ABOVE THE TREES

I’m so thrilled and grateful to be directing a new movie for Joma Films. As I wrote in my first post here, after the ups and downs of the last movie and pandemic, I began to doubt whether I had it in me anymore. So thanks for following along here — your curiosity and support mean the world to me as we begin prep for this new film.

This is a story about a small town murder case in Oregon that’s told from different perspectives over a couple of years. And so I’ve decided to approach this production differently. I’ll go into this more in future posts on this site, but for now I’ll just say that ABOVE THE TREES has a unique structure with several interconnected stories following multiple characters — so I’m excited to take more time with this one. It won’t be produced in a mad sprint like most independent films are shot. It’s not a race, but it can sure feel like one sometimes.

I often think of David Lynch taking five years to make ERASERHEAD and delivering the Wall Street Journal in the mornings to pay for film stock. This was a patient filmmaking team committed to creating a surreal artistic vision together. I have idealized this experience in my head and not just because Catherine Coulson told us first hand what a blast it was.

I’m not saying we’re doing it this way — I won’t be delivering newspapers any time soon — but we will move slower and make decisions and discoveries as we shoot. On some days it will be a crew of one — just me. On other days it will be a crew of two. For the more difficult sequences, we will collaborate with a larger crew. The production schedule will be spread out as well. So our ability to have a smaller footprint and shoot on impulse will be an aspect to our creative approach that feels exhilarating.

CASTING NOTICE…several roles are already spoken for. However, there are still quite a few juicy parts that are wide open. And we are looking to fill them with actors who can work locally in Southern Oregon — all types, with or without experience,18 and older. The film is SAG-AFTRA, but non-union actors are encouraged to submit. If you’d like to be considered, please email us a link to a recent scene or your current reel, or even a link to a recent monologue you’ve taped. And if you don’t have anything to send, you can shoot a quick video and just tell us a bit about yourself and why you’re interested in acting in this film. Please email them to casting@jomafilms.com 🎬