Sztanyo plays a major role in the student-produced film “Apocalypse Theory,” which can be seen at an advanced student screening from 8:30-11:30 p.m. Friday in B115 Wells Hall.

The film, which was created by alumnus Brandon Laventure and English senior Cameron Laventure, chronicles the lives of two brothers who are attending college during the weeks leading up to the predicted end of the world. Sztanyo portrays the character Ethan, who is a junior in college struggling to decide what he wants to do postgraduation.

Brandon Laventure said he and his brother chose to give students the first look at their movie because they took inspiration from MSU’s environment and those studying at the university for the film. A public premiere is scheduled to take place sometime in mid-April.

“We wrote it while we were both students here,” he said. “We wanted to give MSU students the first opportunity to see it because there’s a lot in there that students will connect with on a personal level.”

The film was shot entirely in East Lansing, with many scenes taking place on campus at locations such as Mayo Hall and various spots along the Red Cedar River. Working with a budget of about $6,000, the crew wrapped up filming — which took about 30 days — in early July 2011 and continued working on postproduction tasks until last Friday.

Both brothers said when creating their film, they wanted to illustrate a true college lifestyle rather than the fabricated versions they have seen in other movies.

“Creating that authentic college atmosphere was really important in making the film,” Cameron Laventure said.

Cameron Laventure said he and his brother used real-life experiences and individuals they encountered during their college years to help build the basis of their story.

“We went into screenwriting pulling from people we knew for the characters and from actual events that had happened to us in order to put the whole thing together,” he said. “Especially for MSU students, it’s something that’s going to feel very familiar to them.”

Sztanyo’s time at MSU is nearing an end, and he said the anxiety and uncertainty he is feeling are similar emotions to those his character Ethan experiences,.

“I was excited (because) I felt like I could relate to him, especially with not knowing exactly what you want to do after school is out,” he said. “It was easier to get in touch with this character than my previous ones.”

Although this project was a large undertaking for the siblings and their limited resources, Brandon Laventure said he believes the final product turned out much better than anticipated.

“We were expecting it to look like crap,” he said. “It’s our first feature-length film, (and) we did not have a lot of money. (But) we’re very happy with the movie that we will be showing on Friday.”