Locally based theater artist Todd Hunter has spent the past decade focusing his art on the live stage. But, for his hit stage show “Summer Blink,” he decided to take the leap that more and more Seacoasters are taking: to transform the whole project into a film.

I recently had a chance to ask Hunter about the process, and I first asked him why, out of his huge body of work, he chose “Summer Blink” to be his latest film.

“I had always wanted to tell a story about teenagers that wasn’t all about a ‘message’ or tailored to be fluff entertainment,” he wrote in an email during a break from the set. “I wanted to tell the story with an adult approach. Not an adult perspective, because that invariably brings into play nostalgia and I wanted to avoid that, but treat the story as one would an adult story.”
 I was also curious about the difficultly of translating this particular piece, which deals with a young girl exploring not only the possibilities for her future, but her sexuality. “The most common comment about the stage show was how cinematic it seemed already, so it wasn’t a difficult transition,” he explained. “A couple of scenes were cut and combined, a few added. I wanted to express more visually. Which, of course, is easier to do with film than stage.”

Hunter confirmed rumors that the entire stage cast returned for the film project. He was genuinely moved by his cast’s commitment. “Their dedication was staggering, as was the crew’s. I’ll always be grateful to everyone involved.”

Over the past decade, the Seacoast has slowly developed into a place where new and original art draws regular and growing audiences. But, there are still those who line up to see shows like “The Sound of Music” and “Annie” for the 100th time. Some area theater fans have criticized Hunter for his choices of material, often exploring the seedier sides of life in his plays.

“I think there’s room for all types of shows in a theatrical community,” he said. “All kinds of shows should always be available. Controversy is important because it gets people emotionally involved. To be emotionally involved leads to thinking. Thinking leads to conversation and debate. This is an important element of an Art form.”

“Summer Blink” was actually Hunter’s second foray into film. His 2000 work, “Merry-Go-Round,” was turned into a 52-minute short film.

“It was always meant to be more of a calling card film than anything someone might want to purchase,” he explained, regarding the film’s low profile. “It got as far as the New York International Film and Video festival, though, and for a while, it was available for rental from Atlantic Video in downtown Portsmouth.”

Hunter said he has been pleased to see the Seacoast’s film community expand in recent years, but it’s still tough to be a New Hampshire filmmaker.

“I think there are great artists working in the Film community. Everyone’s doing their best to cobble together the resources they need to create their films, and I respect every single one for doing so. I also think the work that the N.H. Film Office has been doing and continues to do is admirable, making great strides these past few years,” he said. “Unfortunately, there are currently no tax breaks or incentives for filmmakers to film in New Hampshire. There are no industry funds going back into the community. Filmmaking is a very difficult industry to make a living at on the East coast. All funding comes from private investors. We have to keep making strides forward to show that we’re serious about embracing it as a true industry.

Otherwise, the artists will keep migrating to other places because they simply cannot make a substantial living at it here. But we’ll see what happens.”

George Lucas recently predicted that, in a decade, there will be no more huge studios, just independent studios on the Internet. Hunter noted that many musicians, like Radiohead and Saul Williams, have begun offering download releases from their Web sites, creating a direct Internet link between artist and audience. But, there is still magic in seeing films on the silver screen.

“I think it’s a wonderful concept to have artists be able to directly connect with their audiences and make their work available, and I think we’re moving in that direction. But, there’s still something about seeing a movie in a theater with an audience that you still can’t achieve at home or on the Internet,” Hunter said. “I just recently saw ‘Blade Runner, The Final Cut,’ digitally projected on a huge screen at an AMC in Times Square. I’ve seen the movie hundreds and hundreds of times, but seeing it on that big screen, with all of the details there for the eye to see, surrounded by people that you’ll never see again, sharing in this viewing experience—that’s something that just cannot be recreated at home. I would hate to lose that experience to convenience.”