Four guys from Liverpool once sang about how you can get by with a little help from your friends. Adam Masnyk, of Worcester, did just that, teaming up with some of his closest pals to help bring his vision to life – the film That’s E. Working on the script penned by Masnyk, director Eric Kelly and producers Matt Berke and Jon Perry joined forces to make a feature that is entertaining audiences here at home and abroad.

With a total 21 consecutive days of shooting to its credit, the little-film-that-could is making the rounds in the film festival circuit, recently being screened at the Maryland Film Festival, London Comic Con in Ontario, Canada, and at this past summer’s Boston Comic Con. Those last two venues are of special note because they are the perfect setting for That’s E.

That’s E takes place in – you guessed it – a comic shop. But more specifically, a comic shop in Worcester that Masnyk frequented as a youth, That’s Entertainment. The story, described by Masnyk, is about a young man named Sean who returns home for his summer break from college. While he’s back, he returns to his old job at a local comic shop, and while he’s there, he starts to question his life and what he really wants out of it.

“The inspiration for That’s E pretty much came from where I was at in life at the time. I had just left Los Angeles, figuring it would be easier and financially smarter to make a movie back home in Massachusetts. I was playing around with other ideas that involved the store, but the one I always kept going back to was about a young adult coming home and how things have changed since he left, but he still feels like he’s in the same place as when he left. I felt like I could relate to it all too well at the time, and I figured it was something a lot of people felt when they would go away and come back home, whether that would be college, military or anything like that,” explained Masnyk, who attended the Ruskin School of Acting in Santa Monica, Calif.

“The lead character, Sean, comes back home and feels like everything has changed, and he’s trying to find his happiness,” Masnyk added. “Trying to find his way and decide whether he wants to go back to school 3,000 miles away or stay at home where happiness seems to be.”

Coming back to Massachusetts proved to be a good move for Masnyk, as it allowed him the opportunity to team up with his friend Jon Perry, who recommended fellow New England Tech student Kelly to direct. With Berke in tow, the collective film fans set out to make what is their first attempt at a feature-length film.

“Adam and I were always talking about making a feature film, and we finally got a solid good crew together to give it a go,” said Berke, who also attended the Ruskin School of Acting alongside Masnyk.

But That’s E’s crew didn’t go the 21st century route of seeking crowdfunding. Instead, they relied on favors and credit cards, making That’s E not only a labor of love, but also a labor of the wallet.

“We really just wanted to prove that we could make the movie happen; we wanted to do it our own way, and through hard work and putting a great team together, we were able to do that,” said Perry. “It was very much funded and put together, thanks to us cashing in on favors and maxed-out credit cards.”

“It was kind of difficult funding it ourselves, just because it is beyond expensive to make anything these days,” said Masnyk. “But at the end of the day, we accomplished something that I think really sets us apart from other indie filmmakers.”

A few worn out MasterCards later, the hard work and dedication of Masnyk and company have paid off in ways that can’t be bought with money.

“I wanted the story to not only be relatable, but relatable for different generations of people. That was something I really tried to make an effort to do, and it wasn’t up until Comic Con where I knew I had actually done just that,” said Masnyk of That’s E’s Boston Comic Con screening. “An older gentleman and his young son had come up to me after the screening and said ‘I just wanted to let you know that we really enjoyed your film, and I thought it was interesting that there were problems that I could relate to, as well as my son being able to relate to some, and how they connected in meshed.’ Despite all the positive experiences I’ve had with the film up until that point, that’s when I knew I had accomplished everything I had wanted to set out to do.”

Now with their first feature film under their belt, the boys of That’s E have put together their own production company – Another Theory Productions.

“In addition to that, we are starting to put together our next project, which is going to be a new take on the crime genre, and I think it’s going to be a pretty amazing concept,” said Masnyk. “We try to keep things fresh and interesting when we decide our projects, and I think it really shows.”

For more, visit facebook.com/AnotherTheoryProductions.

Photos courtesy of Masnyk