Behind the scenes: "What I Had to Leave Behind"

Here I am dusting the miniature set of What I Had to Leave Behind, my latest film. In my (comparatively massive) hand, I’m wielding the same 1/2 inch acrylic paintbrush I used to paint this dollhouse-scale apartment. I should’ve made a dust pan before I started sweeping, too! Photographed by my director of photography, Wenting Deng Fisher, we wrapped filming in April 2021 with these miniature unit shots to help tell the story of this hybrid live-action/animation diary film. Featuring animation by my friend Cassie Shao, an original jazz score by Branden Brown and sound design by Jackie! Zhou, I’m looking forward to completion this summer and building whatever comes next!

"Moon Manor," a film by Machete Bang Bang & Erin Granat

I’m over the moon (pun intended) to hear my friends Machete Bang Bang and Erin Granat now have an international sales agent for their debut feature film through Rock Salt Releasing! Moon Manor is an important story about accepting death on your own terms, and I’m grateful that this new creative partnership will give folks around the world an opportunity to get to know Jimmy and experience all the hard work that went into making this film.

From Deadline: “The film stars Lou Taylor Pucci (American Horror Story), James “Jimmy” Carrozo, Gayle Rankin (GLOW), Ricki Lake (Hairspray), Debra Wilson (Star Wars), Richard Riehle (Casino), Reshma Gajjar (La La Land), and Heather Morris (Glee). The story follows a man with advancing Alzheimer’s who decides to take his own life, but to have one last day of fun while doing it. Machete Bang Bang and Erin Granat of KnifeRock directed. The film has a score by Coldplay producers Rik Simpson and Dan Green and features additional music by M83’s Joe Berry. Pic is produced by KnifeRock, Bay Dariz and John Humber.”

"sad girl" by Dolan Chorng

I originally saw this arrestingly beautiful short by Dolan Chorng at the Marfa Film Festival in 2017. Captivating in its sharp attention to atmosphere within tightly composed tableaus, sad girl is an eerie comic meditation on teenage longing and burgeoning sexuality.

sad girl (2016) Dir: Dolan Chorng

"Ghost Tape #10" figurine by Jedadiah Cracco

After clearing its final sound mix at Chapman University last week, I'm excited to begin sharing more images and sounds from my upcoming film, Ghost Tape #10, with you all. A visualization of the effects of audio propaganda during the Vietnam War, this figurine of a North Vietnamese solider (designed & sculpted by Jedadiah Cracco), represents one of the central conceits of the film: unearthing the past. Through dreamlike visuals, I hope the film can explore this connection between the living & the dead that I experienced in Northern Vietnam, and what stories still lie underground, waiting to be pulled up into the light.

Miniature-in-progress: Recording studio

My latest film incorporates a new miniature set, a recording studio, which I'm realizing seems to borrow (in spirit) from the color palette of Stanley Kubrick's creepy red bathroom in The Shining. Eagle-eyed fans of The Duel may notice the grey file cabinet from its hospital scene, which will be repurposed for this new work with a coat of flamingo paint. Stay tuned for more mini updates as this room comes together!

Laying out the front & backs of the two chairs. Fingertips starting to accumulate flecks of red paint as its second skin.

The square wheels on these chairs do not go 'round and 'round.

Empty Skies // official poster

What a stimulating challenge to design a film poster for another filmmaker's vision! Many thanks to directors Wenting Deng Fisher & Luke Fisher for their guidance and faith in my abilities. The sumptuously shot and heartbreaking short, Empty Skies, coming soon!