BTS Stills and Film Stills.
Credits
Director/Producer: Natasha Lee
Writer/CD: Dan Sorgen
DP: Daniel Zagayer
Gaffer: Michael Bolten
1st AC: Bennett Morton
Production Designer: Hanna Henry
Art PA: Win Homer
Wardrobe Stylist: Jenny Dayco
H/MU: Kelly De La Cerda
Editor: Bill Marmor / RexEdit
Colorist: Sean Henderson
Sound Design: Matt Broadfoot
Talent:
Britt Conlon
Jack Doerer
Anaya Harell
Jake Welch
Olivia & Emma (sisters)
VO: Melynda Sims
How much did production cost?
I was able to keep the production cost under 10K thanks to collaborators who believed in the concept and a lot of "DIY" on the production end. The biggest expense was location fees, especially since those weren't really negotiable. I sourced spaces through Peerspace and Giggster that felt most like my inspiration images so that minimal set dressing and lighting could bring them to life.
Once I narrowed down potential options, I scouted each location myself to get a better sense of each space and what practical logistics I'd need to solve or budget for, such as crew parking in an adjacent lot for the loft location downtown, and making sure there was a freight elevator in that loft to transport the couch upstairs. The east LA apartment set had that 70s/college-apartment lived-in messiness I wanted for that part of the couch's life, while the crown molding and huge window of the loft gave the feel of an airy living room in a modern and comfortable family home.
We used a lot of my own furnishings for the modern home set and I did all the prop returns myself to save on a wrap day. The Camera + Lighting package was owned by the gaffer and he was generous in negotiating a discounted rate for it.
Working with post-production collaborators remotely from different parts of the country and having a flexible timeline helped in keeping that part of the budget manageable as well.
Lastly, and most importantly, my DP Daniel donated his time and the other keys worked with me on adjusted rates because they believed in the concept. I found that having a strong script and a treatment with a clear vision went a long way in helping everyone align creatively and want to jump in and bring it to life, even on a super tight budget.
Why this script/concept? How does it reflect your vision as a commercial director?
In my photography work, I’ve done a lot of commissions for interiors and furniture brands, and this felt like a natural way to expand that into directing opportunities for home decor clients. I’ve always been drawn to how spaces reflect the people who move through them, and when I read Dan's script on Specbank, the concept of a couch living two very different lives with two different owners immediately clicked. It was simple, clever, and captured how our environments mirror different stages of our lives.
With the interest in pre-loved pieces going mainstream, both in fashion and furniture, and people being more intentional with their purchases, choosing secondhand pieces, and giving objects new stories, the script felt like a chance to capture that spirit in a light, playful way.
I was also interested in the technical challenge of conveying time, contrast and emotion through one frame and one object. It echoes my photography, where one frame can reveal layers of story, and styled yet lived-in spaces become the backdrop for human connection.
How did you search for/lock a location?
Location scouting was easily the most challenging part of pre-production given the very tight budget and time constraint of needing to shoot in one day. Early on, Dan and I explored several ways to execute the core idea of one couch, two very different lives, and he made small tweaks to the script to open up options. When I spoke with potential production designers, it became a key part of the conversation- how do we create two contrasting worlds without the luxury of a massive prop pull or a large art crew?
We considered two options - finding a single location that we could redress to play both spaces, or using two distinct locations and moving the couch between them. After a lot of searching, it became clear the single-location approach would cost even more once we accounted for all the additional props, transport, and extra art crew it would need. I decided to look for two distinctively different locations that would fit each vibe, that would ideally also be within a short driving distance from each other.
I had specific visual and emotional references for each environment, which helped narrow the search. I ended up finding both on Peerspace: the east LA apartment set already had the worn 70s vibe that needed minimal prop dressing, and the downtown loft brought the light and openness of a modern home. We booked each for a half-day and built the schedule around that.
What was the casting process like?
The casting process was fairly straightforward through Casting Networks, and I received an amazing range of submissions for the college friend group.
The voiceover, however, was trickier... it was the heart of the spot. The couch’s vibrant, effusive personality is what gives the spot its charm, so we needed the right actress to make her feel both a bit larger and life and real. I imagined her as a slightly eccentric “aunt” type, inspired by Tina Fey or Kristen Wiig, and Dan was closely involved in this part of the casting.
I wrote a detailed backstory for the couch for my casting on Voices.com. After narrowing down to a few finalists that Dan and I both responded to, we cast Melynda. I directed a live read over Zoom, which she recorded in her studio, then cut together the final VO from our favorite takes.
The VO was the first piece of post we locked. Once we had her expressive tone set, the rest of the edit started to fall into place.
How did you select your DP, crew?
Funny story! Around the time I read Dan's script and wanted to shoot this for my reel, I was also looking to expand my network of collaborators. Through Jordan Brady's Respect The Process podcast, I learned about Just Shoot It and began bingeing episodes. When Matt & Oren hosted a live event with a panel, I thought it sounded interesting and decided to go by myself at the last minute. I ended up chatting with a small group of people after the panel and met Daniel. I threw out the idea of potentially collaborating on something and he was open to it. I created a light treatment for the script, we had a few zoom discussions and off we went. Daniel brought on our very nimble camera crew, Michael and Bennett.
The rest of the crew were a mix of previous and new collaborators.
How did shooting go? Any challenges?
With a bare-bones crew, two locations, a bulky couch, and a company move all in one day, time was easily the biggest challenge.
To make sure the couch was in the same position for the entire spot, we were meticulous in measuring the couch distance from camera and using in-camera overlays to make sure it landed in the exact part of the frame for the second location.
The “70s” location came mostly production-designed, but we needed three distinct lighting and prop setups to show both the passage of time and different times of day within the same space. I was a little too optimistic with the schedule and we ended up getting charged overtime at that location.
The other memorable challenge was moving the couch itself. During the rush to get it upstairs to the loft location, one of the legs broke. With no time to replace it, we leveled it out, hid that corner with props, and did some masking in post. Thankfully, the camera was locked off, which made the workaround manageable.
Tell us about editing and finishing.
Editing was where the piece really came to life. I love working with Bill Marmor; he has an incredible sense of timing and instinct for storytelling. We focused on finding just the right moments to highlight each beat of the couch’s journey. A big part of the process was balancing the VO cadence with the visual pacing, letting moments breathe when the story needed warmth, then tightening up as the energy shifted.
We used subtle transitions to show the passage of time and carefully timed the stop-motion sequences of furniture moving in and out, which helped the story unfold seamlessly.
In finishing, Sean’s color grade separated each “chapter” of the couch’s life through subtle shifts in tone and palette and Matt’s sound design layered in ambient cues that added depth to the visual cues. The visual and auditory shifts in tone and color made the timeline feel clear and intentional while keeping the story flowing.
In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently?
I would have liked to finish this sooner!
