Ah, we knew them when

Editorial / MOLINE DISPATCH & ROCK ISLAND ARGUS / December 11, 2005

No, we're not exactly Hollywood Midwest ... but in recent years some moviemakers in these parts have enjoyed some rather nice success. Take those Italian Avati brothers, for example. Or Max Collins of "Road to Perdition" fame. And we can lay claim to actress Lara Flynn Boyle, to name a few of our homegrown cinema heroes.

Now a pair of Bettendorf residents appear to be on the brink of turning their story-telling talents into a film career.

Maybe someday folks in these parts can say that they knew Scott Beck and Bryan Woods when. Last week mtvU, an MTV spin-off that broadcasts exclusively to college campuses, named them the winners of their Best Film on Campus contest.

Mr. Beck and Mr. Woods have made 13 short and feature-length films together during a friendship which stretches back to the sixth grade. To win the contest, they submitted two-minute trailers of movies they want to create. Both were finalists. Last week, they learned from an MTV rep that they won the grand prize, which includes a deal for their joint production company, Bluebox Limited, to develop a film with successful MTV Films. "This award, it tells us that we're on the right track and gives us an enormous boost into the film industry, which itself is very hard to get into," Mr. Beck said. "So, this definitely propels us in the right direction and is a dream come true."

It no doubt makes the reward even sweeter that judges for the winning trailer for "University Heights" included well-known and talented Hollywood directors John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood), Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen) Nicole Kassell (The Woodsman).

To see the trailers, visit www.blueboxlimited.com or watch on mtvU channels, if you can. But don't worry. It looks like, even if you can't see them now, you'll be sampling their work down the line and saying, "We knew them when."