a short by nathan adloff
director’s statement:
Many ideas for the characters interviewing for the job came from the actors themselves. Mary Sohn and myself came up with a list of characters we thought were funny and would like to see in the film, but we encouraged everybody to come up with a character idea for themselves. The final result is a mixture of the two methods -- some characters created by us, some by the actors. We shot multiple takes, trying different characters as well. Making the film was a very fluid process, yet not knowing how the story would flow until the editing process.
The film was shot in just 18 hours. Three and a half hours of footage was cut down to a sixteen and a half minute short. I was fortunate enough to only budget for food and some minimal transportation costs. The casting process was interesting, as some actors were friends, some were friends of friends and some were picked from the open audition call that we hosted.
I wanted to make a funny film that is colorful, fast-paced and full of those awkward moments that make you squirm in your seat. This could not have been accomplished without the talented people that filled the store and acted as job applicants, exercising their fantastic improvisational skills.
anecdote:
After completing my last short film "Untied Strangers", I knew I wanted to make another comedy, for sure using the hilarious Mary Sohn. I first discovered Ms. Sohn when attending one of her all-women improv troupe (Sirens) shows and about lost control of all bodily functions. The rest is history, having shot another short, currently on the festival circuit.
The idea of shooting in a small, organic grocery store came over time. The original idea came to me after visiting an amazing little fish store here in Chicago. I though to myself, how funny would it be to make a film about people coming in to interview to work at an aquarium? The awkward ones tipping over fish tanks, the one getting bit by a barracuda and of course the one hitting on the store owner. After a lack of interest from the aquarium, a little grocery store opened up across the street from my apartment. Shortly after it opened and meeting the owners, it just seemed right to shoot the film there. With much excitement from the folks at Green Grocer, we were shooting the film overnight on a Sunday. We began after they closed and finished just before it was time to open!
©2009 nathan adloff
