Reflecting on 2024, Planning 2025

I’ve probably waited way too long to start putting a website together, but I have my reasons. Although, the validity of those reasons might vary from person to person. I didn’t feel like I had anything presentable, or at least wasn’t allowed to present the better stuff in my portfolio, until now. Even now there’s still great stuff I’ve done that won’t appear on this site due to contracts or the content itself being behind a paywall and publicly showcasing them could get me in some legal trouble. Another reason why I didn’t make a website until now: Websites cost money. If you’ve been keeping tabs on the film industry since 2020, things haven’t been so hot financially. But hey, take the existence of this site as a sign things are finally going well for some of us. That said…

2024 is probably the busiest I’ve ever been. Between working on four features, four shorts, various commercials, producing a podcast, and an event documentary I should be editing instead of writing this, I’m shocked I’ve been able to plant the seeds for things coming up in 2025. And not only did I work on these projects, I’m extremely involved with a good chunk with them even in the post-production stage, including Brim, the feature from Visage’s Keenan Dailey and Trude Camden that had a private/press premiere last month. It’s been a busy year, but already proving to be a rewarding one.

The purpose of this post is to give a quick overview of what I worked on this year, stuff I worked on that released this year, and a sneak peek of what to look forward to in 2025! You can also explore the Portfolio page as well (linked above) to see a bird’s eye view of it all.

2024

What I Worked On:

When the Night Falls, Feature (Producer, Script Supervisor)

My first big project of the year! My friend/go-to-cinematographer Kal Kociss had been attached to this project for a while and as well as been trying to find a way to get me involved for just as long. Eventually, he managed to land me a Script Supervisor position on the project in January 2024. After a phone call with the director, Andrew Lamping, I got bumped up to a producer position since I would be taking on more responsibilities, which was fine by me. I really liked the script and the production was just about as indie as it gets.

When the Night Falls was an amazing way to start the year. I was helping Andrew all throughout January and February with pre-production to the point I told him it felt like we shot the movie already, which I meant positively. We were at a point that any hiccups during production would be from something we could not have foreseen and, once we started filming in March, the idea held true. It was one of the smoothest productions I’ve worked on and all hiccups were very manageable. I only knew a couple of the crew members beforehand, but we all got along extremely well to the point that it stopped feeling like work, like we really were just all friends who were just making a movie together. As a testament to how smoothly it went, we ended up finishing early on our last day, which is very rare from my experience.

When the Night Falls is directed by Andrew Lamping, written and edited by Andrew Lamping and Jeff Stollhand, with cinematography by Kal Kociss. Blain Smith, who’s been attached from the start, also produced it alongside Andrew, Jeff, and I. The film stars Phoebe Jones and Austin Parsons as the lead couple, both of whom are amazingly talented actors with chemistry I can’t wait to show the world. I can’t say much more about the film at the moment, but you can read a news article covering the production as well as where to follow the film’s news here: https://daily-journal.com/news/local/chebanse/clifton-filmmaker-shoots-horror-film-in-kankakee-iroquois-counties/article_b2cbf810-e228-11ee-999f-6fb01af5e484.html

Ebertfest 2024, Event Documentary (Director, Editor)

This is the thing I need to be editing instead of writing this post. Don’t tell anyone!

This year marks me taking a full leadership role at Shatterglass Studios while its co-founder/creative director/the-amazing-filmmaker-that-took-me-under-his-wing-and-has-provided-unparalleled-resources-and-oppportunities Luke Boyce is away working on an amazing show airing on SyFy later this year, Revival. One of our annual projects at Shatterglass is creating a 10-15 minute retrospective documentary covering each year. I started being a part of it in 2019 as one of the camera operators, became a production manager and editor when Ebertfest came back in 2022, performed the same roles and pseudo co-directed in 2023, and in 2024’s Ebertfest I sat in the director’s seat, interviewing all the guests backstage and coordinating footage goals with the camera team. I got to discuss the festival and the movies playing with guests like Eric Roberts, Andrew Davis, Kishi Bashi, Malcolm D. Lee, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karaszewski, as well as critics such as Brian Tallerico, Dana Stevens, and Matt Singer. I’m almost certain I fanboyed too close to the sun when interviewing Matt Singer, but I’m a big fan of his work and over the moon that he signed my copy of Opposable Thumbs. Matt, if you somehow find yourself reading this, sorry if I made things awkward!

The hardest part about Ebertfest is the hours and the editing. The turnaround times are rough and there’s so. much. footage to go through. Then you need to turn all that footage into a cohesive narrative. Then you need make it an engaging narrative. It’s really tough, but I’ve done it twice before (personally a big fan of how the 2023 retrospective turned out) and the material we got covering 2024 is truly the best since I started in 2019. Like, these soundbites are amazing, this b-roll is amazing. I use the word amazing a lot, but that’s sort of my way of being at a loss for words. This is going to be a good one!

Brim, Feature (Producer, 1st Assistant Director)

If I had to pick something I’m most proud of this year, it’s this movie.

Back in 2023, my friend Keenan Dailey of Visage Entertainment pitched me a short film job he got from a client. It was in treatment form at the time with the script in progress, a fictional story about the correlation between mental health and racism, based on real research. I’m not sure if it’s a real term, but I labeled it a socio-political horror. This eventually became See No Evil, which you can read about here: https://jhu-digital-storytelling.shorthandstories.com/see-no-evil-the-journey/index.html

We filmed See No Evil in late 2023. It was a 3 1/2 day shoot for a 30-minute film. The goal Keenan had with his client was to make an anthology trilogy, each 30-minute short covering a different era following the protagonists bloodline, exploring this correlation of social and mental health issues throughout American history and how that still affects us today. As we were waiting for the funding for the second short, Keenan and his partner, Trude Namara (screenwriter of both See No Evil and Brim), were evolving the script with their client until one day they told me that the 30-minute short is now going to be a one-hour movie, with See No Evil edited in to make it a feature-length film. This new part we’d be filming, Brim, would be set in the 1950’s, have three main leads, mostly exterior locations, and had to be shot in seven days.

Have you ever shot a one-hour movie in seven days? I don’t recommend it.

It was a grueling process for everyone involved that May, but whatever deities you may believe in were on our side. I’ll wait for Keenan and Trude to decide how much behind-the-scenes stuff they want to share to the public, but I’ll still share one anecdote. Every day… every day… there was a threat of rain. If it rained, we would have had to shut down production that day since almost everything was exterior and our interior locations were only available on specific dates/times. Every day that precipitation percentage dangled over me, teasing, taunting, raising my anxiety levels to the point there was no such thing as relaxation on this movie… And yet it never rained on us. Nick Caza, my go-to sound mixer because he’s the best in the state, constantly monitored the weather radar and noted that the rain was always skirting right around us. When Brim is publicly available to watch and you see a beautiful sunny exterior scene, just know that there’s a rain cloud very visible just behind camera with a threatening presence, but never stepped foot on our set.

Brim is the only movie I worked on this year that has had a screening. Keenan’s still working on the edit, but he wanted to showcase a presentable version at the Virginia Theatre for press, the local filmmaking community, and all those involved. Brim is turning out to be an amazing film. Like, an actual film, with themes and characters and emotions and artistry. I can’t wait to have it out there in the world when it’s done. Until then, you just have to settle with this wonderful review by Amy Penne of Smile Politely: https://www.smilepolitely.com/arts/brims-inherited-memories-haunt-the-virginia-theatre/

TBA Mystery Drama, Feature (Associate Producer)

Yeah, sorry. Can’t say anything substantial about this one yet. I was mainly in charge of locations for this one and I think this has the most locations and cast members of anything I worked on. I was very tired by the end of it, but it’s a Flyover Film Studios production with a decent budget, so it was nice to see some Chicago friends again and meet some new faces!

University of Illinois Advertising

Underneath my freelance work this year, I started a part-time temp job in University of Illinois’ Strategic Communications and Marketing department. It’s been a huge life-saver for my bank account and has been giving great stuff to put in my portfolio!

Champaign County African American Heritage Trail, Documentary Series (Director of Photography, Sound Mixer)

Another Visage Entertainment project with Keenan Dailey and Trude Namara! This should be rolling out on YouTube soon. It’s a series of mini documentaries covering African American history in Champaign County and surrounding areas. Specifically, the city has been installing signage all over town of historical landmarks or areas where significant events in African American history took place. It’s one of those projects that really opens your eyes, changing how you view Champaign and the world, which means I’m in full support of it.

It was nice to get back in the cinematography role on something this scale and I think I knocked it out of the park. To see these videos as they release, subscribe to the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ccafricanamericanheritage (Please don’t judge me by the first video. That was technically unfinished when we sent it for review but they ended up posting it. haha)

Blink, Short Film (Producer, Sound Editor)

Here’s the current public synopsis: Liana confronts the haunting complexities of her marriage as memories unravel in a surreal loop, revealing the insidious influence of friends turned monsters, forcing her to stay entangled in a toxic relationship with her husband, Isaiah.

This was a fun little short film to make, also under the Visage Entertainment banner. It’s written and directed by Trude Namara (Brim), stars both herself and Keenan Dailey, with cinematography by Kal Kociss and edited by Treyvon Spiva. The edit is currently locked in and is in the coloring process via Braxton Apana who is the best colorist I’ve ever seen. Once color and edits are fully complete, it will be passed to me for sound editing and mastering, then be ready for festivals!

Patel Law 2024, Commercial (Director, Editor)

Baku Patel of Patel Law is a recurring client at Shatterglass. Anyone who still watches broadcast TV in Champaign-Urbana and surrounding areas have definitely seen his commercials, he’s practically in the cultural zeitgeist here alongside This Is It Furniture. I directed his 2022 commercial and loved jumping on the opportunity to take another swing at advertising his firm and I think this version is the best Patel Law commercial so far! Give it a watch and judge for yourself: https://www.kevinlaufilm.com/portfolio/v/patel-law-2024

Unannounced Road Trip Comedy, Feature (Production Assistant)

Another one I can’t really talk about, but keep an eye out for it because it’s a great one! Though the Production Assistant credit is the lowest on the totem pole of film set roles, it was nice to work a role of less responsibilities after a bunch of leadership roles this past year. Like, I can actually take weekends off? Wild.

Unannounced Horror, Short Film (Sound Mixer, TV Footage Editor)

Can’t say much about this. It’s directed and shot by Kal Kociss and Treyvon Spiva should be starting the edit soon. It was a cool little short to test out Kal’s new lenses and generally add something to the portfolio. If you eventually see me add a short film to the site set in a laundromat, it’s this one!

Unannounced Post-Apocalypse Horror, Short Film (Production Coordinator, Boom Operator)

DEFINITELY can’t give away details on this one. Sorry! It’s really cool, though…

Unannounced Fantasy Drama, Short Film (Production Coordinator)

Last big thing of the year, too early to talk about it.

What Released:

The Filmographers, Podcast (Producer, Editor)

Back in summer 2023, comic writer and fellow filmmaker Michael Moreci emailed me to see if I had any experience with podcast producing as well as a pitch of the podcast he and his friend, novelist Keir Graff, were thinking of putting together. Thankfully, I had the experience of producing two failed super-indie podcasts, the biggest one being Committed Critics, and as any artist worth their salt knows: You learn a hell of a lot through failure.

In this case, I’m more managing the technical side of things: mic settings, mastering the audio, editing, as well as some of the promotional material like thumbnails and social media clips. It’s been a decent gig ever since it launched January 2024 and we’ve grown at a rate faster than I would have expected from lesser-known names. As of writing this, the YouTube channel is just 200 subscribers shy of monetization! So… uh… if you aren’t subscribed yet… mind hitting that subscribe button?

The Filmographers is a podcast that aims to focus on the filmography of a different director each season. For the first season, we are tackling Mike’s favorite director, Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven, Traffic, Erin Brockovich, and Magic Mike just to name a few). Soderbergh was definitely an ambitious choice considering he has over 50 directing credits as well as still making films despite retiring twice. He’s the type of indie filmmaker that is constantly doing something and willing to shoot his movies in any way possible, including filming entirely on an iPhone. Mike and Keir just covered his latest film, Presence, on the show and he still has another movie coming out this year, Black Bag.

I’ve enjoyed my time working on the show so far, as well as the small pay it provides that comes in clutch more often than I’m willing to admit. Soderbergh has been a huge blindspot for me, so working on the show has been a nice motivator to dig into his work and feel inspired by his work ethic for my own projects. From what I’ve managed to see, my favorite Soderbergh films are Schizopolis, Kimi, and sex, lies, and videotape.

Where to find The Filmographers: YouTube | Website | Patreon

Holiday Hold-Up, Feature Film (Boom Operator)

Written by Michael Moreci and Michele McGraw, as well as directed by Michael Moreci, Michele McGraw, Robert Patrick Stern, and Francis Claudio, Holiday Hold-Up is a Christmas crime comedy about a group of restaurant employees getting fired on December 23rd, as well as not receiving their Christmas bonuses. However, if they want to make a little extra cash, the restaurant’s owner offers the opportunity to serve him and his friends on their annual poker game. Desperate for cash, and realizing something fishy has been messing with their income, the employees seize the opportunity to steal more money in one night than they could even make in a year.

This was filmed April/May of 2023 and was my first time working as a boom operator for a feature film, but I’ve had a lot of experience beforehand with short films and commercials. Still, Adam Doria, our sound mixer, taught me a lot of tricks and techniques that I’ve been implementing in every sound job since. And hey, the audio tracks in the film are great!

This was probably some of the most fun I’ve had making a movie, plus it’s the first real comedy I worked on. Working in audio, I was able to listen to the cast between takes do improv routines to pass the time and it sparked just as much joy as listening to a good episode of Comedy Bang Bang. To top it off, I really like the movie too. If you plan on watching it, keep it mind that it’s super low budget, but I think the script works really well and the cast and editing elevates it further. It’s an entry in my portfolio I’ll always be proud of.

Where to Watch Holiday Hold-Up: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/holiday-hold-up

Bedtime Story, Short Film (Sound Mixer)

Written and directed by my friend and go-to cinematographer Kal Kociss, Bedtime Story follows a young boy who unknowingly summons a monster after hearing a story from his babysitter’s friend.

It’s a fun little short with cinematography by Paul Jay Orama and edited by Treyvon Spinva, who has gone on to win editing awards for this short. It’s also colored by Braxton Apana, who has been coloring Kal’s work since. It was one of those productions where you work together with friends for a weekend and see what comes of it, and the result is pretty spectacular.

Watch Bedtime Story: https://www.kevinlaufilm.com/portfolio/v/bedtime-story

Drip Drop, Commercial (B Camera Operator, Photographer, Sound Mixer)

A half-day client shoot for Drip Drop that was shot in Champaign that needed a guy who could independently operate a camera as well as mix good audio for the interview. Believe it or not, the Venn diagram overlap of that is extremely slim, but that’s where I land!

The commercial, which currently lives as advertised Instagram posts, documents a testimony from firefighter trainer and exercise physiologist Fernando Montes about how he’s been a long-time consumer of Drip Drop and how the product has helped him and others in his field. We filmed at a fire training facility and, yes, those are real flames you see in the video.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DElBWDAAVH4/

2025

What I’m Working On:

TBA Action/Urban-Fantasy, Comic Book (Writer/Creator)

Probably the most exciting thing I’m working on right now, but can’t say much about it yet. I’m working with Keenan Dailey from Visage Entertainment on this one and we just reached a draft of issue #1 that we’re both extremely happy with. Keenan is working on character designs and settling on an art style, I’m working on world-building materials for him as well as outlining future issues, and we sent the script out to a couple comic book writers we know to make sure we’re not making any rookie mistakes.

I would imagine we won’t make any materials publicly available until fall 2025, which is also dependent on if publishers are interested in it or we decide to self-publish. There’s talk of doing a kickstarter once a publishing deal is set to cover costs until royalty checks come in, which I’ve heard can take as long as nine months after the release of the first issue.

This is a story idea I’ve been toying with for about seven years, and this team-up between Keenan and I on this specific project is a product of practice meeting opportunity meeting coincidence. Our friendship started when he was acting in a web series I was producing/shooting, but grew as we had similar interests in movies, television, and, surprise surprise, comic books. Invincible is the main comic we still talk about, which is a big inspiration for the pacing and emotions I’m trying to emulate in my writing.

There will be a huge update when there’s something to interact with, so subscribe to my monthly newsletter to stay in the know! The plan is to for sure do four issues as a miniseries, but my hope is to tell the full story with fifty issues!

TBA Comedy, Short Film (Writer/Director)

There’s an old script some of my friends know that I wrote in 2019. Lately I’ve finally been feeling like I know enough about writing and directing to get back in the creative game and this script has been gnawing at me for a long time, wanting to become a reality. Soon I’ll revise it and start pitching it around. I’m hoping to generate a small budget for it so it at least looks like a real production instead of by a rag tag group of filmmakers, I have enough student films in my portfolio from when I was an actual student. Ideally would like to film this in spring and start submitting to festivals in the fall!

TBA Comedy, Feature (Writer/Hopefully Director)

The only thing that exists of this is a logline and an outline, but planning on writing the script this year and have a pitch-able version by the fall. It’s a silly idea I came up with while watching the chemistry between some of the cast of Holiday Hold-Up. The film market is rough, so I highly doubt the turnaround from script to production would be quick, but I think it’s a solid idea that can be shot for around the same budget as Holiday Hold-Up, which isn’t much at all.

TBA Horror, Feature (Writer/Open to Directing)

More of a premise than a story at the moment, but I had an idea based on my frustrations of some of the movies coming out lately with Wolf Man sealing the deal and motivating me to pursue this idea. We’ll see where this screenplay goes, but the premise, visuals, and overall theme I want to tackle is pretty clear in my mind.

TBA Fantasy Drama, Novel (Author)

Every writer is working on a novel, and I guess I’m no different. I’ve written a few novels that I think are absolute clunkers but this one… I don’t know. I’m writing it by hand first then doing a second draft as I transcribe it digitally. I’m still in the early stages of it but it just feels like something. I don’t really know how else to explain it. It will probably take a good while for this to come to fruition, if at all, but just wanted to put it out there that I’m just like every other writer.

Movie of the Month:

For those that want to follow along with my monthly post (which won’t be as long as this one. I promise!), I’ll tack on a movie I watched recently that I think more people should see. And this month’s movie is…

Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Documentary (2010, Dir. Werner Herzog)

Synopsis: Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France, capturing the oldest known pictorial creations of humankind in their astonishing natural setting.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams has landed as my favorite first-watch of 2024. It’s a soft yet cutting introspection on how it feels to be human. It made me think about how though our time on this earth may be extremely limited, memories, ideas, and dreams can be passed down for what seems like eternity. Art, if well preserved as seen here, is the same.

Where to Watch Cave of Forgotten Dreams: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/cave-of-forgotten-dreams

That’s all for now! I’ll be back end of February!