Vault

what was lost must now be reclaimed

“Vault” (a found-footage horror short) is my first film as writer/director/producer and is now available online!

This film was a long time in coming - and by that I mean that the inspiration for it was over 20 years ago. I was lucky enough to be cast in a dance ensemble work that was filmed on location at Fort Worden called “A Clear Day and No Memories.” Therefore my first introduction to the magic of the Washington forts was an immersive 8-day experience where we explored choreography, costumes and lighting to create an avant-garde short film from the mind of Maureen Whiting. Since that time I’ve visited all the forts multiple times, and have countless photos and videos of myself experiencing the spaces…when it came time to write my first screenplay, there wasn’t any doubt in my mind where it would be set. The theme of nature taking back what was stolen played out in so many amazing ways over the course of discussions around character/motivation, setting, cinematography methods, and the feel of the shoot itself. Tons of thanks to the MUSTER writing group, the Seattle Horror Filmmakers FB group, and the Chromadreamers collective for supporting me in the development of the script and finding partners to create this film!

I have to give shoutouts to the amazing cast and crew that helped make the preproduction, filming, and editing for Vault go off without a hitch! I couldn’t have done it without Christina Morales, whose tireless effort and seasoned insights as producer/AD made this film happen. Nicky Smit brought focus and a willingness to try new things as an experienced DP working with phone technology and a found footage genre. Emma Archbold played the lead character Riley with so much creativity, flexibility and nuance that I was blown away. Ray Kurtz handled the editing of the film with such flexibility, nuance and skill - the found footage nature imposed many rules that we had to find creative ways around. Misha Lepire managed the slate the day of the shoot, captured sound he wanted recorded, and did an incredible job in post creating the soundscape of the film! Amy Phillips was beyond clutch as both SFX makeup on set and the concept and construction of most of the creature costumes. Robin Brooks helped immeasurably as the wardrobe supervisor, sourcing tons of costume pieces, connecting with the cast and laboring over the main creature look. Logan Cannon (my set bestie) brought his acting talent to the role of Horns and his teddy-bear personality to the set, developing that character beyond what I had envisioned. My talented core of creatures/background came from the Unstoppable: A Queer Dancical cast - thank you Kiran, Franco, Vivian and Richard for the professionalism and poise you brought to this film! Raphael Liu was irreplaceable not only as a grip and boom operator, but also as a problem-solver and overall calm presence on the shoot. Thanks also to the park rangers and managers (especially Aaron Terada and Brian Hageman) for doing so much to help our on-location shoot go smoothly, and OTS Films for providing insurance!

Thanks as well to all who have seen the film thus far and given feedback, so much of which was positive and encouraging - I have another film up my sleeve within this mythology! It’s been awesome seeing people’s enthusiasm for the story and the forts themselves - check out the film on YouTube!!