The Library Boys: A Film for the Ages

“High school, and adolescence in general, is such a pivotal time in all of our lives. As an adult, it’s easy to look at teenagers and undermine their struggles, even though we’ve all been in that stage of our life before and should be able to empathise with how difficult it can be. Up until a certain age, you’re told the one and only path you should stick to. Then suddenly, everything branches off and you really have to decide who you want be in this world. That’s one of the most terrifying and important decisions you’ll ever make, and it comes at a time when you’re still focused on school crushes and finishing your homework.”

Those are the words from the founder of the production company Pancake Originals. He is also an independent writer, director and producer based in Melbourne, Australia. He says that there is a gap in cinema when it comes to telling the authentic story of the Australian high school life. No typical teen drama or formulated characters. A fresh take on what it’s like being a school goer at school and all the shenanigans most of us go through. 

For a brief overview of what the project pertains, we leave it to Zane himself to go through what
‘The Library Boys’ is all about.

“The Library Boys centers around three best mates, Zane, James and Mitch, and each has their own story they lend to the film.  Zane is a loud and obnoxious bully constantly acting out since his mother passed away. He becomes infatuated with Becca, the new girl at school, who is rumoured to have her own difficult past. But when she just wants to be friends he becomes obsessive and self-loathing, putting the weight of his happiness on her shoulders. 

James is quiet and content on living his life one joint at a time. Beth, his long term girlfriend, is pushing for him to mature and they begin to grow further and further apart. When he meets Charlie, a fellow stoner girl, at a party, a new path opens up and he’s forced to decide which one to take.Mitch wants two things: To be liked and to lose his virginity. After some failed attempts, he takes a chance on Tilly, the most popular girl in school, and finds a real connection forming between them. Their relationship develops but quickly becomes strained by their vastly different social statuses.”

As entertaining as that sounds, there is also a positive side to the tale that Zane emphasises needs to be taken with seriousness. 

“I’d say the most comforting lesson from this film took place behind the scenes. At 21, I found myself depressed, lost and lonely, finding comfort in writing about my favourite high school memories with best mates I rarely saw anymore. I felt stuck at a crossroads with what to do with my future and fearful that it would never get any better. It took being at such a low place and having nothing to lose for me to find the courage to say ‘I’m going to make a feature film’. I just kept saying that to everyone I met, taking it one day at a time and not stopping to question why or how until I got to where I am now. And I feel so much better for it. If I can do it, anyone can. But you might have to hit rock bottom first.”

This is evident through the strong representation of young people that is included in the film’s process and the importance of elevating young people’s voices.

“Majority of our cast and crew are still in their 20s. This is a film by young people for young people. It took a lot of confidence, hard work and creativity but we managed to give ourselves a voice. Films don’t have to originate in an old rich guy’s LA office anymore, it’s become so much more accessible to the masses. Personal stories can be told by the people closest to them. We never felt like imposters making this film, because it was our story.”

Photo of Zane Borg, Director of The Library Boys (left).

Don’t just take this from Zane.
Here are some comments from the cast who played a pivotal role in the production of the film.

From Paige Joustra who plays Charlie:  "I was so excited to read a script that really transported me back to being in high school and actually showed how high stakes can feel and the real rollercoaster of emotions that happen especially in that final year. Also, to hear Zane speak passionately about his hopes for Australian cinema and how he wants this film to fill a void got me super impassioned to be involved. Besides, it helps when you can play a girl whose sole purpose isn't just to aid the main dude and all the characters really feel like they are just doing their own thing."

From Mia Barrett who plays Beth: "When you are on a production that is special, you just know in your heart and to put it into words it’s kind of difficult. But what inspired me was Zane’s clear passion and deep connection to the project. And most importantly, the well fleshed out, realistic and deeply moving stories of the characters."

But to say this was a walk in the park would be an immense understatement to the sacrifices that occurred behind the scenes. One of the most common hurdles is the financial challenge of self-funding such a great project. 

“You really learn the importance of money when you don’t have any. My entire life savings went into this film, plus every cent I made working throughout pre-production, and we still had to cut every corner. You learn to rely much more on friends and family. My dad was the entire catering team, every bedroom in the film belongs to a cousin of mine, and all of my friends were the extras you see in the background. All of our crew took major pay cuts because they were passionate about the script and wanted to see it get made.
Without the support of all these people,
making films at this budget is not possible.”

“Most people are more than happy to close the door on their high school self and move on with their lives. By writing this film, I was choosing to go through that door again and face all my past choices. The end result was an outpouring of empathy for my younger self and everyone around him. When you’re still trapped in those school gates and yet to confront the real world, it’s so easy to think you’re the only person in existence that matters. But everyone has their own story and their own motives, and the only way to tell this story was to understand everyone’s. If I could go back to high school now, I’d definitely be a much more kind and understanding person. Hopefully that message can reach a younger audience who still have the opportunity to change.”

Whilst it is impossible to fully capture the nuance of young people’s ideas and complexity of their lives, “The Library Boys” takes the leap to highlight some of the hopes and ambitions of their future.

“There’s a beautiful mindfulness that comes with being a horrible high school student. The main characters in the film have let go of any desire to succeed or advance, and as a result are just perfectly content taking everything one day at a time and never thinking about what comes next. That’s part of what drew me to writing this film, I missed that in my own life, and I think a lot of the joy in this film comes from that feeling of just hanging out. 

But conflict arises from pushing these boys out of that comfort zone and forcing them to face adulthood just around the corner. One of my favourite scenes in the film involves a teacher sitting down with one of the boys and giving him the honest truth about where he’s heading in life and what he needs to do if he wants to change. It’s a conversation I wish I could have had, full of lessons that took me years to learn, so writing it was almost like speaking directly to my younger self.”

The ambition of the project speaks for itself. But where does this project extend if they receive their desired goal of donations? Zane has a clear answer to that.

“Now that production’s over, we have 60 hours of footage our editor is hard at work putting together to create the best possible film. After we decide on a final cut, the film will need sound mixing, colour grading and both original and licensed music. We were able to cut corners in production, but these are stages that can’t be compromised without affecting the final quality of the film. Achieving our funding goal will allow us to collaborate with the most talented artists so we can deliver a final film up to the standards of modern audiences. We hope to take this film to International Film Festivals all over the world and share with them a bit of Aussie high school life. From there, audiences everywhere will be able to see it from the comfort of their own homes.”

“This film is a labor of love, not made for profit or success.
Just being able to share our story with the world would make all the effort worthwhile.
We need the support of our community to make that happen.
I know audiences everywhere are going to love this movie, so I hope they give us our chance to make it.”

Artwork by www.clairecomics.com

That was a truly inspiring tale from a group of boys who want to create a film for the ages.
To donate and support them and the “The Library Boys” project, you can send your supports to their Kickstarter Project: https://bit.ly/2U0z9Ga

We wish Zane and his entire team all the best for the future and what ‘The Library Boys’ ends up becoming.

WORDS: JAHIN TANVIR, ZANE BORG
PHOTOGRAPHY: CLAIR COMICS, ZANE BORG