KINGSTON — Kingston High School seniors Nick Woltersdorf and Conner Erickson have spent the last year producing a feature-length, coming-of-age movie called “More Than a Feeling,” following teenagers in the final days of their final high school summer break.

Erickson said the teenagers, in several different social groups, “each have different ideas of how they can make the most of these last three days.”

Woltersdorf said, “We tried to incorporate the themes of freedom, friendship and coming of age.”

The pair said it was something they could easily relate to, as the summer they spent filming the movie was their final high school summer break, and came about when they decided they needed something to do throughout the summer.

“We went from the point of, I actually wasn’t sure if we’d get anything off the ground, to being almost done,” Erickson said. “It’s exciting.”

The film, titled “More Than a Feeling,” included about 30 speaking roles and 15-20 crew member roles, each filled with the pair’s friends and peers. The movie was filmed entirely in Kitsap County, mostly in the north end, and will be shown at Kingston’s Firehouse Theater at 9 p.m. May 24, for a $5 donation per ticket.

The proceeds will be given to the theater.

“It’s sort of hard for independent movie theaters to survive nowadays,” Erickson said, “and the Kingston community is really supportive of the Firehouse Theater, and this is sort of just our own little part of what we’re doing.”

Firehouse Theater is owned by Craig Smith, who coaches the high school soccer team and gives money to the school. Erickson said Smith also offers movie discounts to students and the military.

“Those things aren’t required, but he does them,” Erickson said. “This is just sort of our way of giving back, I suppose.”

Erickson and Woltersdorf shared responsibilities throughout the production, from writing the script to editing the film together, but they agreed that Erickson was officially the producer and Woltersdorf, the director.

“I learned a lot about working with people,” Erickson said about his experience. “Just having to contact so many individuals, asking them to film on location, having to contact high schoolers — it made me very comfortable seeking people out, having to talk to them, which is something that high schoolers nowadays, I don’t think get a lot of chances to experience.”

This is Erickson’s first feature-length film, after falling into video class last school year, he said. He added that film was a passion of his, which he plans to one day pursue.

Woltersdorf produced a feature-length zombie movie in 2013, which also premiered at the Firehouse Theater.

From left, Nick Woltersdorf and Conner Erickson produced a movie, “More Than a Feeling,” which premiered at the Firehouse Theater May 24. Photo: Michelle Beahm

“This is the first project of this magnitude that me and Conner have done together,” Woltersdorf said, “and I think that this one really blows the other one I did back then out of the water.”

He added that directing “More Than a Feeling” helped him learn “a lot about leading people, too.”

The pair experienced myriad difficulties, from failing boom mikes to hard drives crashing, and even last minute rewrites the night before filming a major scene.

“My most enjoyable part was when we finished filming,” Woltersdorf said. “I thought that was pretty awesome.”

Woltersdorf also enjoyed watching the actors perform; he said he was “very impressed by not only the actors’ abilities to deliver the lines, but to go above and beyond and actually throw some of their own stuff in there.”

Erickson said, “Also incredibly satisfying is taking the footage and putting it on the computer and piecing it together and seeing the product, because it’s been such a long process.”

Both of them gave a lot of credit to their actors, fellow high school students who “made a lot of sacrifices,” Woltersdorf said, throughout the summer to help complete the project, including calling out of work and missing family events on occasion.

Now, Erickson said, “A lot of the actors, I can’t believe how excited they are for this to premiere.”

The actors are even dressing up as if it were a Hollywood movie premiere.

“I’m really happy that it’s creating a buzz in the senior class, with the people involved, that they’re so interested in this,” Erickson said.

Woltersdorf added, “Even the community, too. I think its awesome that people are asking about it.”

“If you’re not doing anything on May 24 at 9 p.m.,” Woltersdorf went on, “come to the Firehouse Theater. Admission is $5. It’s going to be cool.”