Bridgehampton Killer Bees Doc Starts Filming

Having gained the approval of the Bridgehampton School administration to proceed with making a documentary about the school’s Killer Bees basketball team, Orson and Ben Cummings are in the midst of their first full week of filming.

On Monday, the two brothers from Bridgehampton, along with Lois Favre, the district’s superintendent, met with a group of parents to explain the project and the process and to collect waiver forms allowing children to be filmed. They stressed that the filming will not negatively impact the school.

“We want to be a light footprint — be present without being a bother,” Orson Cummings said.

“It’s my job to make sure the educational process is not disrupted,” Ms. Favre added. “So far, they have been great to work with.”

The Killer Bees documentary will tell the story of the Bridgehampton School, the community at large, and a number of related social and economic issues through the lens of the basketball team as it attempts to defend the Class D state championship it won in March. The Cummings brothers will have interns from the school working with them, and they will get in touch with alumni for interviews and input. The school administration will also have an opportunity to provide suggestions along the way.

A handful of parents at Monday’s meeting appeared to be cautiously optimistic about the film even as they said their children are downright thrilled to be part of it. Bastienne Schmidt, whose son, Max Cheng, is a junior who plays on the basketball team, said her son is excited, while she is curious. She said she hopes the documentary captures the history of the school.

“There is definitely a wonderful team spirit that is unique because it is a small school,” Ms. Schmidt said.

Leanne Hostetter, whose son, Matthew Hostetter, is a senior on the team, said the idea of the documentary made her emotional. She herself is a Bridgehampton School alumna. Ms. Hostetter suggested that “there’s going to be a lot of pressure, but they seem to handle it when they need to.”

“For a small school, it’s a big thing to get some recognition,” she said.

The Cummings brothers pitched their idea to the Bridgehampton School Board in early October. They are the writers and producers of the feature film “If I Didn’t Care,” which was given the new title “Blue Blood” upon its international release. They have also completed a psychological thriller, “Pacific Standard Time,” and are working on a political drama based on a book by their father, the late Richard Cummings.

One of the challenges is that “it takes a little time for everyone to be comfortable” with the filming, Orson Cummings said. But, he said, “with some time and some trust, they’ll do their thing, and we’ll see the authentic version of what it’s like to go to school here and live here.”