THE BIRD COLLECTIVE
The Bird Collective was an artists’ collective that I formed with the goal of creating one new short film every month. During my year of involvement we didn’t quite achieve that goal, but we did make seven unique projects spanning comedic, dramatic, thriller, and action genres. The collective was formed as a way to constantly work on acting, directing, producing and making films according to a democratic voting process.
The members all came from a well-known acting studio that I was a part of for a year. It was as simple as sending an email, meeting to talk about the goals of the group, and having everyone submit a script under ten pages. We were shooting a short film within a couple of weeks.
The results varied and we didn’t always agree on important decisions, but it was a truly collaborative process that was a fantastic education in making short films from conception to completion.
HOT BOX
Directed by: Carr Cavender
This piece, originally titled “I’ll Never Tell,” was something of an homage to the things I like about foreign films: multiple languages, gritty action sequences, a little skin, and some art. While the final piece is quite different from the original script, we learned a lot and had a blast shooting this.
This film was an official selection of the NYC Chain Film Festival and the Action on Film Festival.
THE HEATHER FILES
Directed by: Patrick Daniel
This was the first film we made, and I love the look of it. Aaron Proctor was our cinematographer on this and eventually two more Bird Collective films. I produced and provided craft services for this shoot, and the director, Patrick, and I shared a really great couple of drinks at the end of the day.
This film was an official selection at the SHORTSNONSTOP film festival.
DIAPAUSE
Directed by: Carr Cavender
I wrote this script in November of 2012 for a couple of actors in my scene study class at the Carter Thor Studio. While it wasn’t exactly autobiographical, there are certainly elements of reality coming through after being in a long-term relationship. This is the first time my material was in other hands, and was an interesting lesson in how to avoid being overly precious. This is a process I am still trying to improve.
This film was an official selection of the Other Venice Film Festival and the London City Film Festival. It also received an Honorable Mention for Best Script.
POOR JOEY
Directed by: Thomas Faustin Huisking
I wanted this piece to look like the panels in Calvin and Hobbes where he imagines himself as an adult or superhero. To that end, I worked with Aaron Proctor using heavy cyan and straw lighting to achieve a very stylized lighting effect.
We shot fifty-three set ups in eleven hours and fifty-nine minutes, and I had storyboarded just about every frame.
This was my first stab at directing, and while quite flawed, it was a whole lot of fun.
BART SEVEN IS OFFLINE
Directed by: Kristine Kelly May
I’ve been intrigued for some time by the idea of a woman cuckolding her husband with a cyborg. My love for the McGuffin is on display here as is Kristine May’s interpretation of the duality Sasha must live with. I believe this was our first time shooting with two cameras rolling at the same time, allowing for some interesting editing options.