The week when we started a production studio
I've wanted to make movies since I was 13 years old.
I remember watching the "Who Will Buy?" scene from Carol Reed's 1968 production of Oliver! and realizing that was it. Making something like that was what I wanted to do with my life.
A lot has happened in the 14 years between then and now. It's been a long journey to get to this place where, for the first time, I feel like these pubescent dreams might actually become a reality.
nantico has been in the works for nearly two years. It was the promise I made to myself in 2018 when I packed up my suitcases in Los Angeles and came back home to Delaware, but it wasn't until this January that I resolved that this was the year—the year to stop planning and thinking and just start doing.
Then March happened.
We can't not talk about COVID-19
Suddenly, any hopes I had about getting involved in a production were dashed. By fall, the situation hadn't improved, and it didn't feel right or responsible to greenlight the short film I had been prepping.
Worse still, there didn't seem to be an end in sight.
It was incredibly frustrating—the world telling me "no" after I had worked so long to get to where I was able to tell myself "yes." For weeks, I brainstormed solutions; but, if Hollywood, with their big-time budgets and rapid COVID-19 tests, were struggling to get back on set—and stay there—how could I justify it?
Whatever the answer, I knew I could no longer just sit and wait. That's what I had been doing for months—years, really—and I couldn't shake the overwhelming notion that life and opportunity were passing me by.
So, as is often what happens when I'm feeling stuck, I moved. In early October, I rented an apartment in Philadelphia, and something about that brotherly-loving air inspired the solution: microshorts.
Modern problems call for modern solutions
Feature-length films, 30-minute shorts—hell, even 10-minute pieces—require large teams working closely together for days on end on set. But, what if we reverse-engineered it? The shorter the film, the shorter the production, the smaller the cast and crew and the smaller the health risk, right?
This train of thought settled into "42-Second Shorts," a series of microshort films geared towards digital distribution. With projects at just 42 seconds long each, we could:
Feasibly produce a number of short stories with only a skeleton cast and crew and bare-bones budget.
Sharpen our storytelling and production skills, preparing us for future, larger-scale productions.
Gauge the level of interest and talent for in front of and behind the camera roles in the Delaware area.
It's go-time (finally)
In the effort of jumping all in before I could convince myself otherwise, I decided we had to shoot before month's end and pulled together scripts for four microshort projects in just a few days. In mid-October, I sent casting calls to local schools and theatre programs and—by the grace of God—was able to rope in a talented, experienced friend at the last minute to round out the crew.
Finally, on Saturday, October 31, the five of us—three cast and two crew—met at my great aunt's farm in Bridgeville, Delaware, for our first shoot. It was a little chaotic, as to be expected; but, thanks to the flexibility and positive, get-it-done attitudes of this incredible group, we were able to shoot three of the four projects in a fast, five-hour day.
Looking back, I can't believe we pulled it off, and I couldn't be more grateful and appreciative for everyone who helped make it happen.
"Okay," nantico's first project—and the first film in our 42-Second Shorts series—is premiering this Friday, November 27. We'll be releasing a new 42-Second Short every Friday for the foreseeable future, so be on the lookout.
It's been a long time coming, and I couldn't be more stoked to see nantico take off. If you're in the Delaware area and would like to be involved in future projects—we'll be back on set in December—keep your eye on our casting calls page and submit your information to our Open Talent Call Questionnaire.
In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy the premiere of "Okay" on Friday, and please get in touch if you'd like to be involved in this little independent filmmaking venture in Delaware.
- J