by John Woosley
In August 2005, University of Kansas Freshman John Woosley picked up a copy of Gaston Leroux's book The Phantom of the Opera and decided he was going to make the first truly faithful film adaptation. It was going to be feature length, done while in college, and for $20,000. Four years later, Woosley released the film Angel of Music. Between those two moments, Woosley faced constant struggles from cast, crew, students, and teachers, but was able to overcome them all to make an original film that would leave a lasting impression on the Phantom mythology. For anyone who has ever been told you can't do something, Woosley shows that in the end, persistence does indeed pay off.