Josh Hutcherson’s Unexpected Movie Role

by Natasha Wolff | March 3, 2015 12:19 pm

Josh Hutcherson wants to play you in his next film. The Hunger Games star recently teamed up with Ron Howard and Canon to launch Project Imagination: The Trailer[1].  Its mission is to encourage filmmakers of all levels to create trailers from photo and video footage of their everyday lives. The actor and director will then select one clip that will be made into a short film starring Hutcherson.

With Canon’s editor tool, users can give their 60-second clips the Hollywood treatment with customized text, voiceovers and curated soundtracks. “The idea to inspire people all over the country to pick up a camera[2] and try and make something out of their own life was a really cool concept to me,” says Hutcherson. And it didn’t hurt that Howard was part of the team. “To work alongside someone like him was a great opportunity,” he says.  But perhaps the biggest draw of all was the unknown. “We’re going to be shooting in a few months and I still don’t know what my character is going to be like. It’s exciting,” he says.

Josh Hutcherson

Josh Hutcherson

The clips, which fall into one of six themes: action/adventure, comedy, drama, children/family, sci-fi or suspense/thriller, will be judged on originality and creativity. “So many stories exist and we have a lot of writers trying to recreate them, but if it comes from the person who’s living it, it will be really honest. So honesty is something I’ll be looking for too,” says the 22-year-old actor, who filmed his very own trailer in Madison Square Park.

A piece of advice from Hutcherson: “Don’t be too precious with it. Just go and do it. Film it and put it together and let it be that,” he says. “I keep saying I hope nobody gets too tied into trying to make it a certain idea. Just create something that’s yours and your expression. Not everybody has to like it, maybe everybody hates it, but it’s yours and that’s something unique.”

Endnotes:
  1. Project Imagination: The Trailer: https://imagination.usa.canon.com/home
  2. camera: http://dujour.com/lifestyle/leica-cameras-custom-program/

Source URL: https://dujour.com/culture/josh-hutcherson-project-imagination-the-trailer/