its yearly peak.

It was a night when multiple shootings claimed the lives of several children — which got him thinking how, as an artist and filmmaker, he could make a difference.

By 4 a.m. the next morning, he had finished the script from his home in Wheaton.

The film's crew cast five boys for the role of "The Painter," each playing a different part of the boy's body over the course of the film.

One kid from Altgeld Gardens, Tavontay Loggins, plays the painter's hands in several scenes, for example. Ron Caldwell, 13, is the face of the painter.

Producers of the film said they chose 10-year-old Tavontay because of his distinct walk and hand gestures.

"They had me stand in certain places and do what I had to do to get itright," Tavontay said. "I've never seen Chicago [the way it's portrayed in the film], but I it's think it's sad that the boy lives in a neighborhood where a lot of people die everyday."

"It was very fun," he said. "My mom was really happy and excited to see me on the set."

Caldwell, the main actor of "boy" in the film, lives in North Carolina and has been acting since he was 5 years old, most recently in the movie "Flight," starring Denzel Washington.

"I think about what's happening here," he said, regarding the violence plaguing Chicago's youth. "It hurts to see kids with no place to express themselves, so I'm glad to be a part of something that helps bring awareness."

"But who wouldn't be glad for that?" he added.

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