UNCSA dean produces Smurfs movie

When Jordan Kerner became the dean of the School of Filmmaking at the UNC School of the Arts in 2007, he was determined not to leave his days as a film producer behind.

His latest film, "The Smurfs," will be released in theaters July 29. It is his first feature film since joining the school, and he brought some of his students along.

More than 30 students from the school were given a chance to shadow the production team, getting on-the-set training by following movie personnel including the director, producer, cinematographer and editor.

"They were there to learn," said Kerner, in Los Angeles on Tuesday to help promote the film just before its opening, and also to record the commentary for the movie's eventual DVD release. "And the crew members — a wonderful New York crew — loved being teachers."

Andrew Porter, a 2010 screenwriting alumnus of UNCSA, was one of the students who worked on the movie set.

"I think the dean remaining active in the film industry is pivotal," Porter said. "Not only does it provide years of knowledge for students to pull from, it allows them more access after graduation. The only inconvenience for UNCSA is its distance from Hollywood. The more active professionals we can have promote its brilliance, the better."

UNCSA Chancellor John Mauceri said that during his first year, he appointed Kerner and Ethan Stiefel, the former dean of the School of Dance, because he wanted to have "arts school deans who are stars in their art form," he explained by email.

"Dean Kerner has transformed the School of Filmmaking with his innovative 'industry pitch' model approach to training," which teaches the students how to pitch a film, Mauceri said. He also lauded the dean for the addition of renowned filmmakers such as Peter Bogdanovich, Thomas Ackerman and Michael Chapman to his faculty, and his ground-breaking "film shadows" program, which allows students to observe and work on movie sets.

"The Smurfs" was filmed in New York, with students flying in for one- or two-week stints to shadow the production team. The students would start working with crew in the field they were studying, and gradually circulate to learn other aspects of the filmmaking process.

Rachel Starnes, a 2010 graduate of UNCSA in production design, said that participating in the shadowing program "was a wonderful opportunity and experience that helped develop my understanding of not only filmmaking, but interactive collaborative work. I shadowed Bill Boes, the production designer, along with shadowing the art department and the various departments such as props, set decoration, and set design."

She said her participation in the movie helped "solidify my decision to move to New York after graduating, by having the chance to see how the city was and if I could make it in the big city."

As producer, Kerner was involved in the filmmaking process from conception to finish, working on all aspects of development, working with screenwriters and the director. He commuted back and forth among North Carolina, New York and Los Angeles, and grew used to sleeping only about four hours a night. He said he is a hands-on producer, staying on the set throughout filming, and used Skype to keep in touch with the campus so he could handle his duties as professor and dean.

The film is based on the popular characters created by Belgian cartoonist Peyo in 1958 in comic books. The characters gained popularity in the United States in the 1980s through sales of figurines that became a fad and have continued to be manufactured, and through a Saturday morning cartoon that became a hit.

In the movie, the Smurfs are computer-generated and interact with human actors, including Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays from "Glee" as a New York couple that befriends them. Hank Azaria plays Gargamel, an evil but bumbling sorcerer who wants to drain the magic from the Smurfs to use for his spells.

Harris said Tuesday that he was impressed with Kerner's passion for the project.

"He cares so deeply about the franchise and the origins of the story and Peyo's family. That's really sincere," Harris said at a promotion event with media Tuesday. "He really cares about the Smurfs and he loves them and knows everything about them. When he gave his pitch to me, I thought, 'We're in safe hands here.'"

Kerner, whose previous work includes such family-friendly movies as "The Mighty Ducks" and the 2006 version of "Charlotte's Web," had been pursuing the rights to make a film based on the characters for years. He was first introduced to the characters in 1980 by Brandon Tartikoff, an NBC executive who helped bring the characters to American television. Kerner's interest in the Smurfs was renewed in 1997, after the release of his film "George of the Jungle." He began writing to Peyo's family and promised a production that would be faithful to the original comics.

The project lingered in development until 2007, when the success of "The Chipmunks" led to increased studio interest.

Porter, who now lives in Los Angeles and works with a company producing TV pilots, got to know the Smurfs very well during his 2009 internship on the film.

"I was able to watch every episode in order to create a small story bible of sorts for the writers," he said. "By the end, I knew every character's traits, habits, and even what was under those white hats of theirs — a secret I shall take to the grave."

That work led to him being able to participate on the set of the film.

"Stepping onto the set, I was proud and in awe of just how well the school prepared me," Porter said. "The budget was more than anything I'd ever seen. There was a litany of production needs, the crew was expansive, and yet a sense of community pervaded everything. I remember feeling at ease on set and was dying to lend a hand however I could."

"I cannot say how lucky and blessed UNCSA is to have a dean who is actively working in the film industry and respected as much as Jordan Kerner," Starnes said.