Start With The Story

This Friday, September 25, Crumbs will premiere at the Red Cedar Film Festival in Menomonie, Wisconsin.

That means something to me because, for a long time, Crumbs was only a few pages and a set of restrictions: one location, one continuous take, a small cast and crew, and Super 16 film.

I didn’t have every part of the production figured out. I only had enough to begin.

Producer Paul Del Gesso believed in the script and helped bring Grainger Hines aboard. When Grainger rehearsed with Kevin Murphy and Ed Ruotolo, I watched the story grow beyond what I had written. A glance, a pause, or a breath brought something new to it.

DP Andrew Trost understood that I wanted the film to have a very natural feel, and he brought that care to the lighting and image. Because the film unfolds in one continuous take, Trinity operator Manny Gutierrez Jr. worked closely with Grainger on the blocking so the camera movement and framing stayed precise without getting in the way of the performance.

That is how Crumbs moved forward—not because I had everything in place, but because I took the first step and found people who believed in the story enough to take the next steps with me.

If you have a story you keep thinking about, you don’t need to see the entire road before you begin. Write the pages. Decide what you can realistically make. Then share it with someone you trust. One person can lead you to another.

That is how a few pages on my desk found their way to a theater in Wisconsin.

If there’s a story you want to make, reply and tell me about it.