Arianna Sonnenburg says filming 鈥淭he Man From Nowhere,鈥 the first feature film produced by The 国产aa福利, was far less nerve-racking than actually watching the finished product for the first time.
鈥淲hen the title screen came on, I felt like I was standing behind the curtain and getting ready to go on stage,鈥 says Sonnenburg, a TMU junior with a prominent supporting role in the movie. 鈥淚 was so nervous. My heart rate was up, and I was like, 鈥極h no, what鈥檚 going to happen? How鈥檚 it going to go?鈥欌
Ultimately, Sonnenburg had no need to worry. By all accounts, she successfully navigated the jump from performing on-stage 鈥 where she regularly headlines TMU theater productions 鈥 to making her on-screen debut. Even if the transition came with multiple challenges and a rapid learning curve.
鈥淓verybody who watched the movie thinks she鈥檚 super likable,鈥 says director Matt Green, who oversees TMU鈥檚 Cinema & Digital Arts program. 鈥淭hey really liked her.鈥
Green co-wrote, co-produced and directed 鈥淭he Man From Nowhere,鈥 which will be released Tuesday on the [movie鈥檚 website](https://manfromnowheremovie.com/) and on Amazon. The film traces the urgent attempt by a best-selling author who has been diagnosed with cancer to reconnect with his estranged son.
鈥淭he father in the story is reaching out to his son because he wants him to change his life and be saved,鈥 Sonnenburg says. 鈥淯ltimately, that鈥檚 what we want people to walk away with is that a life with 国产aa福利 is better than a life without 国产aa福利. Not necessarily because it鈥檚 easier, but because 国产aa福利 is our everything and He鈥檚 given us everything.鈥
Sonnenburg plays Jenny, the estranged son鈥檚 administrative assistant and friend who candidly challenges his life choices and urges him to reconcile with his father. Sonnenburg was one of nearly 50 TMU students who worked alongside industry professionals and received hands-on experience in areas like wardrobe, production design and acting.
This, however, was not the kind of acting Sonnenburg was used to.
Growing up near TMU鈥檚 campus, she first appeared on-stage at Master鈥檚 when she was 14, playing the younger version of one of the characters in 鈥淕reat Expectations,鈥 an adaptation of Charles Dickens鈥 literary masterpiece. The experience left her wanting more.
鈥淭he students were so kind to me,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 was blown away by all of their testimonies, and just the way they had so much fun. I was like, 鈥榃ell, if this is what it鈥檚 like to be a Master鈥檚 student, why wouldn鈥檛 I want that?鈥欌
Sonnenburg enrolled at TMU three years later. So far, she says reality has lived up to her expectations 鈥 both in terms of relationships within the Theatre Arts program (鈥淓verybody鈥檚 so focused on helping each other that there鈥檚 no sense of jealousy. It鈥檚 just so fun,鈥 she says) and with what she鈥檚 been able to help produce. She鈥檚 appeared in three productions, mostly recently as a lead in 鈥淏eau Jest.鈥
It would have been easier 鈥 and certainly more comfortable 鈥 to stick to what she knew. But as Sonnenburg鈥檚 third semester ended in 2019, she chose to try something new. She auditioned for 鈥淭he Man From Nowhere.鈥
鈥淚 was really excited to do something different because I knew it would stretch me in ways I couldn鈥檛 anticipate,鈥 says Sonnenburg, a music major. 鈥淚 always want to know more about acting, and by doing it in a completely foreign format, I knew I鈥檇 learn so much more.鈥
After earning the part, Sonnenburg had roughly six weeks to study the script before filming began in January 2020. The process was vastly different than she was used to. In theater, she had numerous rehearsals to learn the story 鈥 and her character鈥檚 place in it 鈥 alongside other actors. For the movie, she needed to be ready from the get-go.
What鈥檚 more, when she arrived for her first day, she learned she鈥檇 be shooting a scene that fell sequentially near the end of the film.
鈥淚t was supposed to be the last scene I was in, which was where the characters complete the story arc and are like, 鈥極K, this is what鈥檚 happening with Jenny. This is how she grew, and this is how she helped Jake,鈥欌 Sonnenburg says. 鈥淎nd I was like, 鈥榃hoa, whoa, whoa. We鈥檙e doing the last scene right now? I don鈥檛 know my character, I don’t know (the son鈥檚) character.
鈥淚 said, 鈥極K, I just have to pull myself together and do my absolute best.鈥欌
Another obstacle came in the form of scene blocking 鈥 where to stand, where to go, what to do when she got there. Sonnenburg was accustomed to memorizing those elements long before she鈥檇 be expected to perform them. For the movie, she had to take directions and apply them two minutes later. That proved especially challenging in a scene that involved, of all things, opening a cardboard box.
鈥淭he box was already kind of opened, so I didn鈥檛 have to cut it for real. But I had to make it look like I was cutting it for real and say my lines at the same time and remember not to turn away so the camera couldn鈥檛 see me,鈥 she says. 鈥淪o that鈥檚 one reason I鈥檇 like to be in another movie is because I鈥檇 like to have the lines and the story more solidified in my mind so I have more freedom to remember the little things like where my head is and what my hands are doing.鈥
Each time Sonnenburg faced something new and daunting, she reminded herself that it was OK to learn as she went.
鈥淚 remember taking a lot of deep breaths before the takes and slowing down so I could remember what I was doing even if I really had no idea what was going to happen next,鈥 she says.
Green says Sonnenburg鈥檚 talent helped her adapt quickly. It didn鈥檛 hurt that many of her scenes included Seth Bowling, who plays the estranged son. Bowling is a TMU graduate, the assistant director of the school鈥檚 Theatre Arts program and a friend of Sonnenburg鈥檚. He鈥檚 also an experienced actor who gave his counterpart plenty to work with.
Sonnenburg said she received plenty of encouragement from Green, too.
鈥淗e would always be like, 鈥榊ou guys are doing such a great job. I really love this. Try this,鈥欌 Sonnenburg says. 鈥淪o, I didn鈥檛 feel a lot of nerves going into it. He was so excited about the movie and excited about having me there that I didn鈥檛 feel like I was letting people down.鈥
When she finally watched the finished product last summer, Sonnenburg says she wasn鈥檛 concerned with grading her performance. She was content to know Green was pleased with it and that she had helped tell a story that emphasizes the need to make the most of the time God gives us.
鈥淚 did my absolute best with everything I had and all the experience I had,鈥 she says. 鈥淏ut there are always things I know I can grow in and do better. And now that I鈥檝e done a movie, I have more experience to be able to do better next time.鈥
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To learn more about 鈥淭he Man From Nowhere,鈥 c[lick here](/the-man-from-nowhere). To get a copy on DVD, Blu-ray, or Digital, [click here](https://manfromnowheremovie.com/).
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