Medford woman screening film in Brooklyn

A still from "A Doorman's Lullaby," premiering at the Brooklyn Lyceum.

By Travis Andersen
Town Correspondent

Lights, camera, slapstick.

Medford filmmaker Chelsea Spear is screening her new short, "A Doorman's Lullaby," at the Flicker NYC series in Brooklyn on July 10, using elements from her favorite cinema period - the 1920s.

The black-and-white short has a soundtrack but no dialogue, and loads of physical comedy in the mode of silent film icon Buster Keaton. If you make the premiere, expect falls, shoves, and a tug of war - with a cello, not a rope.

In "A Doorman's Lullabye," the title character is on a mission to retrieve his girlfriend's stolen cello. Spear shot the film last March in and around Medford, including a scene at the Danish Pastry House on Boston Avenue. The three-person cast includes Medford residents Antonia Pugliese and Jeffrey Landale.

While the film - set in the present day in an unnamed city - has comedy elements, Spear said it ultimately tugs at the heartstrings.

"I wanted to take all of these things that would set the audience up to think they're watching a silent comedy, while telling a story that's actually very sad," she said.

Spear has shot seven other shorts, which have traveled far and wide to venues in New York, Los Angeles, Austin, and Switzerland, to name just a few.

Spear graduated from Medford High School in 1995 and received a communications degree from Mount Ida College in 2000. She works at the Film Chest, an online archive, and plans to apply to UMass-Boston to complete a bachelor's degree.

Spear said future projects include a short film about "a lady reporter who gets in over her head on a story." She hopes to screen it at a local festival next month, but she also has a backup plan.

"If I'm not successful, it'll be a huge viral success on the Internet," she said.

"A Doorman's Lullaby" premieres at the Brooklyn Lyceum on July 10 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $7. Call 718-857-4816 for more information.