature. We were specifically inspired by Kevin Smith's movie Clerks, as we brought other reference material to get ideas and learn from. I saw Clerks and it's beautiful simplicity and I felt we had that with the Kilroy show, so I wanted to adapt the stage show for the screen. This approach allowed us to do it cheaply, efficiently, and professionally.

I went to South Africa for a film internship separate from WPI for a month. While interning, I was overcome with inspiration and creativity that I wrote a 115-page script while collaborating with my two producers Nick Allain from Becker and Steve DiTullio while they prepared for production upon my June 1st return. After casting John Selig, Rick Desilets, and Chris Haley as my roommates' alternate film egos Erik, Mat, and Neil, production went underway for 3 months.

Can you talk a bit about the storyline? What is the movie about?
Laferriere: The movie is about three roommates who want nothing more than to watch TV and talk about prophetic things that life has to offer, but Neil's ex-girlfriend keeps interrupting their couch time, wanting to get her stuff back from Neil. Mat and Erik offer their own perspective and advice on the situation while enjoying their time on the couch and watching TV.

How long have you been working on it, and how were you able to balance film production with the intense demand of classes at WPI?
Laferriere: I was lucky to do most of the work during the summer, but WPI has allowed me to develop my skills as a filmmaker by offering clubs and talent to support my passion. I had to do a lot of work during A-term, including my MQP, so some of the film work had to take a back seat, but the fall break allowed me to work on my movie with no interruption.

Talk a bit about your time with WPI Football and how this may have influenced you as you pursue a career in film.
Laferriere: WPI football has taught me to commit to my work and know the value of hard work. I respect everyone involved in the program, and appreciate their understanding of my unique character.

I heard that members of the WPI football team and athletic department make appearances in the movie - how did that come about? Is the film set at WPI? Who else from the WPI community appears in the movie?
Laferriere: I wanted to capture many facets of my life, from sports, to pop culture, to my roommates - so WPI football certainly had its place in my film. I loved being able to include everyone that wanted to be a part of the film, showcasing the talent of many people who felt enthralled that they were making a movie. I think seeing themselves on the big screen really made it worthwhile. A lot of WPI talent is included, from Kilroy, to students and those involved with athletics. The movie does not specifically take place at WPI, but the campus, location, and conversations all allude to school in some way.

Where can members of the WPI community and beyond see the film?
Laferriere: This is up in the air right now. Our production company, Broken Wall Films has updates, but we are trying to bring it to colleges around New England. We were recently able to show it at Clark last Friday. I am also trying to get the movie showcased on the WPI quad in the spring, and am in the process of connecting people who can help me with this process.
There are trailers around that give snip-its of the movie, and if we are turned away by film festivals, we will plan on internet distribution and DVD sales over the next three months.

What is your best memory from being a part of WPI Football?
Laferriere: My best memory would be interacting with all the unique characters, from Coach Zaloom to Brian Szpyrka, each person has had their influence and impact on me and I have been fortunate to develop long lasting friendships both on and off the field. I enjoy the maturity and poise of all the members of the team and cannot speak enough about the character that the team emits.

How do you think your WPI education will help you as you pursue your goals in film?
Laferriere: Being an IMGD student, I feel enriched in the arts from a unique perspective. WPI is renowned for their science and math, and I enjoy surrounding myself with very intelligent people. I believe that my film showcases that quirky look on life. I just hope that my name and my film can bring support to WPI and the new IMGD program, gaining recognition and support from both students and professors at WPI.

What are your plans after graduation... are there any plans in the works for a 2nd movie? What do you hope comes of this and what can we expect from you in the near future?
Laferriere: My plans after graduation are uncertain. At this point in time, with an ailing economy, I would like to strengthen my training in film by pursuing my Master of Fine Arts in film at MassArt. On the other hand, if Something Remote gains recognition and support, I would love to pursue investors for Broken Wall Films, creating a legitimate media company and working on my next film. We have plans over the next couple of months to make smaller web based media as an internet flagship, showcasing the talent of Broken Wall Films while Something Remote finds its way in the world. When we see what happens with Something Remote, we will have a better idea of what to do next to continue to gain a fan base and to make enough money to start a full-time career for both myself and my producers.

Something Remote will have another advanced screening at Becker College (Leicester campus) on Wednesday, March 4th at 7:30pm at the Borger Academic Center.

For more information on Something Remote and to stay up to date on Alex's new projects, visit his site BrokenWallFilms.com or http://www.somethingremote.com/ which features a synopsis and two short trailers of the film.

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Inside the Game will run every other Friday right here on the WPI Athletics website. If you have any questions, comments, or ideas for topics for Inside the Game, feel free to contact Ray at cotrufo@wpi.edu, or by visiting him or Sports Information Director Rusty Eggen in the Sports Information office in Alumni Gym.