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Credits:
Director/Producer: Jon Shaivitz
DP: Cameron Dozier
Writer - Dan Sorgen
Why this script/concept? How does it reflect your vision as a commercial director?
I really enjoyed the way this script read on paper. I especially liked how cinematic it felt, and how unexpected the punchline is at the end. When picking commercial material, I like to choose stuff that creates a world -- only to be shattered by a funny joke at the end. This script certainly met that criteria.
What was the casting process like?
I used my go-to casting website lacasting.com and had my picks self-tape auditions. Casting Jeb worried me the most but of the several dozen submissions I got, there was this one guy who couldn't have looked any closer to what I envisioned. He got the part. I felt lucky to find him.
How did you search for/lock a location?
Since we were on a condensed/aggressive timeline - and had a good budget for location, we went straight to an experienced location manager who was able to point us to a movie farm that had exactly the right type of cabin in the woods we were looking for.
How did you select your DP, crew?
My DP is my best friend and business partner Cameron Dozier. We've been working together for quite a few years now and since moving to LA have met a handful of good people to use in our camera department as well. We filled out the rest of the crew PA's, grips, etc. with craigslist.
How did shooting go? Any challenges?
Time was our biggest challenge. Since this location was so expensive there wasn't any chance of being able to do re-shoots. 22 shots in one night. But luckily and due to very tight scheduling, we finished on time with no hang-ups.
Tell us about editing and finishing.
Editing was a bit more challenging once I sat down to do it than I thought it would be after reading it. On paper it felt so straight forward. But when I realized how it was going to take the right combination of sound elements, music, ambience to fully bring alive the world we set out to create, I knew was going to be in for a challenge. It took about a week for the first rough cut and another week to polish it up. The music was the hardest part but eventually I struck gold with an online music library and found exactly the right mixture of sound.
In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently?
Can't really think of anything. I'm happy with it!
