GuyOnAWire

Welcome back to the series where I post the behind-the-scenes details of our Just Scare Me Horror Shorts.

This time, I discuss my and Erica’s second time working with Angela in the first-date thriller called Self-Employed, and how we spent almost $100 on turkey chili from Factor’s Deli.

Ax-essibility proved to be a (welcomed) challenge because we had NO scratch audio (the audio that the camera records live), so I had to recreate every single sound and line of dialogue heard in the short. The production itself wasn’t big, but the extended post-production made me want to pull back and simplify, like when we did Mother’s Milk, after Autoslay.

Thankfully, Erica and I had concocted this idea where we were back to just two people talking in a room, this time those who met on a dating app, getting to know each other over the course of a dinner. We wanted to play with suspense more than any other short thus far.

**SPOILERS to follow! Watch it first if you don’t want it spoiled.

The story follows this woman who uses her dates like a chop shop, selling off their parts for those in dire medical need. Her mom was in line for an organ, but she died before one became available.

What’s great about the tension between the two, is that you’re not sure where the story is going to lead you. Some told me, they thought that the chili was made of human meat, others thought she was going to poison him. And I love stories that leave the audience guessing. It makes for a more fun experience.

But who could play this sinister, demanding role? Well, we had just worked with Mary O’Neil again on Ax-essibility, and wanted to cast her counterpart from Mother’s Milk, Angela Worth, to toe the line between evil and good intentions. Angela is a natural. She commands the screen with her emotive face and organic confidence. We were happy that she agreed to play Stacey.

And to play the gullible, trusting dolt of a date, Gavin, we initially asked a friend of ours but he was unable to take part, so we cast myself in that role. I was always good at playing the ignorant fella.

During the time of this shoot, Erica and I were both working nearly every day at the Fox Lot on 9-1-1, so we often got Factor’s Deli for lunch, specifically, their stellar turkey chili. It has no beans, and we are grateful for that. We decided that would be a good meal to use not only for the story but also for crew lunch. This way, Stacey could believably have made a “family recipe” and we could simultaneously say thanks to our crew for their valuable time and effort.

For our crew, we once again asked Celeste Cassidy to DP this short. Her dedication to her work – and the quality of the work itself – inspires me to write better content to match her imagery. And we were thrilled to marry the two into this project.

Talon Rudel also gifted us his impressive skill set. He lit the scenes and provided much-needed sound work so I didn’t have to rebuild any audio this time around.

Angela and I got in our places and we began rolling. We shot my standing at the mirror first, then turned around on Angela getting the table ready. Then at the table, we filmed Angela’s side first because she had the better lighting. Then we turned around on my side since we’d have to work our way back toward the door later for the finish.

Every time I turned around in my chair to tumble to the ground, I landed on my elbow. After three takes (each from two different angles), I got a rugburn bruise. It’s been a year since the premiere, and the spot is still noticeable today.

It’s always a challenge to direct yourself and even more of a challenge to keep your co-star’s performance in mind as you try to juggle all your other thoughts about the camera moves, lighting, and everything else. Plus, you have to rewatch every take after it’s done to tweak, so it can slow down the process significantly.

Despite the extra time, the shoot went beautifully, and the edit was just as smooth. I had a few weeks before the June 21st due date. All I needed were a few songs from Pond 5, and a few extra sound effects here and there, and voila! Self-Employed was complete. Enjoy watching below!

Self-Employed Just Scare Me #13 (06/26/22)

Tagline: “You live and die by your connections.”

Synopsis: Gavin and Stacey met on Smolder, and all seems well. But reality hits hard when they finally meet face-to-face.

Starring:
Angela Worth as “Stacey”
Jamie Gagnon as “Gavin”

Cinematographer: Celeste Cassidy
Gaffer/Sound: Talon Rudel

Music from Pond 5
Produced by: Erica Vitullo

Story by: Erica Vitullo & Jamie Gagnon

Written, Edited, & Directed by: Jamie Gagnon