CEDAR FALLS - Tim Clark may soon be getting a little career help from two guys named Ben Affleck and Matt Damon - not that he needs it.

Clark, a 1993 graduate of Northern University High School, recently found out he was named one of the top 10 finalists in the director competition of Project Greenlight, a contest launched in part by Affleck and Damon to give young screenwriters and directors a shot at the big time in Hollywood. On Tuesday, he discovers whether he's made the top three.

Clark has been living and working in Los Angeles for a few years and is currently working on a major motion picture as an assistant to the producer. His past work has been on films including "Old School," "Envy," "Cheaper by the Dozen" and "Dodgeball," currently in theaters. But his start in the business came on some lesser-known films.

"I made my first feature film in high school. It was called 'Revenge of the Flying Beaver,'" said Clark. "It had it's premiere on cable access. They were the ones that got me moving."

As one of thousands of entrants, Clark was required to submit a three-minute piece of his work. He chose a clip from a short titled "Nightfall," about three World War II soldiers stranded in an empty farm house. Clark then received notification he was one of the top 250 entrants, and after a short video explaining why he should be chosen as a director, he made the top 50.

Clarks says the real fun began with a phone call from Ben Affleck and the notification that Clark had been made one of the top 10 finalists. The next step was the top three, and the requirement was a challenging one.

"Everyone takes the same script, but it's very vague. It's just dialogue," says Clark. "And then you have to make up how many locations and what the characters are. You'll see 10 films with the same dialogue but everything in between is completely different."

If he makes it to the final three, Clark will sit down for a personal interview with Damon, Affleck and other panelists.

"I've watched the other (films), and there are some really good films in there. Whoever goes into the top three it's going to be tight," said Clark. "I have no idea if I were to make it what would happen at that point."

If he goes on to win the director contest of Project Greenlight, he will team up with the winner of the screenwriter competition to make a film in this year's horror/thriller genre.

"I would go right into making the film, and my number one goal would be to make the best film I can. If it goes and becomes a success, then who really knows," he said. "Some doors have already started opening, and at the same time, it's been a long process, one I've been working on for my entire life."

Clark says the support he's received through the years from former classmates to current crew members has been vital to his success. Clark's friend, Forrest Roberts, who had a starring role in Clark's 'Beaver' saga, is rooting for his friend and encouraging people to go the Project Greenlight Web site and vote for Clark's entry. The final decision is made by a panel of judges, but they take scores into account. At press time, Clark was in the No. 2 spot with 18 percent of the vote.

"In high school, this guy was always making films and roping us into making films with him. He took it very seriously," said Roberts.

Hometown friends aren't the only ones supporting Clark in the competition. When he received Affleck's phone call, Clark says a cheer went up from the rest of the crew.

"The crew have been the biggest cheerleaders, even when I first got the e-mail for the top 250 in March," said Clark. "My boss has been the No. 1 fan as far as allowing flexibility. There's no way I ever would have been able to pull it off without a lot of people helping out."

Win or lose Project Greenlight, Roberts said his friend already has gone above and beyond expectation.

"In high school he was always saying, 'I want to make movies,' and the rest of us thought, 'Yeah, whatever.' He's employed and working in Hollywood. I think it's safe to say we never thought he'd make it this far," said Roberts.

For more information on Project Greenlight or to vote for Clark's clip, go to www.projectgreenlight.com.