Elisabeth Lochen Roy Unger Mark Osborne Keith Milton Chris Harwood and Bruce Laffey

Chris, 36, has worked in the film and television industry for 14 years. His experience so far has been concentrated on set decoration, but he has also been writing scripts--he says "with mild success"--for some 9 years. His studies at Syracuse University in New York included film esthetics, advertising, design, photography, and history. Chris grew up on the east coast of the United States, in Concord, Massachusetts and later Pleasantville, New York. Bruce, 38, is a native of the Los Angeles area, but he did not fall into filmmaking immediately. He earned a degree in hotel and restaurant business management at San Diego State University in California, and worked in the field until 1993, when he decided to try his hand at acting. By 1995, he had made another career move--to the other side of the camera as a camera assistant.   Chris and Bruce came to collaborate on this film through a UCLA extension course called Making a Short Film. Domestic Incident was one of only five projects that was ultimately chosen to be made through the course. Chris and Bruce are already working on their next project together.

About the film . . . About short film Current Projects About American Short Shorts Personal favorites

About the film . . . a. What do you think is the most unique aspect of your film? Chris says that what distinguishes his short from most other short films is it's lack of a "surprise, zinger ending." Chris explains, "We just told a narrative story. . . . For me it was really about taking my audience on a ride where they get to experience several emotional states in a short amount of time--everything from fear, a little bit of horror, to laughter." "It's a slice of life," adds Bruce. b. What was difficult in putting it all together? Because this was Chris and Bruce's first experiences directing and producing a film, at times it was a difficult task. "You can work in this industry for so many years," says Chris, "and think you know everything. Then make your own movie! There's a lot more to it." Chris mentions the painful moments in the editing room. Even after feeling confident that he had shot everything he could possibly need, he often found himself wishing he'd shot something he missed. c. Talk about some unexpected surprises that arose "Despite the fact that we were doing a first film, it went amazingly smoothly," says Chris. Bruce mentions that there were the occasional surprises when some of their voluntary crew received offers for paying jobs and therefore were unavailable to work on Domestic Incident. "We did find some great people [to help], but the better they are, the more in demand they are, so we had a great gaffer that had to go onto North Carolina and the casting director had to go onto something else. We had to scramble for another editor." d. Talk about the reception your film has had a previous screenings "Audience reactions have been pretty consistent. The gasps are all in the right places. The chuckles are all in the right places," says Chris. But Bruce points out that they also get some chuckles where they weren't expecting.

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About short film a. Why is short film so great in your opinion? Chris notes that short films are a filmmaker's calling card. "A short film is a great classroom," he says. "And also, a short film is a very good way to be able to tell a story--a short story that's concise and draws an interesting conclusion that's satisfying. It's a real challenge." Bruce notes that the internet has opened a lot of opportunity for short filmmakers. b. Why go to see shorts versus features "A lot of people have short attention spans," says Chris. "When we were at Sundance, often I heard people saying how much they preferred to go see the shorts, partially for the variety but also because they were often more clever." "It gives you a chance to experiment with the cutting edge," says Bruce, adding that the shorter the short the better in many cases--especially on the internet. c. Are we in a shorts revolution? They both agree. "It has become a significant opportunity for independent filmmakers to show their stuff," says Chris, "and of course now with digital video becoming so popular and accepted by the festival circuit." Bruce adds that it's not just an opportunity for independents--"John Malkovich wants to do a short. There's a famous commercial director whose interested in doing a short."

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Current Projects a. What current projects are you working on? Chris is writing the script for a short that he and Bruce hope to make this summer. Chris is also peddling a few feature scripts that he's written. b. Were those projects influenced by the short in ASS? "The short that we're talking about making is really an opportunity to do something different from Domestic Incident, to build that portfolio and show a variety of skills," says Chris. The upcoming short will be more comic and action oriented than Domestic Incident. c. Ultimate goals as a film maker or something else? "Certainly success as a writer, particularly feature writing is something I've been working at for a while. And making this particular project has certainly made me discover I love directing. I had no idea that I'd fall in love with directing. Those are large aspirations, but somebody's got to do it," says Chris. In making Domestic Incident, Bruce also fell in love with producing, with the problem solving that's part of the job, and particularly with solving those problems creatively.

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About American Short Shorts a. What went through your mind when you heard about a shorts fest in Japan? Chris, having lived in Japan as an exchange student, is curious to see what the Japanese audience at A.S.S. will be like, and how they will react to his film. b. What would you like the Japanese audience to take home from your film? "I just hope that the take away the same the as all of the audiences who've seen it have," says Chris "An interesting sensory experience that will cause them, hopefully, to have a conversation or two with a friend or someone they see the film with." Bruce adds that dysfunctional relationships, the main theme of their film, are universal; everyone can relate, no matter where they are from. c. Do you think that American shorts have a place in Japan? "I don't see why not. Certainly long format has a place over there. Entertainment is entertainment, and if it's good, why not?"

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Personal favorites a. Film Chris--North by Northwest "For me it's a toss-up. I've got about 20, but maybe North by Northwest. That might be my favorite. Bruce--The Godfather b. One word that describes Japan Chris--Intense Bruce--Tradition c. Favorite director "Visually, Ridley Scott. Certainly Alfred Hitchcock. Billy Wilder, for being able to tell a story," says Chris. d. Main reason for becoming a director? "For me it's the same as it is for a lot of writers--it's an opportunity to control your own material," says Chris. "And it has turned into the art form that is directing a film. It is quite an artistic experience." e. A movie love scene that rocked your world? Chris--From Say Anything when John Cusack and Ione Skye's characters have sex in the backseat of his car. "It seemed to me that it was one of the most honest portrayals of two people really getting into each other that I've ever seen." "And it's hard to find that too," adds Bruce. "A lot of actors in sex scenes tend to watch other movies and think, 'Well, that must be the way that it's done,' versus the actual way it happens beyond closed doors." But Chris's favorite is from When Harry Met Sally when Meg Ryan as Sally fakes an orgasm in a deli.

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