Director Statement

I was anxious to write a project for some of the very gifted actors I had worked with on a stage production at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, mostly recent graduates of the relatively new USC MFA Acting program, which is churning out some amazing talent. When one of them told me the story of his New York apartment being robbed, it inspired a kind of “tall tale” based on that idea.

Cynthia Webster read the script and was immediately excited about producing it. As a cinematographer, she had won two Emmy’s, so when she agreed to be the DP, it was a perfect scenario for me, as a first-time film director.

Since she owned her own studio, we were able to have many rehearsals over a period of weeks, on the set, and find the characters, in the way you would direct a play.

My philosophy is to cast the right people, and stay out of their way. When I first started directing on stage, I was a control freak. Now I try to tweak delicately and only when necessary. The state an actor is in, when he or she is acting well, is vulnerable. I believe great actors will eventually find their way, if given a safe space and a morsel of guidance, but that journey is largely an internal one.

It DOES take a village to create a film. This is the crew who worked so tirelessly on the project.

Production Design by                                                Daryl Hoss

Edited by                                                                        Christopher Alexander

Production Manager                                                            Louise Liebi

First Assistant Director                                                Jesse Pyatt

Director of Photography                                                Cynthia Webster

Sound Recordist                                                             Marty Kasparian

Art Director                                                                        Daryl Hoss

Set Decorator                                                                        Liz Stewart

Art Department                                                            Paul Meixner

Camera Operator                                                            Ira Edelman

Camera Assistant                                                            Richard Duryea

Still Photography                                                             Dahlen Netsch

Gaffer                                                                                    Brian Sorbo

Key Grip                                                                        Luigi Cortez

Electrician                                                                        Josh Willis

Costumer                                                                        Brooke Gerson

Make-up and Hair                                                            Skyla Z Swafford

Make-up and Hair                                                            Cat Elrod

Original Music by                                                            Charles Pelletier

Publicity Design                                                            Dahlen Netsch

Publicity Design                                                            Karen Shoaff

Visual Effects Supervisor                                                Chris Simmons

Composite Artist                                                            Karen Shoaff

Production Accountant                                                 Louise Liebi