Brampton resident King-Pin Lei wants to make a film and he knows how to make it happen.

He graduated from RyersonUniversity's Radio & Television Arts Program in 1999 and has had a dream project percolating for years. He's got storyboards and scene-by-scene shooting scripts and character breakdowns and budget forecasts. He's got the whole package.

The only thing he doesn't have is the ten million dollars it will take to produce the film. Here in Brampton, that's a fairly large number. In Hollywood, it's the kind of money that changes hands over lunch. Following the dream, Lei took a trip to California and mingled at various film industry schmooze-fests, talking about his planned film and receiving very positive reactions.

Up to a point.

The most common response was, "That looks great! What else have you done?" In the world of Hollywood, you can't do anything until you've done something.

So, Lei did something.

Like so many filmmakers before him, Lei made the film that will get him in the door of the movie industry.

Sam Raimi made "Evil Dead."

Robert Rodriguez made "El Mariachi."

Kevin Smith made "Clerks."

And King-Pin Lei made "Killing Schrodinger's Cats."

Working with Michel Plaxton to rework an idea he'd had for a short fill, Lei expanded the concept to form the basis of a feature-length film. He gathered the minimum requirement of film crew, chose three skilled actors, borrowed a house and shot the film.

Sounds easy, huh? Think again. When was the last time you, for example, borrowed a house? Try it sometime. It's not that easy.

The storyline for "KSC" (as it has become known) is unique and unusual, so Lei took a unique and unusual approach to the filming process. Before shooting began, he sat down with each of the actors and defined the basis of their characters, jobs, upbringing, personality traits, specific skills. None of the actors were permitted to discuss their character with the other actors.

Each scene was then done in an improvisational style with the actors staying in character to deal with situations defined by Lei ten minutes before each scene was shot. That isn't meant to suggest that Lei was just making it up as he went along. He knew exactly where each scene was going and what would happen before it got there. He chose to work this way in order to get pure, honest reactions from the actors as plot twists flew in from unexpected angles.

Actor Stephanie Zari recalls the first day of shooting, the only day of outdoor filming. She and William Poulin were holding up the "unconscious" Todd McGuinness outside the house, the three of them bruised and bloodied. She remembers feeling nervous and excited and thinking, "What could have possibly happened to get us in this state?"

Then Lei waltzed around the corner and said, "OK, so you've just been in an accident, but I can't tell you exactly what kind…"

And Zari thought, "This is gonna be great."

Todd McGuinness admits one of the most intriguing aspects of making the film were "Lei's secretive revelations about what my character would be up to in the next scene."

Lei's technique received exactly the reaction he wanted from his actors. He wanted the characters to have the same sense of excitement, terror, trepidation and thrilling dread that the audience will watching the story unfold.

McGuinness also remembers the outdoor filming day fondly. It was the only cold day of an otherwise clear and beautiful summer and McGuinness spent the day covered in a cold, sticky, fake-blood concoction, the specialty of the film's Production Manager, being dragged through a cold, wet field in a cold, drizzling rain. "And if I recall correctly,' he says with a chuckle, "Poor Bill was even wearing shorts… which can't have been a comfortable choice in a field full of weeds and thistle!"

William Poulin concurs. "The next morning I woke up and realized my legs were covered in little red welts. I had marks on my legs for weeks." He adds with a smile, "The life of a movie star is glamorous."

Through all of this apparent suffering and discomfort, the cast never lost the infectious excitement that seemed to emanate from Lei in waves. Between scenes, Poulin recalls sitting behind the house thinking, "I'm on the set of a feature film, in which I'm one of the stars. How cool is that?" McGuiness admits, "I enjoyed every second of it…I wouldn't trade a second of it for anything and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat." Working with Lei on this project, says Zari, "was both inspirational and educational… In my mind [Lei] has created a well-conceived, experimental film that is provocative and dark and is only a glimmer of what we will see from him in the future."

It is high praise indeed that Lei can inspire this level of loyalty and admiration amongst his cast. It's because, although this film was made simply as a gateway to allow him to make the film he "really" wants to make, he gave this project all of the dedication, hard work, sweat, heart and soul that he gives to every task he undertakes. He is determined to create the finest possible film he can.

He surrounds himself with similarly-determined people in order to achieve his goals. "I remember the amazement with which I watched [Lei} and his crew work," comments Poulin. "Cramped spaces, cramped schedules and a bizarre format of project – almost entirely improvisational – meant that a lot of the small hurdles that can occur couldn't even be considered until they cropped up on set. But everyone, Lei and cinematographer Joe Freitas especially, just said 'OK then, we'll do it this way.' Over and over again. The show must go on and it did."

For the last year and a half Lei has been editing the film, adding effects and remixing the audio tracks, all on his Powerbook computer. He recruited up-and-coming Brampton musician Shane White to compose and perform the music for the film. A few weeks ago, with the assistance of Michel Plaxton, Lei unveiled the trailer for "Killing Schrodinger's Cats" on his blog. A few minor tweaks away from being done, Lei expects to have a finished film ready for presentation by the end of October.

The final cost of making this film came in at slightly under ten thousand dollars, all of it directly from Lei's own pocket. It's worth every cent and more feels Lei.

As anyone who has read the mind-bending novels of Robert Anton Wilson knows, in 1935 Erwin Schrodinger proposed a theoretical experiment involving a cat in a box, in order to demonstrate one of the basic tenets quantum physics. A quick bit of Googling will provide a detailed explanation of the idea, but Lei assures me that an understanding of quantum physics is not essential to enjoying his film. If you've never heard of Schrodinger and never had a cat, you'll still be drawn into this story, from the opening shot until the closing credits.

I've seen the trailer. This is an exciting looking film, with fantastic performances, beautifully shot and expertly edited. Lei fully understands how to use film as a storytelling medium. I plan to be among the first in line for the first screening of this film.

Watch the trailer yourself at www.davelei.blogspot.com . I'll save you a place in line at the screening.