Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: There was, like, a period of, like, two years where I was, like, obsessed with making features. I don't quite know what pulled me out of that. I think maybe it was like a video before Baby, but Baby was definitely the one where I. I was like, oh, I like doing something shorter. You know, it felt like I was finally, like, freeing myself from that. That restraint. And on some level, I do think I do feel very lucky that I got the feature itch, like, out of my system, because I think that is something that, you know, every filmmaker is thinking about is like, that's what I got to do. That's what I have to do.
And I. I'm, like, thankful that it's, like, kind of out of my system, even though, you know, I. That's. That is the goal, making a feature that you see, there's no rush.
[00:00:50] Speaker B: You don't feel like a rush of, like, I have to do this by.
[00:00:52] Speaker C: The time you freed yourself of that, which is very, very interesting.
Welcome to the 5050 podcast, where we've made it our mission to nurture and empower the next generation of industry talent. Through this podcast, we expand the reach of the 5050 film festival by giving an exclusive peek behind the curtain into the creative and business sides of the entertainment industry. We sit down with folks from all corners of the biz, garnering educational insight into process, production, and execution. This week, we chop it up with 5050 alum Jacob Stoudenmaier, who outlines how maintaining consistent output volume and character specificity resonates with audiences. And we're sure you're wondering, did Emma Stone say yes?
Tune in to find out.
[00:01:46] Speaker A: This is like every job interview I've ever had.
[00:01:49] Speaker B: This really is. It is. It's so, you know, I mean, job interviews are such an interesting. Do you have a job? Are you. Do you have, like, a day job?
[00:01:57] Speaker A: I'm doing freelance right now, but I am on that constant prowl for, you know, the one. The. The one. Yeah. I. I've had some.
Some run ins with stuff like that, and every time I don't get it, I'm like, oh, it wasn't meant to be.
Right?
So that's a good. I guess, a good way to look at it.
[00:02:18] Speaker C: I think the worst part of the job process to me is not finding out that you didn't get it. It's the moment after you interviewed those weeks where you're just waiting and picturing your life.
[00:02:31] Speaker A: What.
[00:02:31] Speaker C: What would it be like going into that office every day? Like, what. What's parking like? Like, you really start Thinking about.
[00:02:37] Speaker A: Yeah, you working there, about your life there and you live, you live the whole cycle.
[00:02:43] Speaker C: I know exactly. You like. Yeah.
[00:02:45] Speaker A: And then it dies.
[00:02:47] Speaker B: So with taking back to the freelance stuff really fast before we like really dive in here, just, we have some sort of a compass of sorts.
Directing is like, you wanna, that's your goal right now. You want to be a director? Is that like, I mean, you obviously are directing. Do you like, what, what is the, the long term goal, I guess I should say, and then we can.
[00:03:05] Speaker A: Yeah, I think that's like the easiest thing to say because I, I've found it's like, it is difficult to be like, I want to do this, I want to do that, I want to do that. Because I, I think sometimes people just want to hear like a direction is. I. Yeah, I love directing.
I love the act of like sort of steering the ship.
But I, I also really have like, I love acting, I love editing, I love writing. So it's, it's one of those things where it's like, damn, I wish I could just like box myself in. But I find myself getting drawn to a lot of different mediums.
[00:03:44] Speaker B: Dude, I, I saw the, the chin.
[00:03:47] Speaker C: Oh my God.
[00:03:48] Speaker B: Like, I'm not even kidding. I was. First of all, I didn't realize I was you until like halfway through. So it's like a, it's like a four minute video, right? And it's like, yeah, again, I would not, I would like, I, I would not watch all of a four minute video on Instagram. And I watched the entirety of that.
[00:04:06] Speaker A: I'm not kidding that I put, I put like five minute videos on my YouTube.
[00:04:11] Speaker C: That is very, that is very stupid.
[00:04:13] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm not really into this short form content guys.
[00:04:17] Speaker B: But, but what I'm getting at though is like I was blown away with your performance of like, oh, this kid's an actor. Like, this guy can act well.
[00:04:25] Speaker A: Thank you. Yeah, I mean, I, I didn't really ever come into film with that intention. I mean I, in fact, I grew up like, I was very shy when I was younger.
I liked drawing and painting and kind of like writing quietly off to the side. And I think I was in one community theater thing or maybe like a handful of them. I remember in Alice in Wonderland I was like Tweedledee or Tweedledum who have like four lines. And I was like, that's enough for me. I don't really like this side of the, the, the art, I guess.
And then in college, for one reason or another, I took a like intro acting Class. I had this, like, great teacher, and it just clicked that I was like, oh, this could be a lot of fun. And also very convenient sometimes. You know, instead of having to look for the perfect actor, you're like, I could just put myself in it. And, and you kind of know what you do best. So it's nice, it's convenient.
[00:05:28] Speaker B: So then, before we really dive in now, but having a little bit of context, I'd love to do a little intro for you, but I mean, a director, a writer, an actor, producer, a performer, a storyteller, you know.
Jacob, very awesome to have you on the podcast today. Thank you for joining us. Obviously, fresh off of the 5050 Comedy Festival with your film Boys, which was loved by many. And also, we haven't had a chance to really talk after the fact, but so many people have spoken about how that was the one out of the entire lineup that felt most like a short, which was really interesting to hear and obviously a massive compliment because the people telling me that were some awesome, legit people to be hearing that from.
So I applaud you on that and your work. And obviously you've done so much else that we will speak about, including other shorts and music videos. And also that promposal that, you know, stuff which I'm sure you're like, oh, I really want to talk about that.
[00:06:34] Speaker A: I love it. I love it.
[00:06:35] Speaker B: I'm sure you do. You've been riding that wave for, like, 10 years now.
[00:06:39] Speaker A: It's on the top of my resume.
[00:06:41] Speaker B: And that's the first question, honestly. Let's get right into it. You know, I want to hear about the, that Emma Stone promosal and, like, how you leverage that to get to where you are today, if at all, you know.
[00:06:55] Speaker A: Well, I, the biggest thing, I, I, I think about that promposal a lot. Not because it, like, I don't know, like, the 15 minutes of fame thing is, like, very interesting. And it was like a crazy week in my life.
But when I Can you give the.
[00:07:13] Speaker B: Context just for the, the listener of, like.
[00:07:15] Speaker A: Yeah, sorry, yeah. The, the basic context is that my junior year of high school, I'm from Phoenix, so that, not that that matters.
[00:07:26] Speaker C: But so shout out.
[00:07:27] Speaker A: So shout out.
And my junior year, I prom was coming up, and I think I had, like, a date sort of lined up that fell through, and it led to this, like, totally stupid idea in my brain where I was like, oh, I should do, like, a celebrity promposal.
[00:07:51] Speaker C: Have you seen those before?
[00:07:53] Speaker A: I, I had. And especially there was, like, there was, like, history with it for my. My high school, because there was a guy like, four years before me that did one for. Did one to Miley Cyrus, and then he, like, got on stage with her at a concert. So there was a precedent that had been set.
And I think it really just started as, like, oh, that would be fun.
I don't have any, like, real thought that she would say yes or maybe even see this, but I think it would be fun to do. And it felt like a good excuse to get a bunch of friends together and, you know, shoot something.
Yeah, I don't think I. I saw it as, like, a replacement for. For my date, but it felt like maybe a coping mechanism in. In a bizarre way.
And so, yeah, we put it together. I wrote. I rewrote the lyrics for the. The opening song of La La Land and then performed that.
And it's like the worst recording ever because I did it on, like, a snowball mic in my room, so there's, like, a ton of echo.
But I. I mean, for the time, I'm. I'm very proud of it. It is hard to watch, but I have a real soft spot for it, for sure.
[00:09:14] Speaker C: Is it hard watching it every night?
[00:09:18] Speaker A: It is, but I do need to get that ad spend, so, yeah, someone's got to keep that.
[00:09:27] Speaker C: Well, that's amazing. I'm curious, was that. Were you interested in film beforehand, or was this, like, your first sort of dance with the camera?
[00:09:37] Speaker A: I mean, growing up, I was. I was really into, like, art, like, painting, sketching, stuff like that.
I liked Legos a lot. I think at one point I thought maybe I wanted to be, like, an architect or something.
And then I. I think in middle school, at, like, an art, like, summer art camp, I met these, like, two people, and for one reason or another, we started, like, I think someone had a flip video camera. I don't know if you guys ever had one of those.
[00:10:06] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
[00:10:07] Speaker A: But we started filming, like, little things. I don't even know if you could call them shorts.
And so that was, like, the first seed. And then, like, freshman year of high school, I got a camera and I started filming a bunch of stuff then. And we had a good. The honestly, the best part was I had a really solid, like, film class at my high school.
Believe this is a totally fun, weird fact, but I. I believe I'm not capping here. Steven Spielberg went to my high school when he lived in Phoenix for, like, whatever that was a couple years or something.
So I think that's maybe the reason why there was a good Film class.
But, yeah, all those things combined, it was like high school. I just kind of hit the ground running. And then by the time the promposal happened, I was kind of locked in, if that makes sense. But I would say that made me even more locked in because it was like, whoa, this could. This thing I like doing could have an effect on people.
[00:11:07] Speaker B: What did that feel like? When it started, like, getting views, you know, and people started responding, you're getting these comments of, like, I'm from Russia, and I see this and I'm a fan. Like, all of a sudden you go from, you know, a filmmaker in your backyard to, like, a million people are seeing your thing. And, I mean, I also. I guess a question on top of that is, like, were, you know, the local news reaching out to you because of the virality or, like, because Emma responded? Or is that, like, Emma responded after all of this happened and then kind.
[00:11:39] Speaker A: Of of maybe a mix.
It did, like, really hit a spike even before she ever responded.
I think I. I had, like, some school thing going on where I, like, turned my phone off for a couple hours and, like, it was already getting some traction. But then I, like, walked out of that and looked at my phone. I was like, oh, my God. This is.
I don't really. I don't know. I don't think I really knew how to process it.
[00:12:09] Speaker C: From my understanding, it wasn't something you were chasing, you know, like, you didn't.
It doesn't feel like you made it to, like, go viral. You just made it.
Whether it was a coping mechanism for your lack of date or just, you know, something fun to do. And you're into film, you know.
[00:12:25] Speaker A: Right. Well, and I think that's the curse now is, like, I look, you know, that's. That's always in the background of, like, I gotta go viral again.
I gotta go viral.
[00:12:34] Speaker C: You hit it so early.
[00:12:36] Speaker A: Yeah, it is so early. But. But I. I think it. It was a nice motivator in a weird way, because I'm like, I can't have this thing be, like, the thing that defines me as a. As a creator for as much, you know, as, like, I said, I'm proud of it, but it was a nice thing to kind of keep me pushing ahead. But, yeah, I was not.
I don't think I was chasing it. I mean, maybe in. In the back of my mind, I was like, that'd be cool if it went viral or mainly just if she saw it and had some response.
But. But, yeah, not. I don't think I had Any idea of, like, the scope of it.
So it was a very new experience.
[00:13:18] Speaker B: And then she did see it and. And what did that feel like? Like, was that like a full circle moment? Was it like, oh my gosh, it's the most fulfilling and I feel satisfied, or was it kind of just like a.
I don't know what's going on right now. This. None of this feels real.
[00:13:34] Speaker A: I think maybe the. The latter. Yeah. Like, I, I mean, I. I understood it on like a logical level what was happening, but I think it was just. And I was still in school too, so I was like having to go the, you know, eight hours of whatever, how many hours you go in high school, which is absurd to think about that I was like waking up 7am and then a lot of glass four or something.
But yeah, I really don't think I had any clue of what to make of it. I was just kind of riding it out and trying to.
To manage it the best I could. But I. Maybe the difference is, like, for someone who isn't in film or like, entertainment, I think it might be even weirder the process. But on some level I was like, oh, this I guess makes sense as a. A consequence of what I was trying to do.
[00:14:30] Speaker C: Like, this is what should happen. I make stuff for people and people see it, you know, exactly.
[00:14:36] Speaker A: Like, hopefully people watch what you're doing and like it and, you know, some people don't like it was right. It was actually even more fun reading, like, the. The hate comments and stuff like that.
I don't know. Just like, I feel like that almost developed my sense of humor even more. Was like, oh, maybe I shouldn't take myself so seriously, you know, after something like this, I think that'd be easy way to tank yourself.
[00:15:02] Speaker B: Did that in quotes, like, early success lead to difficulty or like, analysis paralysis, which is something we talk about with future projects, or at least projects like shortly after that where you, like, it either has to be perfect or like, I'm not putting it out kind of thing. And how have you. Because again, I mean, like, your stuff is so unique and you have such a unique voice, like, as a director and as someone our age and like, so young and early still in this process. And it's incredibly impressive to see just anyone that's like. It's like in house music where, like, so many house songs sound the same and then there's one that, like, sounds different. It's like, whoa, that's really impressive.
[00:15:46] Speaker A: I'm not exactly sure where it comes from. And maybe, maybe like, increased somewhat after the, the promposal, but I, I have this, like, need to put things out consistently, and I don't think that really changed or ever went away at any point.
So, I mean, there was more output. Like, I think I was at that time in the middle of like, making another film. So I, I don't know. I always like to have a lot of things cooking because I, I don't know, I. At some point in high school, that became like what I did on the weekends, you know, Like, I wasn't.
Not to say I wasn't like, partying, like, I don't want to be that guy or anything, but.
[00:16:31] Speaker C: No, you were cool.
[00:16:32] Speaker A: Yeah, I was super cool. You know, especially after that. People were like, come on over for sure.
But.
But yeah, I mean, I, I think, I just, I don't, I don't know what it is. Maybe it's like insanity, but I, I can't go too long without trying to put something out. And sometimes that leads to something that's a little half baked or maybe not perfect, and sometimes it leads to something that people really like and that I'm really happy with.
So I think the only way to get better, at least for myself, is to just like, keep putting things out there. And like I said, I grind.
[00:17:20] Speaker C: It's about action, right? It's about like, that's kind of the only way to progress. And from what I'm hearing, it was even before the promposal that we've been discussing happened that you were realizing that you do have to have multiple irons in the fire and you do, you know, you should have multiple ideas besides the one that you just had. And you know, we talk a lot about when people ask what's next? There's always something next, you know, even if it's very half baked and just a seed of an idea or something.
Because you are so, you know, so abundant in your, in your creation and output. I'm curious, is there a sort of through line, tonally or comedically of the sort of project you tend to create or gravitate towards? Like, because I've, I've seen a couple of your things and Boys is very different than the Chin or the promposal or some other projects of yours. So I'm curious if there is something you, you gravitate towards.
[00:18:18] Speaker A: I think it's definitely developed over time. Like in high school, I was really into.
I mean, maybe this is every, like, young filmmaker, but me especially, I was like, ripping off other filmmakers left and right. Like, I, I had a Big Tarantino phase. I had a big Edgar Wright phase.
And so I was like making these like 3040 minute movies in high school that were like guys in the desert shooting and stuff like that. And there was definitely, I don't know if, you know, film Riot and that sort of coalition, but I, I think there's like a whole generation of filmmakers that were kind of raised on that and as a byproduct, really like, like action and stuff. So I, I weirdly think I kind of grew up on action, but my nature has always been like a little bit silly and stupid. So there was always. It wasn't like very grounded, you know, but yeah, it was like kind of like that for a bit. And then in college it started to maybe go towards something was like trying to do a little more drama and it didn't quite land the way I wanted it to. And I think I honestly like fumbled around totally trying to find my voice until weirdly enough, maybe the chin video is like the first example in my mind where I felt like I was sort of hitting a, I don't know, some sort of stride with that, where I wasn't really thinking about like, oh, this would do really well at a festival or this is what people. I just thought. I think I liked the song. I was like, it'd be funny if I was dancing with it to a, with a lamp and it'd be cool if I had a giant chin.
And that was kind of what happened. And then I was like, oh, that, that's cool. I really like that. I want to do more of that.
And. And then since then, in the last like two, three years, I feel like it's just gotten a little sharper over time. So I don't know if I can really even describe it fully as comedy anymore. And I mean, as you see in Boys, like, I. I'm glad people laugh at it, but you know, there's also this weird dramatic edge to it. And I don't know, I like writing that line of.
I like having some emotional catharsis in something that's funny too. So I think that's maybe a driving force as well. I don't know if I even answered a question there.
[00:20:54] Speaker C: No, no, no, that's. That's super helpful. I'm curious. I feel like we could get into a couple different projects at this point of viewers a little more in depth, but do we want to get into Boys and kind of go into the conception of that and you know, you can even like walk us through the plot and what happens in it because a lot of people didn't go to the festival who listen. So I think it would be helpful to just kind of walk us through that.
[00:21:19] Speaker A: Yeah. So my short film, Boys, as you guys know, is.
It really is that you couldn't get a more perfect title.
It's about boys, I think. I've also, in the last three years, really liked naming things almost exactly what they are.
And maybe that's just. My subject matter is so simple in a way that it. That's the best way to do it. But I do really like something that's like, okay, this is what you're watching.
And I hope that's sort of the experience it delivered on.
But, yeah, the idea was I got 14 guys together. Some of them were actors, some of them were non actors.
And the. The idea was this moment where these two groups, these two separate groups of guys are kind of walking two different directions, and one guy from one group bumps into another guy in the other group. And it's just enough of a gray area where you don't know if it was, like, an act of aggression or an accident, and it leads to this whole kind of turf war happening. And I. I guess I like to think of it as a turf war because I feel like when. Like, you know, hundreds and hundreds of years ago, when people were fighting for land, like, there was land to maybe fight over and. But now guys are just, like, at parties and they. And they're like, yo, dude, what the. Come on back on.
[00:22:53] Speaker C: I'm standing here, man.
[00:22:55] Speaker A: I'm standing here. And it's like, no one. There's no territory, there's no anything. But I think in.
In a weird way, like, there's some primal energy.
[00:23:05] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:23:06] Speaker A: Driving dudes sometimes in social settings or whatever. So I. I think that's what I was trying to tap into is, like, what would happen from that.
And then in my, I guess, typical fashion, I wanted to not end it with violence, but, you know, know this sort of emotional catharsis of some kind, one through line.
[00:23:28] Speaker B: I mean, if we're looking at the three of, like, that we've spoken about, which is the promposal, the chin and boys is music paired with. With photography. Right. And, like, which is obviously film, but, like, it seems like you have a very.
You're very aware of music and how to use score, as in, like, thinking about boys with that moment at the end with, like, that song in the credits, Right. I watched that and was like, I'm finishing the festival with this. Like, it's the perfect walkout song of like sums it all up. This nice moment of like boys being boys. We're all dapping each other up and everyone's hugging each other kind of thing. And this is this nice, like, it.
[00:24:13] Speaker C: It'S a beautiful depiction of, of masculinity, you know, totally the fragility of it, but also like the strength and communal element of it and, and the power in it, you know.
[00:24:24] Speaker A: Right. What I, I think I. The coolest thing about that whole project was the shoot, shooting it and like being there with all these guys who are mostly like good friends for the most part. So I wasn't, you know, it wasn't like I was working with actors in this really careful way, but it, it felt very cathartic for everyone. Like, it was very quick. We had to shoot in, in three hours for a variety of reasons, but, you know, like, the bumping and everyone yelling at each other like, I don't know, the energy was just really good. And I walked away feeling like, yeah, we should do that more often in some way.
[00:25:03] Speaker B: How, how prepped were you regarding shot list? And I mean, are you a guy that storyboards, like with something like that where 10 plus actors and there's going to be. There's only so much you can block with that, right. Of like, okay, one location and then, yeah, realistically you're gonna find something. I would assume one of them's gonna say something crazy or spit the water out, which obviously I assume was scripted, but like something, you know, how, how much of that in that three hour time was like, shoot, let's move the camera here and like, try this now or try that. And are you a filmmaker that invites that or is more like, let's stick to the script.
[00:25:44] Speaker A: I used to storyboard and shot list in a very detailed way because I think that's.
I thought that's kind of what you needed to do. And I think some people really thrive from that. And to be fair, if I was doing like a longer form project, I would probably do that. But these kind of micro shorts that I've been doing these, these last couple of years, I have distinct like moments in mind. And in the case of boys, like, yeah, there's all these little beats that were very, you know, ironed out in my head of like, oh, there's the bump here. They get in each other's faces. He shoves him, then this other guy comes up in his face and then this buddy shoots water at him and, and it kind of is worked out on, in a. There's a sketch There.
But, yeah, due to the nature of, like, one, you're shooting. We were shooting on film, so it's not like we have playback or anything like that.
Two, we've got three hours to shoot it.
[00:26:53] Speaker B: Can you talk about why you had three hours? Were you. Were you ready to locate? Like, what was that? Why the permit or something?
[00:26:59] Speaker A: It was an. A little sidewalk on an overpass, like five minutes from my house.
So part of it was, I, I guess, felt like, bad asking all these guys for more. More of their time.
And I think in my mind, I was like, okay, what's the minimum amount of time I can do this in? Because if we kept drawing it out, it's like we're going to draw attention to ourselves.
I was sort of worried about us getting, like, shut down because we didn't have a permit.
I was worried about, like, everyone getting kind of antsy. If it was.
[00:27:35] Speaker B: Well, what was. What was. I mean, obviously, aside from the. The large amount of actors, I assume it was a light crew. If you're shooting film was even on sticks, like, do you have any sort of lighting? Was it, like. Obviously no sound either. Right.
[00:27:47] Speaker C: So that makes things a little easier.
[00:27:50] Speaker A: Totally. Yeah, it was definitely.
It was just me and the. My cinematographer, Tate Stussy.
Or Stussy. I think I've actually messed that up a million.
[00:27:59] Speaker B: Like the clothing brand. Stussy.
[00:28:01] Speaker A: Like. Like the. Like the clothing brand.
And so, yeah, it was just the two of us running it and we had headsets because there was, like, cars going by. So we were, like, kind of chatting through that.
And, yeah, no sound or anything, no playback. So it's not like there's a, you know, a first AC over here on a monitor, but just the sheer amount of dudes and the fact that, you know, one point or another, they're all, like, really shouting at each other. And I was telling them to, you know, it's slow mo. Like, slow mo looks great when you're just big and over the top. So I didn't want them to be, like, you know, worried about yelling.
So in a way, the overpass was a great location because, you know, there's traffic and it's kind of masking the sound a little bit.
[00:28:51] Speaker C: It's not disruptive, too. I feel like overpasses are not usually an area where people are like, please. Like, the community's sleep. People are sleeping.
[00:28:59] Speaker A: No, in fact, I think they, you know, they encourage people to yell on overpasses.
[00:29:03] Speaker C: Was it just a random. Did you. How. How was, like, the process with preparation, like, did you scout that location?
And I'm curious, just, like, casting 14 guys, you know, like, what. What does that look like?
[00:29:16] Speaker A: Well, on the first part of location. Yeah, we. We scouted it.
We originally were thinking about this spot that we found in Griffith park, and we really liked it because it was like these two trails kind of converging, and it felt like, you know, they could be on two separate hikes. Sort of like how the idea originally came to me was, you know, inspired by being on a hike.
But the problem was there was a.
There was a. Like, why am I forgetting what you call that? We're like, children play like a playground.
[00:29:55] Speaker B: All right, Jacob. Nice talking to you, man.
[00:29:59] Speaker A: Clearly, I've lost it.
Yeah, there was a playground, if you can believe it.
Like, I don't know, 100, 200 yards away from this. And I was like, I.
I don't think this would go down well, and everyone would have to be faking their aggression and anger. And. And I. The last thing I want to do to a bunch of actors, especially some non actors, is force them to, like, emote. And, I don't know.
[00:30:27] Speaker C: Like, you want it to feel authentic. You want to capture those. Real authentic.
[00:30:31] Speaker A: Totally. I want spit flying out of their mouth, you know? Yeah, that whole thing.
So we. We looked at a bunch of other spots, and then eventually kind of landed on this. This sidewalk overpass near my house. And it was great, not only because there was an overpass, but there was. The sidewalk was, like, really wide, so there was a lot of room there for them to walk and for the camera to be placed and.
[00:30:55] Speaker C: Great.
[00:30:55] Speaker A: Yeah. It was very key at the end of the day that we had that. That location locked down, and we walked through it beforehand and tried to, you know, get a. A solid enough plan before everything kind of went crazy. And we. We just had to run with it.
The casting, a lot of it was just like, okay, who are dudes? I know.
And I also think I was trying to find people that I could see being in these, like, groups, you know, and I. I didn't. You know, I. I feel like I know plenty of people that could be on screen, but sometimes, you know, it. It just.
You want everyone to feel like they're buddies and they, you know, they are friends.
So I did have to be, I guess, a little more particular for that.
But in terms of the main casting, this guy, Jonas Gindon, he's like one of the. The main two guys.
He is in an acting class with me, so that's how I met him. I was like, oh, he was, like, the first person I thought of. I was like, oh, he'd be perfect for this.
I know he would crush this. So I'm like, I don't want to do it if he's not available or if he's not down.
So thankfully, he was down.
And then this other guy, the other main guy, his name's Antonio, and he just looks awesome. He's got this perfect beard.
He'll show up to my house sometimes in, like, a wife beater. And like, he just, he's got this aura to him. I don't know how else to describe it.
[00:32:32] Speaker C: So masculine.
[00:32:33] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:32:34] Speaker C: And, and comfortable in his masculinity. I would say he's very comfortable.
[00:32:38] Speaker A: Yeah, he looks very like, like he's not trying, you know, or anything like that.
But he's a director, so I kind of just was going on a hunch that, like, yeah, he could do this. You know, it's not like we're asking him to, I don't know, deliver Shakespeare or anything. I feel like he'll, he'll get the vibe.
But, yeah, there was a few key people that, that I had in mind for specific moments. And then a lot of it was just, you know, who Can I get one guy? I think I got, like, the night before.
And then some guy also just brought his friend. So there.
[00:33:17] Speaker B: What was the text.
[00:33:19] Speaker A: To, to all the guys?
[00:33:21] Speaker B: No, I mean, like, like the night before. It's like, hey, like, I'm, you know, I'm sure tomorrow. Like, it was even weird I was in that text.
[00:33:27] Speaker A: I, I happened to be out with him somewhere in Hollywood.
So we're, like, shouting over music, and I'm like, hey, we're gonna, I got a bunch of guys on an overpass. Sounds. What?
[00:33:39] Speaker B: What?
[00:33:40] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
And I, I guess, I don't know what that says about me, but I, I, I think people, if they're available, tend to be down for the ideas I, I have. And I, and I try to make them worth their time, you know? Like, I don't, Yeah, I don't want to just bring people out and then be like, yeah, you're gonna sit in the background and do nothing. You know, everyone gotta shout. Everyone gotta push and kind of honestly get their, their anger out, so.
[00:34:09] Speaker C: Well, I think it's, I think you're selling yourself a little bit short because you're obviously like, a smart guy who has creative vision and these people want to support you, you know? Like, I think you clearly have a distinct voice and you have, you've built sort of a community around yourself.
How would you describe that, like, community that you have? And do you feel like you have go to people who you like working with on set and, you know, has, has that always come easy? And did you find that in college or where does that sort of come from?
[00:34:43] Speaker A: I feel very lucky to be where I am with, with the people I know. I, I feel like that is the strongest thing around me and the thing that keeps me going is the, the community.
Because this, I mean, like, living in LA and being in something as.
[00:35:03] Speaker B: I.
[00:35:03] Speaker A: Don'T know, tenuous, maybe that's not the word. But as, as entertainment can be a very lonely and scary thing.
And I, I really feel for people who, you know, move out to LA to be in entertainment and don't really have connections out here or don't have friends.
It, it's very difficult, I think, not just because, you know, this person will get you a job or, or whatever, but just having people you can bounce off of, you know, and who can take a look at what you're doing or come do sound for a day. Like, I, I still do that. Like, I had a friend who asked me to do sound for. So I'm not a sound guy. I'm terrible. I probably, I probably messed up the sound, but, but, but, you know, I'm down for that because I think, I don't know, I'm not at a point in my career where I'm like, trying to be ultra picky and I'm like, now I'm, I'm above that.
And I think that's the big thing is hoping that everyone's kind of on the same page about that and trying to, to give back and stuff.
But yeah, looking back, like, at the start of when I got in the film in high school, I had a sort of a community, but it was different. It was like friends that I were willing to be in my movies.
And I was much more of like a control freak back then. And I didn't really understand what it meant to, to collaborate, I think.
And eventually that kind of changed as I got a little older and then especially once I got into college and I was like on set and seeing like, oh, okay, you have a much better chance of succeeding if everyone's in on it and everyone is happy, you know, and wants to be there and feels like their ideas are heard.
So it's not always easy to do that. But, but that, that I think is the, the goal in mind is, is trying to, to lock into that community effort and, and I don't know, champion it as much as possible.
[00:37:15] Speaker B: Do you work with Tate a lot, your dp on, On Boys?
[00:37:19] Speaker A: That was the first time we had worked together, like director dp. I've known him for a while. I met him at lmu and I gotta shout out LMU for, for all the people I met there because that's a, a big chunk of my community and all the, the people that I kind of work with consistently.
But yeah, Tate's, Tate's great. I'm. I'm sure we're going to work on more stuff together, but another guy that I, I work with really consistently, his name's Chris Pickering, I did the, the, the chin video with him.
And the cool thing about our relationship is he sort of like, is a dp, but he's also a really great director, so he kind of fell into this almost unspoken, like, co director relationship for a bit and it sort of ebbs and flows. It's not like we do everything like that. Like, in the case of Boys, I just did that by myself.
But that was a case of like, it doesn't really matter about the label. You know, who really cares who's the director. Obviously it looks cool, but at the end of the day, it was just two of us locked in on the same idea and then just seeing it through together.
So, yeah, finding people like that is very important and has, I think, been maybe the main reason I've been able.
[00:38:38] Speaker B: To make things the, the chin looks like the makeup, which honestly we can talk about too. But like, yeah, the, the, the actual, like the way you guys shot that is beautiful. And, and I mean, I do want to get into post and, and editing Boys and like, and I guess even before that, like, kind of returning to that question of like, you can only do so much blocking and thinking about where the camera is going to go and who we're gonna really, you know, see with, like, who's gonna spit and who's gonna yell and jump over the back of someone and like, I guess on the day, again, bringing it back to Boys, like on that overpass, like you and Tate, was it like, okay, Wyatt's doing something nuts, like, let's, let's get him this time or something. Let's punch in or like, what was the, the thought there? And then we'll, we'll bring it into post of like, actually selecting the shots and thinking about pacing and obviously.
[00:39:33] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah, good question. I mean, I, I'd be curious and to know what it would have been like to shoot that project, like, digitally I think there was maybe some benefit to shooting it on film. Not only because, you know, film looks great, but we had, you know, only.
I think it was three roles. I might be wrong, but we only had, you know, so much film and we had to be pretty conservative about the moments we were shooting. It's not like we could just roll on, you know, the whole sequence.
And I think that maybe helped make our. Our process more concise.
Like, we weren't. We. We didn't really have the luxury of saying, you know, oh, this is. There's this crazy thing's happening. Let's capture this. It was very much, you know, puzzle piecing. Like, okay, we got to get the bump. We got the bump.
Now let's move in. Let's get a little tighter. We got this moment. Okay, cool. Now we're getting this moment. So it was spontaneous in the sense that the blocking was pretty loose at times. Like we were kind of just trying to let it play out how it did, but it was very much like pieces that we were trying to grab or else the whole thing wouldn't come together in the way it needed to.
And a note on the music. I mean, the music also sort of is only, you know, two minutes long or whatever.
So that was another thing was like, okay, well, we don't need that much footage to fill that.
That piece of music, especially since it's slow mo.
So I think it was a mindset of just getting the necessities and maybe a few extra little fun things. Like I had all the guys do one, like close up of just something crazy. And I wish I could have included all those in it, but I, you know, I only could put like three or four at the end of the day.
[00:41:36] Speaker B: So because you are an editor, are you going into projects already kind of seeing how you will cut it together in your head and being like, okay, on the day I'm directing, and it's like, yeah, we could get the wide, but like, I don't need it because there's no way I'm actually going to cut to this at this point or something. You know what I mean? Like, are you. Are you thinking like that especially? And I do want to talk more about shooting on film to versus digital.
[00:42:03] Speaker A: I don't know if I said this to you guys at 5050 or something. I feel like I recall it, but there was a time where maybe years ago I could have found an editor and started some relationship and. And I just direct.
That time has passed, I think, and. And I'm kind of stuck with myself.
And, and part of that maybe is just like selfishly, like, I don't know, I need that control over it. But I also really like editing.
Like, I just find that maybe to be the most weirdly magical part of the process because you're finally seeing these frames that you shot, you know, moving together and something that on set can feel kind of dead. And then you put it in your edit and there's some music underneath it and it's like, whoa.
[00:42:57] Speaker C: It's like something greater than yourself finally. You know, it's separate and feels separate from what you did on set even. It's like someone sent you something random, you know, it's like it's far from yourself at that point.
[00:43:09] Speaker A: A way totally. It's. I mean, in a way I think it hearkens back a little bit to like the days where I was painting because it feels sort of like that process of, you know, putting this color there and whatever. Not to get too artsy fartsy about it, but.
But yeah, I don't know.
I mean, on Boys specifically, I don't remember if I was like, really like, okay, we need, we don't need that or that. I think maybe there's some bit of it that's kind of instinctual at this point.
Like, yeah, there's certainly times where I'm like, we're not going to use that. We're not going to use that. And I think there's a lot of DPs with that mindset of too. It's like I'm shooting something I don't like, why would we shoot it? You know?
[00:43:52] Speaker B: But if you're shooting digital, right, there's always the thought of like, let's just get it.
[00:43:57] Speaker A: Because we can definitely. And, and that's great. That's like such a blessing that we have that, you know, and, and can roll on performances without that stress there.
And I honestly don't know what it'd be like to shoot, you know, a dialog driven project on film.
I think that'd be an interesting experiment at some point. But the nice thing with Boys is, you know, since there's no dialog, it. It's kind of, I don't know, it's like you can just kind of roll on stuff without the stress still, you know, because you're just getting these, these physical bits.
[00:44:36] Speaker B: What was the choice? Like, are you always shooting on film? Or was this one kind of like, oh man, I really. Because obviously there's film emulation, right? Like you can do that in post. Like you can make stuff look like 35 or 16 or like anything these days. Like, colorists are. Are fantastic at doing that. You shoot on an re and like, you're fine. Right, so what was the choice there? And I guess did that, like, is. Is Tate a guy that like, only shoots 16, like one of those types of DPS, and it's like, okay, like, I want to work with Tate. So we're shooting 16 on this, I guess. It was 16, right?
[00:45:08] Speaker A: It was 16. Yeah. I think he'd like to be a DP that only shoots on film, but doesn't always, you know, get that. That ability. But he definitely, he was the sort of the reason that the project was shot on film because he had maybe. I think he had a couple roles lying around and was like, hey, if you ever, like, want to make something, let me know. And I was like, well, that's a great opportunity there. And I think I maybe had like a very rough sketch of boys in my head at that time.
[00:45:41] Speaker B: Did he have a camera or is it going to be like we got to. We got to rent something out.
[00:45:45] Speaker A: That was basically our only cost in the film was renting.
I think it was an SR3. In my experience that I've only shot on film twice, and both times it was like, we have these two or three rolls.
And that is also the only budget. That's like the only budgeted thing. Everything else is.
There's, you know, I think I bought waters for all the guys and, and some ice in a cooler.
That was about it. So in my mind, it's like, okay, we can do this. We can shoot on this more expensive format and get away with it because the, the budget for the rest of the film is non existent, which I, I think is a nice way to work sometimes, you know.
So, yeah, that was nice. It was good, but it was still expensive. Film is expensive. And, and I, I think a lot of people wish they could shoot on it more, including myself, but it's not always feasible. Um, yeah, yeah, it's.
[00:46:47] Speaker C: It's kind of like at our level, you know, you. You have to choose where you're going to put your small amount of money, you know, and it's. It's about what element you should focus on. And I think with something like Boys like it, it really worked. And the thing that I saw was just the simplicity really, really helps. You know, Luke and I talk a lot about we, we overcomplicate and we overanalyze and just keeping things simple is so, so important. Was that like a Core value going into Boys, I think so.
[00:47:18] Speaker A: I think that's kind of been growing in my toolkit. Like, the simplicity angle.
[00:47:24] Speaker C: It's so effective. It really, really is.
[00:47:27] Speaker A: Yeah. And I mean, even, like, the chin video on some level, like, there's not a whole lot going on there.
[00:47:33] Speaker C: I. I want to get into that, and I want to. I. I want to.
[00:47:36] Speaker A: If.
[00:47:36] Speaker C: If you're able to do the same thing you do. Did with Boys, which is kind of walk us through the. The process. And the chin and I. The caption is very interesting too.
[00:47:49] Speaker B: It's so good.
[00:47:50] Speaker C: There's so much lore to it. So if you want to walk us through how much of it is true, how much of it is dramatized, like, what is the. What is this character? And it's such a simple character. The chin, this old sort of, you know, 50s 60s singer type.
[00:48:05] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:48:05] Speaker C: If you want to take us through that.
[00:48:06] Speaker A: I really like blurring the lines between.
Wow. This as it's coming out of my mouth sounds so dramatic, but blurring the lines between reality and fiction.
And I. I think that was maybe.
I'm sure I'd done that before that video in some way or another, but that was like a. A weird, like, idea popped into my head, which was, oh, I could just lie about the background of this. And obviously, people who know me, they're like, that's Jacob, you know, in the chin makeup and all that. So it's not like they're being fooled. But that video, funny enough, like, kind of got viewership on my YouTube. And I think it's because the song is so popular, Baby by Donnie and Joe Emerson. Great song.
But there's, like, a whole community of people who love that song.
And so the. The video has kind of found, like. I think it has, like, 30, 000 views or something.
[00:49:07] Speaker C: Found its audience.
[00:49:08] Speaker A: It has, which is really cool. But there's like, every now and then a comment of like, I. I can't find anything about this.
This guy online.
I. I'm forgetting what the name even is that I came up for him, but it was like something. The Entertainer.
[00:49:24] Speaker B: I'm gonna find it.
[00:49:25] Speaker C: I wrote it down at the beginning. What is it?
Oh, it's like Jimmy the Entertainer Crawford, right?
[00:49:35] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. That was maybe some weird, divine inspiration of. But. But I think it was also.
I mean, here's maybe a way to look at it. I had this idea of the. The visuals kind of first and foremost, and I love writing, don't get me wrong, but sometimes it's Nice to just operate purely on a, a visual level because you're not overthinking stuff the way you do when you, you know, hop into Final Draft and start typing things.
It was just like, here's a cool visual. I know Chris is going to bring some great, you know, visuals to it as well. Like a lot of why that video looks so good is, you know, all thanks to him and his, his brain.
[00:50:21] Speaker B: It looks, it doesn't look good. It like, it looks amazing. It's crazy, really. It looks so good.
[00:50:27] Speaker A: Stupid. He went absolutely stupid with it. I remember I walked into the room where the, the lamp is and that wide and I was just like, blow. It was the, I think the first time where I've been like, oh my God, we're making like a. A movie right now. And it felt really, really cool to see that and. But it was so there. It was so just driven by vibes. Like, I hate to say that, but there was this level of, you know, like we had these little set pieces. There's like the curtain backdrop, there's the beach and then there's this room with this lamp.
So we had that. But it was like, you know, we weren't plotting out exactly what I was gonna do when the song was happening and all that.
[00:51:09] Speaker B: I mean, there's car shots too though, with like the rain.
[00:51:11] Speaker A: Oh my God.
Yeah, that was interesting. We.
[00:51:15] Speaker B: Did you rent a car for that?
It just sounds like an old.
[00:51:20] Speaker A: Yeah, no, we, we rented a car. I forgot. Exactly. I think because we couldn't technically rent it. So I don't think this is wrong to say, but Chris's dad drove the car up from like San Diego.
Wow. And then we just had this cool old car for, for like a day.
[00:51:42] Speaker B: And I have the. I have the caption up.
Everyone copes differently in the 1980s. Jimmy the Entertainer Crawford, also known as the Chin, was one of the most well known cabaret singers until he disappeared from the scene in the early 90s for unknown reasons.
At the beginning of the summer, he mysteriously contacted us about making a music video to Donnie and Joe Emerson's Night. 1979 cult classic Baby.
All he asked was that he star in it and that we make him look good in quotes.
He cut us a check for 10 grand and let us left us with one final statement. I want them to remember me. He never spoke to us during the shoot. Directed by Jacob and Chris. That. I mean, that's sick, dude. Like, that's. I read that and was like, this is real, like cool. Like what did I.
[00:52:33] Speaker C: No I was. I actually thought it was real the first time I read it.
[00:52:37] Speaker B: Then I told you, like, halfway through, I'm like, wait, that really looks like Jacob all of a sudden.
[00:52:41] Speaker A: Oh. Oh, that is.
[00:52:42] Speaker C: Oh, that is Jacob.
[00:52:43] Speaker A: That is Jacob.
[00:52:44] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:52:47] Speaker A: Well, yeah. And I. I don't know if you guys saw the.
The. The talk show thing that I do as well.
[00:52:54] Speaker B: Yeah, the late, Late talk. Talk. We can. We can get more into that, but. Yeah.
[00:52:57] Speaker A: Yeah, we don't even have to cover. It's not even necessarily film. But the only reason I bring it up is I think, baby, was this start of, like, really getting into creating a mythology, a character, a care. Yeah, I love, like. I love when there's, like, a really distinct character on screen. That's why, I mean, Lucky Lenny was so awesome at the festival. I mean, there was all sorts of great characters at the festival. Festival. But Lucky Lenny really stood out to me too, because, you know, there was this guy at the center of it, and it felt very like. I just kind of felt like, yeah, that's that guy.
[00:53:42] Speaker C: You know him. You know him before. The moment you see him, you're like, I know everything about this guy.
[00:53:46] Speaker A: It. It was awesome. And I. I think that's, you know, I don't think I always succeed with that, but it's like striving for that of. Of having a character that you. It kind of sticks in your mind or. And I really like the idea of, you know, I have this thing where it's like, dude of the day. You know, you'll drive around LA and there's like, just tons of dudes. You're like, whoa, that's dude of the day, right?
[00:54:10] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:54:11] Speaker A: And sometimes I feel like I'm operating on the level of, like, how can I, you know, place a dude of the day into my film? Whether it's, you know, me playing it or just some scum dude.
Yeah.
[00:54:25] Speaker C: Dude of the day.
[00:54:26] Speaker A: Dude of the day.
[00:54:27] Speaker C: Any memorable ones recently?
[00:54:32] Speaker A: I try not to take pictures of people in public because I. I feel like that's a, you know, tough thing, but sometimes I can't help it. So I do remember this one guy, and he had, like, awesome, like, streaks of, like, almost looked like he had, like, Mountain Dew streaks in a pair.
He was walking with, like, a book open.
[00:54:52] Speaker C: Walking and reading.
[00:54:53] Speaker A: Yeah, he's walking and reading. I was like, that's due to the day, for sure. There he is. You know, and who knows if he'll ever make it into, you know, a project, but he's. He's in me now, you know, there's. He has inspired me in some small way, I guess.
[00:55:07] Speaker B: Who?
[00:55:08] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:55:08] Speaker B: Who's your makeup person? Do you have someone that you work with? I see Nadia was on the chin. Is that. Is Nadia someone you continue to work with?
[00:55:16] Speaker A: Yeah, Nadia. I work with her anytime I'm doing prosthetics or something. Like, big makeup wise, we did the. The talk show together where I have even more prosthetics on me.
And, yeah, she's great. I think meeting her sort of like.
I mean, this is the great thing, again, about collaboration. You meet someone and it feels like a door opens to more opportunity, more. More like, things that you can create.
And I think the initial sketch of that. Of that video had no chin. There was, like, no chin in it.
And I. And then at some point, we're like, this might feel, like, way too sad if. If there's just, like, no thing and it's. And then at some point, I was like, wow, maybe if I had, like a. I don't know, a giant chin, maybe that would soften the blow a little bit. And. And then it just kind of snowballed into, like, oh, and now there's this character, and let's build out the lore a little bit. So I think there's an element of my work that's just kind of taking things and running with them and letting. Letting them develop, you know, as the process is already happening.
[00:56:31] Speaker C: I love that. And that when, you know, the caption, it. It adds so much to the film. You know, it answers the chin question kind of right. Like, yeah, this guy is partially. He's a great voice, but he's partially known for his chin, you know, like.
[00:56:47] Speaker A: Yeah, it is of his. Of his fame.
[00:56:50] Speaker C: Yes, exactly. So I think there's something. There's something very modern about using different elements, whether caption or, you know, specific heightened things in the short or prosthetics to really add to elements of the story.
Yeah, yeah, that's just. That's just so interesting. There's no question there. But it's cool.
[00:57:10] Speaker B: What's next, man? Are you. Are you. Because, I mean, 5050, as you know. And honestly, I'd love to get your thoughts on the festival before we wrap up here, but, like, we're 50. 50 is very much full of us, as in, like, young filmmakers, young and professionals. And, like, a lot of the filmmakers within our community are at that point of, like, it could totally be time to make that first feature or proof of concept for that first feature or maybe time for another few shorts. And then jump into the feature. Like, where are you at in that.
In that kind of. Or on that path or journey? Are you thinking about that first feature or like. Well, I mean, in high school too. Sorry to cut you off. Like, you were making these 30, 40 minute movies. So I feel like a feature for you doesn't even probably sound that dumb. Dante.
[00:57:56] Speaker C: Or do you want to go back to promposals? And that's totally fine too.
[00:58:00] Speaker A: I. I am hoping to get back to that, but I'm worried that, you know, now being the age I am, it won't land as well. It won't. It won't be.
[00:58:08] Speaker B: It could.
[00:58:09] Speaker A: It could. It could also go real bad.
[00:58:11] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:58:12] Speaker A: And I'm willing to roll the dice on that one. So we'll see.
Well, this is kind of strange. Like, I don't.
I don't want to bring this up as like, it's a flex on the question you just asked, but yeah, I, for some reason was doing like longer stuff in high school, and then that snowballed into like the beginning of sophomore year of college. I made this film that was like 35 pages, but it somehow became 53 minutes.
And then that year, in sophomore year, I got really into this. My. I think I. I started backwards, honestly. Like, I was like making long form stuff because I. I tried to make a low budget feature right before COVID and we were in the process of shooting it at our school and then covet happened. We had to shut that down.
And that summer, I remember my like, best friend Nathan and I were kind of feeling down and out and very like we were itching for something creative. And we got this like, idea to just go on a road trip and then shoot a feature along the way.
And part of it was just like, we wanted to get out and do something, so. But also, like, it didn't matter. Like, if it turned out bad, you know, it wouldn't really affect us. You know, no one had to know that we did it. And it was just him and I acting and one Sundance. And then one Sundance.
[00:59:46] Speaker B: Yeah, that's where I feel like this is going. So you've made your first feature is what I'm. Is what I'm.
[00:59:49] Speaker A: Yes, I made my first feature. But I think the through line of kind of this here is I got really into this mindset of there was like a period of like two years where I was like obsessed with making features and like, worked on a few others that kind of didn't end up happening or pan out the way I want it to that. That one we did, the Road Drip one was the only one that kind of really panned out and worked out and was something we liked. But yeah, I was obsessed with this idea of it. And then I don't. I don't quite know what pulled me out of that. I think maybe it was like a video before Baby, but Baby was definitely the one where I, I was like, oh, I like doing something shorter. You know, it felt like I was finally like freeing myself from that, that restraint. And on some level, I do think I do feel very lucky that I got the feature itch, like out of my system, because I think that is something that, you know, every filmmaker is thinking about is like, that's what I got to do. That's what I have to do.
And I'm like, thankful that it's like kind of out of my system. Even though, you know, I obviously, I still. That's. That is the goal. Making a feature that you see, there's no rush.
[01:01:06] Speaker B: You don't feel like a rush of like, I have to do this by the time. Yeah, right.
[01:01:10] Speaker C: You freed yourself of that, which is very, very interesting because I think there, there is that set path that we talk about a lot that Luke was even referencing, like, and that. And that we pride ourselves on at 5050 to be the festival that people are at before they go and make their first feature. But I think your path is fascinating because as you said, you got that out of your system and now you are able to really focus on making like, amazing shorts. And you are making amazing shorts, you know, so I'm.
Are there, are there more shorts in your feature? I know music is a. Is a big thing for you and you know, adding that into shorts and doing things without dialog with dialogue, like, where is. Where's kind of your focus next?
[01:01:51] Speaker A: Definitely, definitely some more micro shorts in the works. It was funny the, the week that 5050 happened, I also shot this like 2 minute micro short that same week. That week was crazy. There was so much happening, including that little video, which was 4 something. So I had like a deadline too.
But yeah, I don't know, I feel like no matter how hard I tried to escape the, the micro short format, it's just so, like, addicting because it's very simple, tends to be cost effective, and you get, you know, this, this creative itch out of your system without having to. To break your back, you know, with a huge crew and all this other stuff.
So I'll definitely keep doing that because I think it's. It's not only like a good showcase, but it's good practice, I guess, like being able to condense an idea into something so small.
[01:02:59] Speaker C: And they're, they're really standalone things and they're, they're so successful and so popular. And if you think about the format, it's, it's what people are doing for a living, you know, so it is like a very viable career even, you know, if that's the main way that you express yourself, you know.
[01:03:17] Speaker A: Totally. Yeah. So, I mean, I'm definitely leaning into it and the fact that people seem to, I guess, respond well to it is enough to encourage me further.
But yeah, I, I definitely have the inclination to eventually get back to something more long form, even just a longer short with dialogue. But I, I feel like I'm, you know, in a pocket that I'm comfortable with and I'm gradually building back outside of that.
So I'm not exactly in a rush. But I, I would be lying if I said I wasn't like, I want to do, you know, I want to, I want to get that, that long form vibe going again.
[01:04:05] Speaker B: Jacob also submitted a film to the festival called Pepperoni that was awesome.
And unfortunately you can't accept two films, right?
And kind of just made the decision that Boys Fit really is just like a nice piece to like, I couldn't get out of my head of, like, this is the perfect ending for the festival.
But Pepperoni is fantastic. And that's what, 12, 13 minutes, right?
[01:04:32] Speaker A: So, yeah, yeah, it's.
That was my thesis at lmu, so that was also like part of it was, you know, they, you know, want you to do something longer, talk.
[01:04:44] Speaker B: And people can see that on YouTube. Right? I saw that the other day.
[01:04:46] Speaker A: I think it's on, that's, that's available on YouTube. So I mean, if people are interested in seeing something longer, that's out there.
And I'm very proud of that film. I mean, that's probably like one of my most personal films too.
But I also think after I made that, I kind of. I did want to like, simplify somewhat and like, I was sort of chasing the perfect short. And in my mind, like, there's plenty of great shorts that are, you know, 10, 15, 20 minutes, some that are like my favorite I've ever seen. But I, in my mind I was trying to really hone in on like a moment or something. And Pepperoni was sort of.
Not that it was like every scene is in a different spot and there's like all, there's all sorts of Stuff going on, which was so much fun. But after that, I was, like, kind of exhausted, and I wanted to break it down.
So I think that's what led to, you know, these micro shorts and eventually.
[01:05:49] Speaker B: Boys, talk about your experience at the festival.
[01:05:53] Speaker A: Um, well, aside from it being run so smoothly.
[01:05:57] Speaker C: Yeah. Please compliment us.
[01:05:59] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:05:59] Speaker C: What we're asking.
[01:06:00] Speaker A: No, I. Well, it's pretty easy, guys. It was. It was a great experience. I. And I. I've run some live stuff, so I know that, you know, in the moment, for everyone, it feels very smooth, but for you guys, you're back there, like, freaking out, and there's stuff going on, and.
And the boogie music doesn't play right away, and which leads to. I don't know if that was intentional or not, but, you know, of course.
[01:06:23] Speaker B: It was intentional, man.
[01:06:24] Speaker A: Y.
But, yeah, it was just, like, a lot of fun. I don't. I don't know how else to put it. It was a lot of fun. And I. I think part of that was because a lot of times in film festivals, you'll get a very.
There will be a huge lineup of films, like, you know, somewhere, sometimes upwards of, like, 15, 20. I don't know. But I always get kind of exhausted during those screenings and by the, like, final film, I feel like I'm just kind of tuckered out. And.
And I. I think each film, like, loses its.
Its impact a little bit. And so the fact that it was six films curated, you know, to kind of fit each other and. And fit this singular vibe was so nice and, like, refreshing it, obviously, I think, made all of the filmmakers, including myself, feel special, but I think it was also good for the audience because, you know, they're not being bombarded with a hundred different things to think about. They're like, oh, there's these six, you know, slices.
And they all brought very different things, but they all felt like they belonged together. So from a curation perspective, it was, like.
It was awesome.
[01:07:46] Speaker B: What about from, like, your perspective, you know, and I appreciate you saying that if, like. But just, like, being there, like, did you leave feeling like, wow, like, I want to get back out there and shoot something tonight and, like, I'm inspired? Or was it like.
[01:07:57] Speaker A: Definitely. I mean, that's. Anytime I see other people's films, I'm. It's like.
It's good because you. You get almost, like, jealous in a way. You're like, why didn't I think of that? Why didn't I do that?
But it's. I mean, hopefully, you know, the jealousy fades away and it's just. It leads to. Just pure motivation to. To keep making stuff.
And, yeah, I think that's. I mean, it was just like I walked down, I was like, all right, let's do it again. Let's make something happen.
And that's always nice. It's always nice to be reminded of why you're doing this and. And reminded that you're not the only person doing this, too, that there's a ton of other people out there who are. Who are making things you could never make and making things that you didn't know that you wanted to see, but you're so happy you got to see it. So that's. That's, like, the most fun thing about a festival. I think it's beautiful.
[01:08:54] Speaker B: Well, cool, man. I mean, I. I think that was pretty awesome. I'm. I'm.
I could ask you a lot more questions about shooting on film versus digital and stuff, but I think we can. We can talk about that at another time.
[01:09:07] Speaker A: Yeah, we could save that another. Another day. That'll be the 5050 great film versus digital debate.
[01:09:14] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:09:15] Speaker C: Yes. We'll host it live.
[01:09:16] Speaker A: Yeah, we can.
I don't know. Who's a big digital guy?
[01:09:22] Speaker B: Yeah, sure.
[01:09:23] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. We really appreciate it. And thanks for wearing a tie, too. You're the first tie we've had out of any of the guests, so step it up, everybody.
[01:09:35] Speaker B: It makes a difference. It does. And we see that. Why didn't I see that? We see that. So thank you, Jacob.
[01:09:40] Speaker A: Thank you, guys. I really. You know, I just want to say again, like, hopefully I get this job because I really need it, but also because I think we would really work well together and because also, I need the money. So.
[01:09:53] Speaker C: We'll be in touch.
[01:09:54] Speaker A: Thank you.
[01:09:54] Speaker C: We'll be in touch.
[01:09:55] Speaker B: Thank you.
[01:09:56] Speaker C: Thanks, buddy.
[01:09:57] Speaker A: Appreciate it. Thanks for having me on.
[01:09:58] Speaker B: We appreciate it.
[01:09:59] Speaker A: You guys rock.
[01:10:05] Speaker B: Did you learn something? I'm like your mom. Did you learn something in this episode? I hope so. Or not. That's okay. Thanks for hanging. Make sure you follow us at the 5050 Fest on Instagram. And I think we have a TikTok. I don't know. Go check it out. Okay, bye.
