The Distinguished (2015) Online
After convincing his overbearing mother to send him to high school, David tries to fit in with the normal world, but he is not normal at all. He has telekinetic powers that allow him to levitate objects, read people's minds, and defy gravity. He begins to meet new people including a girl named Amy who feels as if there's something different from him. He also encounters a football player named Toby who wants David out of the equation. While he tries to fit in, he starts to learn about his powers, how far he can go with them, and how he got them, but accidents begin to occur.
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
 | Samuel McLaughlin | - | David |
| Clare Heller | - | Amy |
| Aidan Everly | - | Toby |
| Marusia Griffin Lynn | - | David's Mother |
| Michael Almeida | - | Kris |
| R.J. Casey | - | Friend #1 |
| Andrew Snyder | - | Friend #2 |
| Gia-Imani Martinez | - | Lab Partner / Extra |
| Matthew Duff | - | Football Player |
| Jared Johns-Lupold | - | Football Player |
| Michael Ronca | - | Football Player / Extra |
| David DeBias | - | Football Player |
| Jake Hamill | - | Football Player |
| Andrew Salvo | - | Football Player |
| Matthew DeLaurentis | - | Football Player |
Although the film was shot over five months, the film took about fourteen days to shoot in total.
When the film was in preproduction, William Martinko and Samuel McLaughlin discussed the name of his character. The two ultimately decided on David because Sam's favorite music artist was David Bowie. In the film, Samuel McLaughlin can be seen wearing a David Bowie t-shirt.
The argument between Samuel McLaughlin and Marusia Griffin Lynn towards the end of the film was the last scene written in the script after many drafts.
In the argument scene towards the end of the film, Marusia Griffin Lynn is seen reading City of Bones. This is the director's favorite book.
A School of the Dead (2014) poster can be seen hanging on the wall in David's bedroom.
Aidan Everly named his character after Toby Keith who is his favorite country singer.
Michael Almeida has his character named after American Idol winner, Kris Allen. He is one of the director's favorite musicians.
This is the third film that William Martinko has worked with Clare Heller on.
The film was shot on three cameras. The film was mainly shot on the Canon EOS C100 and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. The quarter was shot separately with the Canon EOS Rebel T3i.
The quarter spinning in the film was created through stop motion.