Acclaimed producer Sean Welch, an alumnus of the class of 1983, returned to campus last Friday to deliver a presentation on his Oscar-nominated documentary, Spellbound—his first endeavor in film production.

Spellbound follows the progress of eight eager students as they prepare for and compete in the 1999 National Spelling Bee.

After discussing his experiences as a first-time producer, Welch spent nearly an hour answering questions from students.

“Seeing Mr. Welch was an extremely exciting experience,” said sophomore Susie An, “not only because he was a University High School alumnus, but because we were able to go behind the scenes of the movie.”

Spellbound was the brainchild of director Jeffrey Blitz, who spent nearly six months convincing Welch to collaborate with him on the project.

“I was much more interested in real life,” said Welch. “I felt that you never know what you’re going to get with a documentary.”

Although Spellbound was filmed in a brief six months, the editing process spanned over two years. The original footage followed twelve students, but for the sake of simplicity, only eight participants were included in the final version of the documentary.

The film

attracted the

attention of a distributor after premiering at the 2002 South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. Spellbound has since become the fifth-highest grossing documentary ever.

The project was financed entirely by Welch and Blitz, who took out fourteen credit cards to pay for expenses, such as equipment and travel.

“There were times when we didn't know if we would have enough money to finish it,” said Welch.

Spellbound has gained such popularity in the United States that it has recently found its way into theaters in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Welch and Blitz are considering further plans for their film, including a musical adaptation of it.

“Believe it or not, you might see little kids singing syllables,” said Welch.

The Spellbound DVD, to be released on Jan. 20, 2004, will include footage featuring all twelve original participants, as well as commentary by both Welch and Blitz.