“It’s got a pretty powerful message, and we’re hoping it’s going to be very dramatic and have a good effect,” said Steve Pyatte, a motivational speaker who also dabbles in filmmaking and script writing.

Pyette and Nix met about a year ago, and Nix brought the idea for “Choices” to Pyatte’s attention. The two reworked Nix’s original script, renamed it, and went from there. Pyatte also has a role in the film and is assisting Nix in directing.

“In today’s society it’s not just ‘say no’ anymore,” said Pyatte, who, in addition to lecturing at local schools, speaks to convicted drunk drivers through the Hendricks County Prosecutor’s Office. “You have choices and you have to live with the consequences of your choices, so that’s what this film is about.”

Pyatte currently shows “Crossroads” — a movie created by Daniel Risk, another former Brownsburg student — to the convicted drunk drivers and also sells DVDs of the film for a $10 donation to the Hendricks County Substance Abuse Task Force.

“We want to try to show the devastating effect that a wrong choice can have,” Pyatte said, adding that he plans to show and sell the “Choices” movie as well, also for donations to the task force. “People are killed or injured all the time in alcohol-related crashes. I don’t call them accidents, they’re on-purpose. Somebody chooses to drink and they choose to get behind the wheel of a car; that was on purpose.”

Pyatte, 51, admits that he was an abuser of drugs and alcohol for more than 10 years. He credits fond memories of growing up in a loving home for turning his life around.

“I found out that I was a lot smarter than I gave myself credit for,” he said. “And I feel good now that I’m giving back the love and respect I was given all those years.”

The “Choices” film will be directed and edited by Nix, with Pyatte providing any needed assistance. Nix, who plans to attend Full Sail, a prestigious media arts college in Florida, hopes to premiere the film at several movie theaters in the Hendricks County area once it is completed later this summer.

“Pretty much everyone in Brownsburg has been helping us out in this project because they know the storyline and they know that it’ll probably hit home to some teens here,” Nix said. “Their support is really helping out a lot.”

Students involved with the film will be selling 11x17-inch movie posters for a $5 donation to the Hendricks County Substance Abuse Task Force. For more information, visit the website at www.stevepyatte.com
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