STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — It is an early Thursday morning in downtown State College. The chance of rain is high, after a week of summer downpours. That doesn’t stop a group of Penn State alumni and student filmmakers as they unload their gear into a downtown bar for the first day of production on a short film titled “How to Play with Death.”
Development on the project began six weeks earlier when a group from the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications met in the basement of a sandwich shop the day after their senior thesis films premiered at the State Theatre. Among the team were three people who earned their bachelor’s degrees in May — director Katie Bagley, writer/producer Lucas Hydock, lead sound Carolyn DeRosa — and one senior, director of photography Bert Davis.
Other members production team joined because of relationships established through previous Penn State projects. Editor John Payne, who graduated in 2024, had worked with Bagley on two previous short films — “Exactly What You’d Expect“ (2023) and “The Mime” (2025).
Assistant "B Camera" Sam Sedgwick, also a 2024 graduate, directed a Telly Award-winning project for CommAgency, which Lucas helped produce. Assistant "B Camera" Brady Bast participated in the 2025 Penn State Hollywood Program with Davis and had worked on several short films and CommAgency videos with members of the team.
In a more-than-students connection, Jim Westrick, an assistant teaching professor of film production, and the first film professor for Bagley and Lucas, provided grip work.
On camera, Bagley plays Jane, a flighty goofball with an affinity for rock music and bar fights. Adam Tinkelman, who starred in “The Mime,” plays Hunter, a reserved gent with a big heart who helps Jane chase the adrenaline of near-death experiences. Playing the passionate DNR Agent is Gavin Stone, a childhood friend of Lucas. Also, Lucas’ close friend Joe Messner, who earned his Penn State bachelor’s degree in engineering, plays the bartender.
Production of “How to Play with Death” lasted three days at locations across Centre County, between a stretch of rainy days and a nasty heatwave. The budget for the film was support by the inaugural Pottsville Film Festival, which provided Lucas $500 when he won Best Student Film for his short “My Next Guest” (2025).
“How to Play with Death” is currently in post-production and expected to premiere at film festivals this fall, including the seventh annual Centre Film Festival.