The average budget of a studio picture is $65 million. The average budget of an independent film is around $3 million.

So what does it take to make a full-length movie with a whisper-thin budget of $1,000?

It takes a village.

Or, in this case, the Westmoreland County borough of Mount Pleasant, population around 4,400.

"Mars Attacks Mt. Pleasant," which will premiere June 19 at Mount Pleasant's Geyer Performing Arts Center, was shot mostly in the town itself and in nearby Scottdale.

When local residents see the film, they can take pride in that virtually all of the 100 cast members, 20 crew members and 300 extras are from Mount Pleasant or the surrounding area -- and all worked for free.

The June 19 premiere will have limited seating for the public, but the film also will be shown June 20-22 and 26-29 at the Geyer.

Writer and director Roger Marsh said the movie wouldn't have been made without the generosity of local people.

"Anything I asked for, anything I needed, people were lining up to help me," he said. "Almost everything was donated by local businesses or borrowed for the shoot," which took place during two weeks last June.

He said the film, a comedy based on the B movies of the 1950s, documents the chaos that erupts in a small town when an attention-seeking couple, Sam and Donna Steele, start rumors that run out of control.

"It's sort of a spoof on the media," Mr. Marsh said.

But how did Mars come to attack Mount Pleasant, rather than suburban Chicago, where Mr. Marsh lives and where he originally scouted locations?

Part of the answer lies in the name of his production company: Tremont Avenue Productions.

"I lived at 111 Tremont Ave. in Greensburg until I was 9," said Mr. Marsh, who is a graduate of Greater Latrobe High School.

While visiting relatives in the Greensburg area, he heard about a Mount Pleasant hotel rumored to be haunted: the R&R Station on Main Street, owned by Sherry and Ray Wingrove.

A fan of the paranormal, Mr. Marsh seized the chance to make a short, documentary-style film about the hotel, "Haunted R&R Station." He remembered that experience while looking for a place to film this latest movie.

"I thought about how Mount Pleasant had treated me," he said. "So I started calling around to see if I could film there and everyone said, 'Come on in.' "

That includes Mount Pleasant Mayor Jerry Lucia, who supervised road closings and police and fire assistance for the movie as well as acting the part of the police chief in "Mars Attacks Mt. Pleasant."

"I figured any movie produced in Mount Pleasant is good for the whole town," he said.

Other local figures who contributed to the film include Gregory Ruffo, of Ruffo's Limousine service in Youngwood, who loaned a limousine for the film and will transport the show's stars to opening night; Scottdale resident Steve Hawk, whose band, Forgotten Nobody, is featured in the film; and Ron Struble, a spokesman for the Kecksburg Volunteer Fire Department, who arranged to loan a vintage 1949 fire engine and some firefighters.

Mr. Marsh said he wanted a Kecksburg engine for "Mars Attacks Mount Pleasant" because Kecksburg volunteer firefighters were among the first responders to the celebrated 1965 Kecksburg UFO incident, in which some local residents said an object had crashed in the woods nearby and was whisked away by the Army.

Phillip Haddad and Kat Post, of Scottdale, play Sam and Donna Steele. Ms. Post is the education director at the Geyer Performing Arts Center, and she and Mr. Haddad have acted in several productions there. But, according to Mr. Haddad, neither expected more than a small role in the film.

"We were really excited to get the leads," he said, adding that other titles were added later to his credits for the film. "With a budget this small, you take out the garbage and suddenly you're 'assistant to the director.' "

Mr. Haddad's interest in politics resulted in another collaboration with Mr. Marsh, who has a background in publishing. It is the paperback "Ron Paul Speaks," a collection of quotes from that presidential candidate.

Rounding out the lead roles are Deborah Franzen of Sewickley, as Donna's friend, Doris; Greensburg resident Jack Simon as neighbor Roland Bennett; and Point Park University student Alex Etling as hotel owner Daryl Space.

Mr. Etling, a 2006 graduate of Greensburg Salem High School, said although the 18-hour days were sometimes rough, making the film was a good experience.

"It was cool to see everyone come together," he said, especially during the big crowd scenes filmed in downtown Mount Pleasant. "It was very much a community project."

Not everyone had such a positive experience. Mr. Wingrove, of R&R Station, said feeding and housing some of the cast and crew turned out to be more expensive than he'd estimated.

"It was fun for a while," he said. "Then it wasn't. I probably wouldn't do it again."

But, he said, he and Mrs. Wingrove may go to see the film, in which their establishment figures prominently.

Mr. Marsh said he's looking forward to the red-carpet premiere of the movie and hopes that members of the community enjoy the results of their hard work.

He also will have another short film, "The Legend of Lillian Peacock," premiere at the Geyer later this year

And, Mr. Marsh is considering another big move: possibly relocating his family to the area.

"I grew up here, I know it's a great place," he said of Westmoreland County. "And there's just so much talent around here."

For more information, call 724-887-0887 or go to www.geyer pac.com.