What an adventure! This is BTS by
@hillsterling of me working as 1st (and only) Assistant Director on the set of Ed Négiar’s dystopian dark comedy short film “Hawaii.”
I had long thought that the role of 1st AD was too stressful for me, too much for neurodivergent mind to handle. But suddenly it felt like it was time, because I knew I wanted to be deeply involved in this project, and I felt that I had finally attained a level of set experience such that I could take on such a role and really contribute something.
And what an incredible experience this was. A highlight was the opportunity to work with a tremendously skilled and professional actor in John Getz, known for a prolific career in film and TV including major roles for the Coen Brothers, David Cronenberg, David Fincher, and many more. To hear him compliment our set and our crew was an honor. And what was especially fun on this shoot was that, taking on some additional responsibilities on the producing/casting side of things and casting our extras, I managed to cast my dad, who is not a professional actor but really has a knack for it, in a funny non-speaking role facing off against John Getz’s character. John Getz’s cinematic opponents now include Jeff Goldblum in “The Fly” and my dad in “Hawaii,” so basically my dad is just like Jeff Goldblum, I guess.
Thank you
@edscargot , mon frère, for trusting me with helping to bring your vision to life, thank you
@nataliegimonvalencia for your amazing producing work in making all this actually happen and for getting us through no matter what wild challenges popped up, thank you
@cortneyleecolvig for bringing your cinematographic talents and being both extremely fun and very productive to work with. Thank you to the rest of the crew for your amazing work and collaborative spirit, including our student crew members from
@strasberginstitutela . Such a fun, enthusiastic, helpful, skilled team. Thank you to our incredible cast. Thank you
@sunny_day_training for the perfect location (everyone please go adopt their dogs!) And thank you
@hillsterling for all the incredible photos!
