Behind the Scenes of a No-Budget Teaser Shoot

Everyone agreed to work for free, which still blows my mind. We rented an ARRI Alexa package, packed up the car, and just...went for it.

The day was perfect--74 degrees and sunny, with soft golden light spilling through the Santa Clarita mountains. (Shoutout to Miriam and her boyfriend Zach for letting us shoot on their stunning property.) A freight train rumbled right through the location, and the Santa Clara River had just enough water for Ollie and me to skip rocks in between takes.

David Dodson wrote and directed the teaser. He also wrangled gear and basically made the entire day run like clockwork. Jason Lehel (a true visual poet) made that landscape his bitch. He also casually blew my mind with the fact that he roasts his own coffee beans and skydives with his sons. He also brought homemade mayonnaise and boiled eggs, because Jason is a man of quiet rebellion.

David’s wife, Natalya, showed up on set and became a kind of floral fairy. She was the reason those tiny, twinkling flowers you see floating through the air in the final frame exist. She shook a branch and was known as the dingler. Don't ask me how we got that name. I wish we had a photo of her. She was as beautiful as the sun peeking between those mountains.

Alex Carr was our First AC and operated with the stealth of a ninja. I still don’t fully understand everything he builds or fixes on set (note to self: ask him), but I do know he splits his time between Los Angeles and Prague and works like a total pro.

Ollie Walters, who plays Young Rick, was incredible. He doesn’t have to do anything; the camera just loves him. That’s part natural screen presence and part actor craft. He’s also a joy to work with. We play siblings in the film (Jo and Rick) and it was nice to find that rhythm. It worked beautifully.

We shot everything we needed in about five hours. It felt effortless. Like we were just playing in the world we built. No tension. No bugs (strangely). But I did find a disembodied animal skeleton that I still can't identify, so... balance. We shot it like Malick might, with movement, instinct, and light. But we made it our own. David’s edit elevated everything. I’m proud of what we made. This teaser is the beginning of something real: A film with heart, memory, grief, silence, and life. I can’t wait to do it for real.

I want to add that the rest of the cast was either out of the country, or out of the state. We did our best to give a taste of the tone for this film. But rest assured, when we get to do the full thing, it will be incredible. The full cast includes: Chris Jaymes, mylsef, Ollie walters, Laurie Burke and Matilda Black. You can find us all in the "The Cast" tab!

Aloha,

Mele