PLAYBACK | Short Film

After having spent countless hours writing and re-writing what was originally a 9-page script and expanding it into a 25-page script, my creative partner Ben Daniels and I were ready to assemble a crew of passionate creatives and craftspeople to realize our dream of making a film of our own.

The film follows Isaac, a graduate student studying political rhetoric & propaganda. While on a weekend away to focus on writing his thesis, he stumbles across a “group meeting” led by the charismatic yet menacing Dalton Sturgess. Sturgess warns of the dangers of “progress”, blaming government officials and hints at violent plans to disrupt their “forward-thinking policies”. As Isaac attempts to leave, he is noticed by the leader and his group, and coerced to stay by Sturgess and his cunning wife Sybil. Seeing an opportunity to gain real-world experience with the kind of figures he has been writing about, Isaac stays. he then finds himself in increasingly tense, bizarre, and even flirtatious interactions with both Dalton and Sybil, leading to an explosive revelation.

We self-funded the production, including raising funds to finish the film via GoFundMe, and were able to complete the film in Spring 2023.

I'm incredibly proud of the finished film, and I am so thankful for the experience of working with a group of like-minded professionals who came together with a united goal - to make something unique and special.