Short Films
We shot “Affliction” back in August and cannot wait to premiere it at Queens World Film Festival next month. In the meantime, check out the teaser trailer. And find out more about the film in our BTS post.
We’re so excited to have the world premiere of our short “Affliction” at our favorite local festival, Queens World Film Festival! Details soon. We hope you can join us!
UPDATE:
"Affliction" was meant to premiere on March 28th as part of Queens World Film Festival, but the festival ended up happening virtually with all films up for 10 days. It was rushed and had some shortcomings (no Q&A, for instance), but we're thankful that the festival directors where able to pull pivoting online off last minute instead of canceling as other March festivals have done. Our film had 217 views and got some great reactions on social media.
I just returned from Brattleboro, Vermont, where “The Gaze” screened at the 5th annual Ax Wound Film Festival. This was my 4th time at the festival. I wrote about how much I love the festival in past recaps from 2016 and 2017, so I’ll keep this one brief.
Ax Wound isn’t a big buzzy festival, but it is definitely one to aspire to be part of because of its heart. Like I stated in my Horrible Imaginings recap, where Miguel’s warmth is what makes that festival stand out, I feel the same about this fest because of festival director Hannah Neurotica (founder of Women in Horror Month). Her kindness sets the tone for the screening event. There’s something so sincere and special about the way she treats filmmakers and gets genuinely excited about the work we’ve made. And the intimate atmosphere she creates makes you really feel part of something bigger than just showing up for a screening; it leads to really nuanced discussions about the craft of filmmaking and our individual artistic intentions. It’s also one of the few times I’m on a stage with a group of filmmakers and get to just represent myself instead of feeling like I have to speak for all woman-identifying directors.
As for this specific year’s festival, it was especially great because I again attended with my mom. Any time I get to spend with her is always a joy. And I got to be reunited with a few filmmaker friends I met at past years at Ax Wound (including Julia Berkey, who was a grip for “The Gaze” and there with her own short), while making a handful of new friends too. The festival was overall well attended, with the early morning and late night screenings pulling in around 30-35, and the rest of the blocks through the day (including ours) hitting nearly 50 people in attendance. The Q&As were timed well and gave everyone a chance to speak, with space to really dissect the creative process. There were rich conversations that spanned themes and processing trauma to practical tips for special effects and working with collaborators. It was a lovely time and one I hope to have again next year.
Also, they have the best swag bags around, no contest. Thanks to all the sponsors who make that possible! And thanks to Hannah, Ashlee Blackwell of Graveyard Shift Sisters and the volunteer team for another wonderful experience screening my work.
Local Vegan Treat:
Superfresh! Organic Cafe has some tasty vegan desserts, including a chocolate vanilla pie that we enjoyed a slice of!
Catch the film next at:
This was it for 2019 screenings. We hear about the remainder of our run through the Spring in early 2020.
This past Sunday we shot our newest film, "Shadows,” a super short horror film that explores living with trauma.
Logline: a young man finds himself being tormented by a supernatural entity while alone in his house.
The idea for the short was born out of a conversation that I had with Christina and Kelsey, where the discussion somehow segued into me opening up about a certain incident in my life. I later found myself mulling over this traumatic experience again, but from a different perspective. I thought it’d be not only artistically gratifying, but genuinely therapeutic to unpack and explore this experience through genre. That’s when I decided that I was going to write a supernatural horror about this subject matter. Before that conversation had taken place, I hadn’t opened up about this matter to anyone. I brought it up to my mother on the day it happened, but brushed it under the rug and repressed the memory. It was fascinating to revisit this experience, and, when talking to Christina, realized that you don’t see these kinds of stories told often in narrative film from the lens of boys and young men. It felt important to tell my story, even if it wasn’t in an overt fashion where the social issue is obvious. I also liked the idea of telling a story that, if one chose to look into it, would understand the themes being presented… but that someone could also enjoy as a straight up horror.
When we decided to shoot it, Christina came up with the fantastic and ambitious idea to shoot two of our shorts over one weekend. Check out her BTS post on “Game Brunch!” It was such a great two days for me, working first as a Scripty on Christina’s film, which was packed with dialogue and hilarious performances, to directing my dramatic horror that had very minimal dialogue. Thanks to an amazing cast and crew, we made both of our days and saved a heck of a lot of money in the process!
See behind the scenes:
Check out a couple stills from our footage:
Thank you to:
Peter Westervelt, for having the creative fortitude and just literally the physical stamina to take on being a cinematographer for two very different projects over the span of just one weekend. His genuine care and input was everything.
Christina, for being the best damn producer and friend there is. I would not have made the film without her continuous support, direction and friendship.
Erin Clayton, for literally taking on the position of AD last minute when we had complications with scheduling. She was super attentive and also slated every shot!
Vivian Pullan, for being a fantastic gaffer, not only lighting our scenes but also helping us pull off our practical effects!
Matt Gershowitz, for helping us troubleshoot our effects and being a part of this story as he will also be editing the piece!
Kelsey, for partaking in an impromptu photo shoot with my actor when I realized I wanted photos to be part of the decor.
Marlene, Christina’s mom, who has been an asset to literally every single project we’ve made. She provides the food, helps transport equipment and even picked up two of the props I needed for my film.
My mom, for always supporting me, and this film in particular, as she knows it is a portrayal of the hard times we have been through and still wanted me to make it.
Christina Remley, for pulling focus like a champ during all the more complicated shots in tight spaces (we were literally under a desk together at one point) and having such a great attitude and work ethic!
Irina Chernikina for recording sound, and with whom I can’t wait to sit in with and look through hundreds of sounds for the film!
And, of course, my wonderful actor, Daniel Strausman. He was such a light on set. It was a pleasure to work with someone so thoughtful and curious. We talked a lot about both of our lives and he really connected to what the story was about at its core.
I couldn’t have done it without their collaboration. Now it’s off to post! Stay tuned for details.
-Ryan
Over the weekend, we shot my new short, "Game Brunch.”
Logline: More than eating is in store when a couple invites friends over for a Sunday brunch.
It’s in the tonal world of Clue, one of my favorite movies from childhood. And like that movie, I’m not sure if it’d be considered a genre film. For a while I was referring to it as a horror farce, but that isn’t quite accurate because it’s not exactly a horror film, and that combo label doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Some other fun descriptors we played with are fantastical farce, spooky spoof, and paranormal parody , though all don’t quite fit either. I’d say at the end of the day, Dani Thomas, one of the actors in the film, nailed it by calling it a comedy-of-errors. Maybe I’ll start referring to it as a comedy of errors with a genre layer. In any case, I kind of love that it’s so uniquely hard to put in a box, though that does make my festival strategy a bit hard to plan (a challenge for another day).
“Game Brunch,” like most of our recent projects, came out of our weekly writing group, where Kelsey, Ryan and I (and sometimes other CongestedCat collaborators) encourage each other to come in with new pages or pitches every time we meet up. After working on some darker projects, I wanted to jump into something light-hearted with actors I've loved working with in the past or have wanted to work with for a while. I sat down one evening and tried to come up with an idea that could be shot in my apartment (but in a way it hadn’t been used before) and could work as a short ensemble piece. I made a list of actors I like and started thinking about how I could pair them up. I recalled a game night I hosted years ago and found myself chuckling at the notion of revolving an entire film around one specific word (which I can’t reveal — you’ll have to watch the film when it’s done). I just started writing and an hour later I had an absurd 15-page script. When I sent it out to Kelsey, Ryan and some other trusted writers to read, I said that it’s a super silly Mel Brooks meets Edgar Wright kinda thing and asked them to let me know if it’s not too ridiculous to keep working on. Everyone got a kick out of it and really encouraged me to revise the script & direct it. A couple even said “please make it!” It was exciting to see such a positive response to it, especially from the actors I had in mind, once I eventually shared it with them. They all eagerly accepted the roles. I think they, like me, needed a break from the overwhelming amount of things to be outraged about in the world and loved the idea of just focusing on making something fun. And what fun it was to make!
Since Ryan had also written a new horror short that we were talking about making (check out his BTS post of “Shadows”), I pitched the idea of getting the most out of a weekend equipment rental rate by shooting both films back to back, Friday through Sunday. And so, we spent Friday and Saturday shooting “Game Brunch.” There isn’t too much to say about the days other than that they were truly a blast. The cast brought the characters to life wonderfully and everything went smoothly on set thanks to our phenomenal crew. I’ll shout everyone out at the bottom of this post. But first, see behind the scenes:
And check out a few stills from our footage:
Thank you to:
Justin, Addie & Vic, my husband and cats, for putting up with yet another film production in our apartment.
My amazing mom, Marlene, for catering & driving to pick up & drop off gear.
Peter Westervelt, for being the best cinematographer & collaborator. Seriously, we had limited daylight both days, and day 2 alone had 34 shots to get through, nearly all of which were full run-throughs of nearly 10 pages. And we pulled it all off in 2 10-hour days without needing to cut any shots largely thanks to Peter’s ingenuity.
Matt Gershowitz, our always dependable AD & excellent Editor who sets the jovial tone on set.
Kelsey, for advising on the script early on and wearing multiple hats as script supervisor, bts photographer and set dresser when needed.
Ryan, for advising on the script early on, including pushing me to really up the absurd during the climax, and for taking thoughtful notes as script supervisor on day 2.
Vivian Pullan for doing an awesome job with lighting to keep us moving quickly through the day.
Henry Hodges & Christina Remley for pulling focus like champs through non-stop handheld set-ups.
Irina Chernikina for recording sound so thoughtfully, especially with so many actors and new set-ups to be on top of.
Photographer Amanda Blount, who donated one of her beautiful photographs for set dressing.
Filmmaker Sean Mannion for loaning his follow focus.
Nathan DeCoux of Gotham Armory for doing beautiful & speedy work on my last minute order of a custom prop chef’s knife. (And filmmaker Cary Patrick Martin for the recommendation.)
And, of course, our absolutely fantastic cast: Ricardo Manigat, Ricki Lynée, Dani Thomas (who also offered early script feedback), Alexander Alvarez, Miranda LeeAnn, and Jen Bendick.
Couldn’t have done it without any of them. Now on to post! Stay tuned for updates.
