Not-your-typical-feature

After Checks and Balance opened my eyes to the possibilities of low-budget filmmaking, the next logical leap was producing a feature for even less than my previous short. I knew this endeavor would require a bit more ingenuity so I opted to build the entire project around the sole asset I had: my childhood MiniDV HandyCam.

While some may have considered this a hindrance, it ended up being the driving force of the whole movie. As an avid lover of found-footage, vérité cinematography, and naturalistic performances, this was the chance to break away from the traditional style of filmmaking used for CAB and integrate more of my biggest influences. I also had recently gone through the COVID-exacerbated fallout (or fade away, if you’re lucky) of many college friendships that no longer had the same vigor now that it was up to us to maintain them, so I was seeking a destination for that reflection. Throw in a shifting relationship with Los Angeles, the city I had lived in for nearly a decade yet never called “home,” with a desperation to just go out and make something after COVID, and you’ve got the foundation of Big Break.