Today we’d like to introduce you to Shortie Film Prod. Members: Maxwell M., Shoshanah H., Eliana H., Kaiya M., Nedavya H., Kennedy M., Kennedy K..
Hi Shortie Film Prod. Members: Maxwell M., Shoshanah H., Eliana H., Kaiya M., Nedavya H., Kennedy M., Kennedy K., so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Roadkill is the story of four college friends from the same hometown. When Mara, the beloved baby of the group, breaks up with her ex-boyfriend, the four girls embark on a post-breakup road trip. Full of turns and emotion, the girls must learn what it means to be there for each other. Roadkill is a coming-of-age story about accepting life’s changes and facing the weight of responsibility.
Roadkill began as two separate inspirations. The story started as a concept from Kaiya Mikel. The short film project began as a concept from Eliana Hilliker. When Eliana, Kaiya, and Kennedy Mikel all converged and expressed similar desires to begin learning skillsets in the film industry, it took only a matter of days for the rest of Shortie Film Productions to be gathered, and a project to be started.
Story-wise, Roadkill has truly carried itself. The team has appreciated (without giving too many spoilers!) how much Roadkill pushes both its characters and its audience to face the hard conversations in life that would be easier to push down. And it recognizes the bravery it takes to embrace the fact that life is going to come with unexpected change, but that this change should be faced with community, rather than isolation.
Our team:
Eliana Hilliker (She/Her)- Director, Assistant Script Writer, Costume Designer, Social Media Manager
Kennedy Mikel (She/Her)- Assistant Director, Assistant Script Writer, Location Scout
Maxwell Maksymowski (He/Him)- Producer, Editor, Light and Sound Designer
Kennedy Kazemeir (She/Her)- Artistic Director, Props Designer, Cinematographer, Camera Operator, Location Scout, Social Media Manager
Kaiya Mikel (She/Her)- Head Script Writer, Bookkeeper, Production Assistant
Nedavya Hilliker (She/Her)- Sound Assistant, Production Assistant
Shoshanah Hilliker (She/They)- Wardrobe Crew, Sound Assistant, Production Assistant
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Roadkill has been an enjoyable learning process for everyone involved. Most of the team comes from a theater background, and Maxwell Maksymowski. is currently in school for film production, so we had at least ideas of how to begin planning, writing, storyboarding, casting, and how to get to set.
Working on set has been the biggest learning experience. Challenges along the way have been learning how to light the inside of a vehicle, how to rig a camera and film on the inside of a vehicle (with no crew present once the scene is started and the actors are sent off in the car!), how to address weather changes on set, and how to troubleshoot schedule changes when actor schedules fall out of line with each other. But within all of these struggles, there have been positive learning experiences, and all of us have left at the end of the day with new ideas in mind and fresh motivation for the project.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Most of the Shortie Film Productions crew began with a background in theater production as actors, crew, stage managers, and directors. The world of theater is our primary space, with a combined sixty years of experience in between everyone. However, we all had a desire to branch out and begin learning the film industry, and the timing worked out divinely for our little group. Something that sets our group apart is that it’s very team-oriented. Our group does technically have structured roles for the project in order to keep the vision supported. However, these roles are not so concrete that we separate learning opportunities. “Master classes” were held by the specialists of each field, and then practiced by the rest of the team. Maxwell held a storyboarding and shot list master class, and then the boards were designed by the whole team. Kennedy Kazemier did a camera master class on how to operate the equipment on set. Eliana, the director, led the project by taking the script and building the team upward toward clarifying themes, character analysis, and story goals, which the rest of the team sprouted from in their own specialties, like props, sound, costumes, and lights. The Shortie Film team has worked hard during this process to support each other and ensure a creative and emotionally safe space for every artist involved.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Credit is largely due to our sponsors of the short film. Roadkill has had twenty-one financial supporters who provided a budget for our team, which has opened up so many more opportunities for us than if we had to cover it by ourselves.
Credit also needs to go to all of the people and companies who have hosted us for filming locations and supported us in this endeavor.
Credit is also due to Kathy Anderson at the Ceglarek Fine Arts Center, who provided costumes.
And last but not least, credit is deserved to our actors for jumping on this project and putting so much heart into their side of the story.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roadkillmovie
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ShortieFilmProductions
