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This Saturday, Los Angeles-based producer Nick Laperriere begins overseeing the shooting of his short film "Burr" - his first film project - in and around Tucson.

The film, about schoolyard violence and bullying, will include about 30 local students in the cast.

The film has a budget of $50,000, and it has received logistical help and guidance from the Tucson Unified School District and the district's Opening Minds Through the Arts program.

Laperriere, 32, spoke with Caliente via telephone.

What's the film about?

"It essentially follows the story of two young boys who are freshmen in high school who are bullied at school. One boy in particular gets it pretty bad from a specific group of bullies. At the start of the film, he confides in his best friend that he's had enough and is going to respond with violence at school.

"The friend promises not to say anything, but proposes he challenge the bully to an old-fashioned duel with pistols. . . . The final confrontation is shot at the airplane graveyard out by Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. It's not necessarily a happy ending, but it is a cathartic ending. Nobody dies. It's trying to deal with issues like school bullying and violence in a responsible way and not flinch away, but deal with realistic situations."

What drew you to Tucson?

"Initially we had the idea of a climactic duel scene set in an airplane graveyard. We scouted and found some we really liked. The next step was to contact TUSD, because we were working with kids, and with this subject matter, we wanted to do everything aboveboard and work through the appropriate channels. From the first meeting, Joan Ashcraft (TUSD director of fine and performing arts and manager of the Opening Minds Through the Arts program) and Carole Marlowe (TUSD performing arts specialist) have given us support and been tremendous and solid."

What have you learned about Tucson?

"The biggest thing I didn't know was there is a really thriving and vibrant arts community in Tucson. As somebody who doesn't live in the state, I didn't immediately associate Tucson with that. I had this Old West image and I didn't know how Tucson was different from other cities in the state."

What are your plans for the film after you finish production?

"We have a film-festival- submission strategy, and are working with (Loft Cinema Foundation executive director) Peggy (Johnson) at the Loft Cinema. The plan is to hold an initial screening at the Loft in January. We'll be inviting all the community members, involving the students, their families and friends. We'll have a strategic release at film festivals, submitting to Cannes, Sundance, TriBeCa and South by Southwest. We'll also submit to the Tucson Film and Music Festival and the Arizona International Film Festival."

Where will you shoot the film?

"The airplane graveyard, Maxwell Middle School, Mescal, the Lazy K Bar Ranch, suburbs and things like that."