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It’s Almost the Night!

The countdown is on — only three days until the premiere night, and we can hardly contain our excitement! After months of dedication, creativity, and long hours, the time has finally come for you to witness the incredible work we've poured our hearts into. We’re thrilled to welcome you to the premiere and share the films that have meant so much to us throughout this journey.

Our films will be showcased at the Nickelodeon Theater on May 8th and at the Magic Lantern on May 9th, and we truly hope you’ll be able to join us for one (or both!) of these special screenings. If you can’t make it, don’t worry — there will be additional showings in the future. These stories, emotions, and moments we’ve created are meant to linger — we’re confident they’ll stick with you long after the credits roll.

We want to take a moment to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone involved in the CNMS program and the entire team at SMCC who helped bring In Your Head to life and the other incredible films featured in this year’s Maine Mayhem. Your support, guidance, and encouragement made all of this possible.

We are endlessly proud of our fellow students and collaborators who poured their passion, talent, and energy into every project. It’s been amazing to witness so many voices and visions come together in such a powerful way.

This journey has been nothing short of a rollercoaster — full of challenges, surprises, moments of doubt, and incredible breakthroughs. There were times when it felt like everything might fall apart, but in the end, every piece came together. And now, looking back, we can honestly say it’s been one of the most beautiful, rewarding experiences of our lives.

So mark your calendars, grab your tickets, and get ready — we can’t wait to see you there, and we can’t wait for you to see what we’ve created.

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What’s Next for Us...

It’s hard to believe we’re just a short time away from the premiere of Maine Mayhem and our anchor show at the Magic Lantern! (You can find ticket info linked below — we’d love to see as many of you there as possible.) This whole experience has been a wild ride, and honestly, we’re just getting started. We're already thinking about the future — new venues, new opportunities, new audiences to share our stories with. So if you’ve been supporting us so far (or even if you’re just joining now), stick around — we have so much more coming your way.

If you enjoy what you see, it would mean the world to us if you helped spread the word. Tell your friends, share the posts, bring someone along. Independent film festivals like this thrive because of community, and we’re so lucky to have you all as part of ours.

This year’s festival features eight short films and 16 micro shorts. Titles and synopses of the featured films include:

Guts (Dir. Maxwell Noyes) – A graffiti artist’s project is interrupted, leading him on a daylong journey to complete it.

Shadows of Me (Dir. Gryphon Vorbach) – A nonbinary individual battles an internal voice of self-doubt, challenged by the kindness of a new friend.

For Tomorrow (Dir. Abby Lynn Bisson) – An elderly man relives the same day after a suicide attempt—until he finds a reason to live.

Freddie (Dir. Luis Miguel Valmadrid) – A reluctant chess player faces his fears and enters a tournament inspired by those closest to him.

In Your Head (Dir. Tyler Lafontaine) – A shy librarian must overcome self-doubt to speak at his brother’s funeral.

21st Century Killers (Dir. Conor Sullivan) – A crew of amateur hitmen begins to unravel during a chaotic night on the job.

The Oracle (Dir. Dan Whitman) – A mercenary must choose between loyalty and the mysterious power of an AI-human hybrid.

The Little Fight (Dir. Noah Satin) – A brother and sister find strength in boxing while facing off against a ruthless promoter.

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WE ARE SO CLOSE TO THE PREMIERE!

We’re just a few short weeks away from the 15th annual Maine Mayhem Film Festival at the Nickelodeon Cinema in Portland, Maine!

It’s hard to believe how close we are… and even more exciting—our first showing is SOLD OUT and the second one is almost there too! If you want to join us on May 8th for the premiere, now is the perfect time to grab your tickets and support some incredibly hardworking, aspiring filmmakers.

Can’t make it to Portland? No worries—we’ve got another screening at the Magic Lantern Theater in Bridgton, Maine on May 9th! Ticket info for that one will be posted soon, and we're also working on more venues and showings—so stay tuned!

In the meantime, we’re excited to share an interview with Tyler Lafontaine, the writer and director of In Your Head. Tyler has poured so much into bringing this story to life, and we can’t wait for you to experience it.

Enjoy the interview—and we’ll see you on premiere night!

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Post Production!

Post Production….

We are in our post-production process! We are just a few weeks away from the premiere.. Speaking of the premiere, tickets are on sale on the Nickelodeon Theater website…Get them before they sell out!! Anyway, we have our rough cut just about finished, and as good as it already looks, there is a lot of fine-tuning that still needs to be done. We want In Your Head to look top-notch.

This process is long and hard, but this is what will bring the Film to life, especially with the special effects of the hologram Alex, who is the voice in his head. We had done a small shoot day in our church to have an audience.  We gathered some extras, told them to wear all black, and spent an hour or two gathering some emotional reactions at the funeral.  At first, we weren’t 100% about this, but now in the editing process, we were glad it was done.  There will be some stills below that have been edited. Just a small sneak peek!

May 8th, At the Nickelodeon Theater In Portland, Maine. Maine Mayhem Film Festival.

Get Tickets Here!

https://www.patriotcinemas.com/movie/the-maine-mayhem-film-festival

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Stuck In Your Head?

This week’s post is going to be a little different than normal….we want to hit the themes and relatable feelings as well as vulnerability in this film. In Your Head goes threw a character who is showing emotions of someone who struggles with anxiety and mental health, not only does he struggle with mental health, but he is also having a hard time accepting help.  We go threw Alex’s life and how he deals with his emotions and very realistic hardships. 

What Alex goes through is very universal, whether it’s you or someone you know, we all have experienced struggle, we all have experienced helping someone with struggles, but we also have all understood what it’s like to ask for help and how scary and intimidating that can be.

We hope you all have someone you trust and can to for help. There will be resources below for local Maine mental health organaztions as well as resource number’s to call if you or anyone need’s help.

We will end this post on a more positive not that Ticket’s are now on sale to come to the Maine Mayhem 15th annual film festival! This will be Located at the Nickaloden Theater in Portland Maine on May 8th 2025. (6pm and 9pm). The link will be below!

Bring alone friends and family to come see 8 short films as well as 16 micro short’s. We would love to see you all there with love and support for the SMCC CNMS students! 

Preimer!!

https://www.patriotcinemas.com/movie/the-maine-mayhem-film-festival

Mental Health Resources 

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We have reached the end...

We finally have wrapped on In Your Head, as good as it feels it’s sad to know our time on set is over. 

Everyone on set worked through the hard times and appreciated the good ones,we all worked efficiently and quickly. Jared Lennon, Max Ater and Marina Bannister all did a great job capturing their characters along with working well together with the rest of the crew. 

The start of production was nerve racking. We were just getting started and trying to find a rhythm that worked well for everyone. The Last day of production our rhythm was there along with our connection as a team. 

There were plenty of ups and downs but it is safe to say that the production as a whole was very successful and the film itself will come out great. We hope you all come out to see our film and not only watch it but connect with the characters and the story. We want to bring attention to the struggle so many people deal with on a daily basis.  We as a team really hope you all can take away something from this film.

As time goes on we will be getting into post production,as much as its hard and tedious work,but is also really exciting. This is what will really bring the film to life using sound effects,voice overs and special effects to bring this film to the next level. 

We are so excited for you all to see In Your Head,at the Maine Mayhem film festival,don't forget to follow us on Instagram @In_Your_Head123 along with our facebook. There is so much exclusive content there to behind the scenes and local Maine mental health resources. 

Enjoy these photos from days on set and stay tuned for more content!

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Production is coming to an end…

Production is coming to an end…

We have one more day left of shooting and as much as we are all happy with entering post production it's sad to see us wrap. The In Your Head team has worked so hard to make this process go as smoothly as possible and we can not be more grateful for such a great team.

Our most recent set days went really well,we shot in our restaurant location along with our church location as well. We had some issues with the lighting and sound in some locations yet we made it work thanks to our great sound and lighting team.

As we have addressed before, the short film In Your Head goes through what it is like to struggle with social anxiety and having a hard time understanding that everyone deals with anxiety and mental health one way or another. This is captured through Alex’s emotions along with his actions. We hope you all can understand how Alex feels and how helping someone can really make a difference whether it's small or large.  Our Actors Jarded and Marina did a great job showing their emotions along with really making their characters come to life.  We want this film to show that there is nothing wrong with asking for help and that whether it is a friend,family member or classmate, always go to someone you trust for help. It may be scary yet it can really change your life.

We have been posting resources over on our Instagram @In_Your_Head123,along with BTS and more fun content from the set. If you are interested in seeing more behind the scenes as well as some interviews with our actors and director,follow us on instagram and facebook. 

Stay tuned for more BTS as well as follow our Instagram and facebook for more inside content.

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Halfway There!

We have made it to our halfway point of production! The In Your Head team had a very successful weekend wrapping the first three days of production. We ran into some bumps in the road but overall we made a lot of progress.

Our director Tyler Lafontaine and our assistant director Conor Sullivan did a great job managing the group and making sure everything was done right and done well. Our camera,light and sound folks also did a great job making sure each shot looked and sounded perfect. 

We got incredible Behind the scenes shots thanks to our BTS photographer Sawyer Temple, who is also our Art Director. All of those will be posted on our instagram and facebook page. We had great craft services and everyone on set had full access to snacks,drinks and meals making sure we all had the energy to successfully get through these long production days.

Our actors Jared and Marina did an incredible job getting into character and capturing the emotions of Alex and Mary.  They both put on incredible performances and put their all into each take. 

We are so excited to continue working on this film,with three more days left of production. We are working together to provide you all a film that is relatable along with bringing anyone who is in Alex’s position a sense of peace and that asking for help may be scary yet it can make a difference. 

Here are some behind the scene shots of our first three days on production and will be posting many more! We hope you all come to the premiere and are just as excited as we are for In Your Head to be on the big screen. Thank You all for following this journey and we look forward to seeing you at the premiere! Stay tuned for more In Your Head Content.

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In Your Head starts production tomorrow!!! We will shoot the first third of our film this weekend, the next section next weekend, and our last few scenes two weeks after that and we are ecstatic. It is surreal and tremendously exciting to be so close to making this film a reality that you all can see so soon.

Countless individuals have helped us get to this point by believing in this project and giving us their time. 

As we move into production we would like to thank some of these individuals. Thank you to these individuals and the many more who have helped this project:

Thank you Mitchell Institute for your generous donation to the production and believing in us and our story.

Thank you to our producers Rhiannon Berry and Sawyer Templeton for cheering on this project and helping us get to the finish line. 

Thank you to our director of photography, Luis Miguel Valmadrid for lending his creative vision and expertise to this project. 

Thank you to our Assistant Director, Conor Sullivan for working to ensure this production runs smoothly and safely. 

Thank you to Southern Maine Community College and the family of Emerson Dolan for allowing us to make our story in your spaces. 

Thank you to our cast, Jared Lennon, Maxwell Ater, Marinna Bannister, and Tricia Lafontaine for lending your time and talent to our film. 

And lastly, a very special thank you to Southern Maine Community College’s Communications & New Media program. Without your equipment to capture our art, teaching to refine our visions, and perhaps most importantly your campus serving as an excellent hub and meeting point for talented up and coming artists in our community this film would not be possible. We could not learn the tools and craft or meet the collaborators which make this work possible. Our work, our passion, and our story would not and could not reach an audience here in Maine without this amazing program. 

We look forward to bringing you more updates as production continues and sharing our film with you at the Maine Mayhem Film Festival!

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Production is almost here.

As we come closer to filming we are getting ready to set up our set. When setting up we will be having a great craft services setup including breakfast and lunch along with tons of snacks. Our main goal for our set is making sure everyone is comfortable and safe. All filming locations are inside so the weather should not be a problem at all. We have bathrooms,first aid kits and fire extinguishers on all filming locations. We want In Your Head to be a comfortable and safe set.The producers and director want to make sure the whole cast and crew never once feel like they are not doing a good job or are uncomfortable. Everyone helping us on our set deserves the best treatment. We know things can go wrong but the In Your Head crew is making safety and how others feel our priority. This film is all about overcoming anxiety so we would never want anyone on our set to be stuck in their heads (get it?)We have six long days of shooting and all six of those days food will be provided along with safety measures,which will be our number one priority. We want our film to be successful and move smoothly but if anyone is having an issue or is hurt that comes first. We are so excited to start filming and to provide behind the scene content along with more updates and content! We are excited for you all to see this story and we hope you feel just as connected as we do.

Follow our instagram and facebook-In_Your_Head123.

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We have all been where Alex is……

We are a little under two weeks away from the production of In Your Head. As we have mentioned this short film tackles the issue of social anxiety and how asking for help can be easier said than done. This short film covers more than just that, our main character Alex is not only dealing with his own mind, he is also dealing with a family member in the hospital who is close to his end. Mason, Alex’s older brother, is in critical condition and it is really hard for Alex to accept that he may not have that much time left with Mason. This situation is unfortunately very relatable to many people. This is something I am sure we all have experienced,wanting to be able to help or grant someone's wish yet our minds can get into the way of that,having social anxiety and struggling with mental health can really put a toll on someone's everyday tasks. We want In Your Head to be a film that will help young adults understand that things can get better and help is out there, our hardest battles are with ourselves especially for us who are in their early adult years. It feels as if the war in our mind will go on forever and there is no winning. This film should bring those who relate to that feeling and Alex that things might not be easy but help and resources are out there, like we said asking for help is easier said than done yet it can be life changing. We hope In Your Head will inspire,bring comfort and feel as if you are not alone through these struggles,we are so excited to start production but more excited for you all to come see In Your Head.

Stay tuned for more post along with Follow our instagram and Facebook

In Your Head.

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Just one more month....

This is a reminder that in less than a month In Your Head, written and directed by Tyler Lafontaine, will be filming at SMCC!!! We are so excited to get on set and make our story come to life. With In Your Head’s production being so close make sure you look out for a first look behind the scenes and more stills showing our story and process within the next few weeks. We will also be posting a lot of content during our production showing our team at work creating this story!

Our cast and crew are working to share with you all this story we’ve been working so hard on. We want you all to be able to take something away from this film whether you relate to our main character’s struggles or you feel as if you could help someone who struggles with social anxiety. We want this film to empower anyone who feels stuck in their own head (get it?), anyone who wants to push back against that voice in their head for dragging you down or making you question yourself too much. We as college students understand how hard things can be when it comes to mental health and getting important things done. I know myself and other crew members relate a lot to this film and its characters. We have all put a lot of effort and emotion into this, and we hope you can all take away some recognition and hope from this story.

Thank you again all who have been following our journey and we are so excited to start production, this is your reminder that in May  In Your Head will be premiering at the Nickelodeon Theater in Portland Maine along with many other incredible student made films. 

We can’t wait to see you there!

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Some words from our actors.

Marina: 

What interested me about my character, Mary, is that she represents the support that all of us need at times. She is a kind person that just wants to help. I heard about this project through a student director I worked with previously. I came in to do the proof for “In Your Head” and loved everything about it. The cast, the crew, and most importantly, the story. I feel that the message behind this film is that anything is possible, though sometimes we need help and that’s okay. We often think we can’t do something just because we haven’t been able to do it before. However, this story shows that that isn’t the case. It may seem cheesy, but you can do the unimaginable. I feel that this story represents that. 

I’m so excited to start working on this project!

Jared: 

I had a small role in a Maine Mayhem film last year, so I knew I wanted to take part again this year, and In Your Head seemed to be the perfect match! I’ve been acting for almost 12 years now, mostly in theatre, but recently I have been trying to branch out more into film. Just like my character Alex, I deal with anxiety in my everyday life. Almost every social situation I’m in, I have this voice in my head worrying if I’m saying the right thing, if I’m saying enough, how other people think of me, etc. In Your Head also deals with grief. My father passed away last year, so I have the real emotion and experience that I can bring to this film and character. Playing Alex and telling this story will not only be sort of therapeutic for myself, but hopefully be able to help others that are dealing with similar situations. 

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A Big Thank You.

As time moves quickly and production comes closer the In Your Head team wants to shout out as well as thank Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) and Maine Mayhem for giving us the opportunity and resources to be able to share our hard work as well as take our dreams to the next level. Our team is filled with students who are aspiring filmmakers from SMCC. Us students want our stories to entertain and be seen by the people of Maine. 

SMCC is allowing us to use their campus to film including spots such as the campus center library, the health simulation lab, the campus chapel and so much more. The In Your Head team appreciates this so much and we want to take care and value these places. The school allowing us to use these spaces makes filming for our team easier and more accessible as well as gives us a place to film that we are familiar with and care about. With that, thank you so much SMCC for making In Your Head come to life!

This year is the 14th annual Maine Mayhem student film festival. The Communications & New Media department here at SMCC provides students who are interested in film the opportunity to share their films on the big screen in Maine at local venues. Corey Noramn and Jimmy Crocco created this festival to show the hard work and dedication of us CNMS students put into our work. We not only want to bring our ideas and stories to life but we also want to inspire fellow students and Mainers that big things are possible. We appreciate everything the school and our professors do for us and we can't wait to see what other films come out of this year’s festival. We’re so excited to see you at the premiere so you can be introduced to the next generation of Maine’s filmmakers.  

Photo Credit-Smcc Webiste

Photo Cred-Smcc Website

Photo Creds-Smcc Beacon.

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Meet Some of the Crew!!

Producer-Rhiannon Berry

My name is Rhiannon Berry,I was born and raised in Maine and am in my second year at SMCC. I found my love in film here at SMCC.I find so much enjoyment in making entertainment for people and using my silly personality to make others smile. I like to read,spend time with my family and friends,hiking,going to the beach and shopping,I am very excited to be working on this film!!! This will be my first short film I will be working on and I can't wait to bring awareness about getting help and bringing this short to life. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as we are enjoying making it. 

Writer and Director - Tyler Lafontaine

Hello! I am Tyler Lafontaine and I am a born and raised Mainer. I have attended Southern Maine Community College for the past two years and have focused most of my education on film and filmmaking. I have had a passion for film ever since I was a kid and I am thrilled to now have the opportunity to share a film of my own. I was drawn to writing and directing In Your Head because of the story’s themes in dealing with social anxiety. I have had anxiety for almost my entire life so I felt I could make a story that explored the topic and overcome it. I couldn’t be happier with the team we have put together to craft this story and I cannot wait for our premiere at the Maine Mayhem film festival!

Producer- Sawyer Templeton

My name is Sawyer Templeton and I was born in Tennessee but spent my entire life in Maine. I've been a part time student at SMCC for the last two years and I work full time with adults with disabilities. I've always been interested in participating in production because I care a lot about stories and how they're told so I'm excited to participate in this film! My hobbies include reading/ attending concerts/and crafting casually. As someone who struggles with public speaking this film resonated with me and I hope it will with you too.

This is just some of our crew! We will be posting more next week so stay tuned and spread the word!!!!

Rhiannon Berry

Tyler Lafontaine

Sawyer Templeton

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In Your Head

In Your Head: an upcoming local student film about overcoming anxiety. More details below!

In Your Head is a story about anxiety, self doubt, and learning to ask for help. The film centers on Alex. Alex is a young librarian who struggles with incredible self doubt which is shown as a ghostly version of himself which only he can see that speaks all his worst thoughts. One day at work Alex learns that his older brother, Mason, has passed away. To make things worse, Mason’s final wish was for Alex to speak at his funeral.

Now Alex must overcome his self doubt and social anxiety in order to give a speech for his  brother. Will Alex be able to honor his brother’s legacy or will he stay stuck in his head?

This film is being made as part of the Maine Mayhem film festival, a collective of community college student produced films made here in Maine showcasing the talent of young filmmakers. 

Our team is hard at work ensuring that this film will be what we believe it can be. Every week we will update this page on our progress towards making this story a reality and featuring the cast and crew behind it. 

The film will be premiering at the Nickelodeon theater in Portland later this year alongside other great student produced films. All of these students have worked long and hard 

We are honored to be a part of this year’s Maine Mayhem film festival and to get to show you the story we have been working on. 

For now, here is a sneak peek at what our film will look like. We hope you enjoy it and we can’t wait to see you at the Nickelodeon theater on premiere night! Be on the lookout for more content from us and share with your friends and family!