Category: indie filmmaker

Beyond & Above Goes Above & Beyond

My dramatic holiday comedy of romance short film, which mixes a bit of Theatre of the Absurd with indirect social commentary about anti-harassment training, has had 11 screenings and/or awards so far. The performances by my lead actors Lisa Barnes and Denisse Estefany Mendoza are excellent. They grew on me even more over the many hours I had watching moments again and again during the editing process.

I also want to thank my D.P./Sound Recorder Adam Torkel, Line Producer Mel House, Sound Mixer Adrian Bosi, and Producing Partner Aimee Todoroff. It was so nice to have such an easy shoot. You can see more about the film here: https://filmfreeway.com/BeyondandAbove.

The Big Pivot Makes the Rounds

My first short film had a good amount of beginner’s luck. It was adapted from a Second City sketch titled “Forum (a.k.a. Careers)” from “Take Me Out to the Balkans” by Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello, Steve Carell, David Razowsky, Ruth Rudnick, Fran Adams, and Amy Sedaris. It was my first big assignment at Second City Film School.

My wonderful actors, Lisa Barnes, Jeanne Lauren Smith, Heather Carlson, and Jimmy Pope, did their performances remotely. In fact, most of this was recorded over Zoom. I think it is a good time capsule of where we were as we broke out of our isolation as the Covid-19 pandemic receded.