Essential Artists: Film in Covid on Quarantine During Pandemic

#11Audiostandard

Aug 18, 2021·51m

Stage Premise:

The cast of Breakout! - A film shot completely over zoom - regale the trials and tribulations of shooting art during a global pandemic. News flash: it's not always easy.

Cast & Characters (4)

Angela GiarratanaasKelsey Kelsey

Kylie BrakemanasMarcie Marcie

Jeremy CulhaneasSebastian Bastian

Patrick McDonaldasKenny Kendall

Bits & Timeline (10)

3:10 (5m 45s)

CHARACTER_INTRO

The Essential Artists of Breakout! Roll Call

The panel of 'creators' introduce themselves and their overlapping roles on the quarantine film 'Breakout!', including a COVID officer who also directed and a writer who forgot to mention he wrote it.

"I'm Kelsey Kelsey and I was the COVID officer on Breakout."

"I played obviously the lead, the romantic lead and also at the end kind of the main horror villain."

"I did write this. I guess I should have led with that."

Kelsey Kelsey (Angela Giarratana)Marcie Marcie (Kylie Brakeman)Kenny Kendall (Patrick McDonald)Sebastian Bastian (Jeremy Culhane)

#Film Production#Quarantine Art#Multi-hyphenates

9:14 (36s)

BACKSTORY_REVEAL

The 1918 Influenza Family Legacy

Sebastian Bastian reveals his deep-seated interest in pandemics stems from his family motto 'watch your back', established after his ancestors died of the 1918 flu on a boat.

"Our family motto is watch your back, watch your back."

"They catch influenza and die, and the baby is raised on that boat."

Sebastian Bastian (Jeremy Culhane)Kenny Kendall (Patrick McDonald)

#Family History#Pandemic Lore#Inspiration

14:26 (5m 30s)

VISUAL_GAG

The Plot of Breakout!: Toilet Paper and Border Drama

The cast discusses the plot of their film, which involves a woman spiraling in a Canadian Airbnb, a romantic lead turning evil, and a high-stakes search for toilet paper on day three.

"She runs out of toilet paper day three and getting the toilet paper is a huge issue."

"Border drama, toilet paper drama. That was just the song of the day."

Sebastian Bastian (Jeremy Culhane)Marcie Marcie (Kylie Brakeman)Kenny Kendall (Patrick McDonald)Kelsey Kelsey (Angela Giarratana)

#Screenwriting#Plot Holes#Relatability

21:23 (54s)

GAME_OR_PITCH

The Zoom-Only Filmmaker Identity

The panel discusses how they feel more like themselves on Zoom than in person, leading to a pitch for a movie about a filmmaker who is only comfortable behind a digital interface.

"Sometimes I feel more myself on Zoom than I do outside of Zoom."

"That's a movie, by the way. We should write that down."

Kelsey Kelsey (Angela Giarratana)Marcie Marcie (Kylie Brakeman)Sebastian Bastian (Jeremy Culhane)Kenny Kendall (Patrick McDonald)

#Remote Work#Indie Film#Digital Identity

23:55 (1m)

BACKSTORY_REVEAL

The Pandemic Origin Story of Breakout!

Sebastian Bastian recounts the 'generational' trauma of his family being wiped out by the 1918 influenza, which inspired his obsession with pandemic filmmaking.

"My family was very affected by the influenza of 1918."

"Our family motto is watch your back."

Sebastian Bastian (Jeremy Culhane)Kenny Kendall (Patrick McDonald)Marcie Marcie (Kylie Brakeman)

#Screenwriting#Historical Fiction#Trauma

31:15 (1m 45s)

ESCALATION

The Approver and the Hospitalization Gag

The group discusses the rotating role of 'The Approver' on set, revealing that the original Approver, Jarmy, was hospitalized with COVID, which the group views as a 'perfect mistake.'

"Every mistake is perfect. Every mistake is absolutely perfect."

"When our Approver got COVID and had to go to the hospital, I would not change a single thing."

Sebastian Bastian (Jeremy Culhane)Marcie Marcie (Kylie Brakeman)Kelsey Kelsey (Angela Giarratana)Kenny Kendall (Patrick McDonald)

#Production Management#Toxic Workplace#Health & Safety

34:25 (1m 25s)

VISUAL_GAG

Glenn Gary Glenn Glenn's Coffee Meltdown

A clip from the film shows Kenny Kendall's character, Glenn Gary Glenn Glenn, having a 'happy but evil' breakdown while making coffee and referencing the Gal Gadot 'Imagine' video.

"Yum, yum, Mr. Coffee."

"I'm going to need some toilet paper after all this coffee."

Kenny Kendall (Patrick McDonald)Kelsey Kelsey (Angela Giarratana)Marcie Marcie (Kylie Brakeman)

#Method Acting#Product Placement#Horror

39:30 (45s)

VISUAL_GAG

The Tragic Influenza Origins of Sebastian Bastian

Sebastian Bastian recounts his family's generational trauma involving the 1918 influenza, including a baby raised on a boat and a deli shop tragedy, which inspired his COVID-19 film.

Sebastian Bastian (Jeremy Culhane)Kenny Kendall (Patrick McDonald)Marcie Marcie (Kylie Brakeman)

#Screenwriting#Backstory#Generational Trauma

41:00 (1m 5s)

VISUAL_GAG

Zoom-Based Filmmaking and Pavlovian Salivation

The panel discusses their deep connection to Zoom, admitting they feel more like themselves on camera than in person, leading to a physical Pavlovian response to the interface.

"Sometimes I feel more myself on Zoom than I do outside of Zoom."

"My mouth is salivating, exactly like... my mouth is absolutely salivating."

Kenny Kendall (Patrick McDonald)Kelsey Kelsey (Angela Giarratana)Marcie Marcie (Kylie Brakeman)Sebastian Bastian (Jeremy Culhane)

#Remote Work#Digital Era#Method Acting

43:30 (1m 15s)

GAME_OR_PITCH

The Case Against Directors and Leaders

The artists argue that the film industry should move toward 'communal directing,' comparing filmmaking to a factory line of spaghetti where no single leader is necessary.

"I think it proves that actually movies don't need directors."

"Not one person can make a plate of spaghetti, you know?"

Kenny Kendall (Patrick McDonald)Kelsey Kelsey (Angela Giarratana)Marcie Marcie (Kylie Brakeman)Sebastian Bastian (Jeremy Culhane)

#Directing#Industry Trends#Collaboration