Title: Off The Wall
Running Time: 16:00
Category: Dramatic Narrative ShortWinner: "Best of the Fest" - 2003 Great Lakes Film Festival
Synopsis: A guy gets a second chance at love after hitting rock bottom in a seedy nightclub bathroom.
Director: Evan Jacobs
Producers: Evan Jacobs and Emmy Smith
Writers: David Breeden and William W. Woods
Cast: Michael Petted, Emmy Smith, James Chiello
Cinematographer: Douglas Miller
Original Music: Naked Star
Behind the Scenes:
Off the Wall is a short film, which explores the relationship of two gritty characters who find they may need each other more than they realized. The filmmakers endeavored to put the emphasis on capturing terrific actor performances while also attempting to create a sense of very real surroundings. The goal was for the filmmaking to support the actors performances without becoming distracting or flashy.
The film was shot over a two-day period. The only location, a seedy nightclub bathroom, was built on stage to facilitate camera access, lighting issues, etc. Even with the flexibility that shooting on stage provided, it was still very cramped quarters during production, given the whole set was only 10 x 12!
Another critical component of the production is the original music, supplied by the local Los Angeles band Naked Star. The band came to the directors attention through Michael Petted, their drummer, who also plays the lead in the film. The bands music, coupled with the extensive sound design, is a constant presence in the background and contributes a subtle realism to the film.
Ultimately for Evan Jacobs, the films director, the film was intended as an exercise, to work with actors on performance and to explore some artistic territory that his work in visual effects and commercials rarely allows.