Edward Schmit has spent the past four years since graduating Elon University in 2010 using his artistic skills to assist with other people’s projects in New York as a filmmaker and graphic deisgner. 

But two years ago he decided to write and direct his first short film, “Swimlapse.”

The film tells the story of a young lifeguard who struggles to return to the stand after a tragic accident. Upon his return, he begins to teach a reluctant girl to swim.

In collaboration with fellow Elon graduate and childhood friend Peyton Lea ’10, who worked as the director of photography on the film, Schmit shot the nine-minute short in a matter of days.

Creating a vision

“Swimlapse” was inspired by Schmit’s own experience as a lifeguard starting at the age of 16. Though he was never was faced with an accident himself, the immense responsibility he held as a young man never left him.

“Nothing ever happened on my watch, but I was always very fearful,” Schmit said. “That lived in the back of my mind when I was on the stand and hasn’t left me since. I like to say that ‘Swimlapse’ is an exploration of those fears I had as a former guard.”

The film was shot at a pool in Charlotte where both Schmit and Lea grew up, and where Schmit spent much time as a lifeguard and swim teacher.

“I was debating from the start whether or not I was going to shoot it up in New York or down in North Carolina,” Schmit said. “I’m from Charlotte and I was scouting a lot of pools in New York and none of them were really matching with the vision I had.”

Schmit’s love for swimming and fond memories of the hometown pool fueled his development of the plot. 

“I learned to swim there, and I spent a lot of time there,” Schmit said. “I just think it’s a really magical thing, learning how to swim. I wanted it to have special meaning on top of the story I was already telling.”

Schmit wrote, directed and produced the film, but since it was his first film, he depended a lot on Lea, who has more experience in the industry. 

Lea started his own production company—Peyton Lea Productions LLC, based out of North Carolina—in 2012 and has worked on a wide array of short films, commercials and corporate web content. Lea helped to put together a crew in North Carolina to help execute “Swimlapse”.

“It was really cool to collaborate with Eddie — we worked on a film together at Elon called ‘The Magazine Girl’ and we co-directed that which was a fun learning process,” Lea said. “We were just learning how to flex our creative muscles. This was cool because we had gone out into the world and honed our skills and were able to come together and collaborate.”

Planning and filming

The decision to make a short film rather than a feature film was made for a few reasons. Shorter films are less time-consuming and easier on the wallet. But Schmit also knew his story only needed a few minutes to express the message he was trying to convey.

“I think some stories are shorter than other stories,” Schmit said. “I think the job of an artist is tell your story as concisely and pointedly as possible, and the story that I wanted to tell I think only really needed about nine minutes.”

Since moving to New York, Schmit has worked with the entertainment and production company Full Picture. He pitched his idea for “Swimlapse” to his boss and CEO of the company, Desiree Gruber, who was Emmy-nominated for her work as executive producer of “Project Runway.”

Gruber thought it was a good idea and ended up funding a good portion of the film.

“It really wouldn’t have been possible without her,” Schmit said.

The time and budget restraints of making an independent film can be challenging, but Lea said it’s all a part of what you sign up for when you become an independent filmmaker.

“Independent filmmaking is going to be difficult,” Lea said. “You don’t have the luxury of using a location for days and days because it is a functioning facility. When [you] don’t have a big budget you are kind of at the mercy of everyone else.”

Schmit put out a casting call on the Internet and received many responses for which he did many Skype auditions and callbacks. 

For the main role, Schmit’s old drama teacher in Charlotte recommended Stephanie Soto, who was eventually cast as the lifeguard’s swim student.

“She’s freakin’ amazing,” said Schmit of Soto. “Casting was pretty easy, everything sort of fell into place.”

Directing “Swimlapse” allowed Schmit to use the skills he learned as an acting major at Elon even if he wasn’t acting.

“When I moved to NYC I wasn’t acting very much, and I missed it a lot,” Schmit said. “I kind of fell into the same acting groove in directing this film, I learned the vocabulary and how to talk to actors and I think that really informed how I related to them as a director.”

In addition to Lea, Schmit also reached out to another Elon alum, Rafe Andrews whose song is featured at the end of the film.

“It’s a no-brainer; we work with so many talented people at Elon, and everyone goes off to their respective careers and all you have to do is text them.”

Premiering across the country

The film premiered last year at the Charlotte Film Festival in Charlotte and since then has been shown around the country. 

“It was great because we premiered very close to where we shot so the crew and cast were all nearby and all came to the premiere,” Schmit said. “It was amazing to see it on the big screen with the cast and crew who put a lot of time into this.”

At the Queens Film Festival in Queens, New York, the film was even nominated for Best Narrative Short. The film’s website lists the festivals the short has been featured in, including the Dam Short Film Festival, along with a trailer. 

Now, at the end of its festival run, the “Swimlapse” team is returning to North Carolina and appearing in the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem. RiverRun is one of the premiere festivals in the Southeast. 

The film will be screened at RiverRun April 10 at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Arts and April 15 in the Hanesbrands Theatre.

Moving forward, Schmit is happy with the success of his first film and hopes to have a chance to produce his newest idea. 

“I’m taking it step by step. I have a day job, but I really loved making this film,” Schmit said. “I am working on another short film — I want another crack at it. I’ve written it, I’ve got to go find another way to pay for this one.”