A Case Study
Narrative | Dramatic Features
Film Name: All-American Sex Offender
Genre: Short Comedy / TV Series
Executive Producer: Ted Reilly, Kelly Aisthorpe Waller, John Waller, Kim Ruhana, George Ruhana, Julie Dingens, Greg Dingens
Director: Chloe Lenihan
Producer: Jacquelyn Jamjoom
Writer: Chloe Lenihan, Alex Cannon
Cinematographer: Jason Chiu
Editor: Sergio Allard
Production Designer: Armani Barron
Production Management: Sam George
Financing: CMA Digital Studios
World Premiere: DC WebFest – April 3, 2020
Awards: 2
– Best Web Series” (HollyShorts Film Festival, 2020) Script
– Winner of the inaugural launch of CMA Digital Studios Content Initiative, 2018
Website
indieactivity: Tell us about the festival run, marketing and sales?
Chloe Lenihan (CL): All-American Sex Offender recently screened in competition at the Oscar®-Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival. The annual festival saw over six-thousand submissions for their “Sweet 16” year and took place virtually between November 9-15, 2020. All-American Sex Offender was awarded “Best Web Series” winning its category. Previous screenings include DC Web Fest (2020), Montreal Web Fest (2020), and Miami Web Fest (2020). Our next screening will take place at the Hollywood Comedy Shorts Festival in December. The 6-episode web series is currently available to stream for free on YouTube.
Descriptively elaborate from start to finish how the story developed into a screenplay. Did you secure the screenplay rights, or partnered with a writer to do his screenplay or maybe you actually wrote the story & screenplay. Talk about how you secured finance for the film: did you go to a film market? Or did a financier approach you after you pitched it or was it self-financed?
Chloe Lenihan (CL): All-American Sex Offender grew out of a short film called Red Dot, which I directed at the end of my first year in the MFA program at Columbia University. The premise is based on the real account of a friend who, while in college, did too many kegs stands before getting busted by campus police for peeing on the University quad. At court, the judge threatened a punitive sex offence charge, but she was ultimately cleared and now has a funny story to share at parties.
The Official Trailer for All-American Sex Offender written and directed by Chloe Lenihan
The idea of a wholesome all-American girl knocking on a stranger’s door and declaring herself the last (and worst!) thing imaginable, grew from a joke into a short film, and ultimately a web series! I developed the short film, Red Dot, into a feature script, but retired it to a folder on my desktop. Then, my friend and classmate from Columbia, Alex Cannon, approached me about collaborating on an episodic version and together we wrote the web series. I had heard about the inaugural launch of a Content Initiative through CMA Digital Studios in Chicago from a college friend, so Alex and I submitted episodes of, the newly titled,
All-American Sex Offender. While waiting to hear from CMADS, we also submitted to the Sundance YouTube New Voices Lab, where we advanced as second-round finalists. Although we were ultimately not selected by Sundance, we did win the CMADS Content Initiative which entailed full financing to produce the series in Chicago. This win also came with a producer, which is how Jacquelyn Jamojoom entered the project.
From producer Jacquelyn Jamjoom: When I came on board, Chloe and Alex’s script was already one of the top ten best scripts in Chicago Media Angels’ inaugural competition, but it really was a shining star among the rest. Not only did Chloe and Alex create such a vivid and immersive read they had also created a fresh and hilarious take on a genre in desperate need of a facelift.
Describe your entire production process: schedules, deadlines, filming or principal photography (cinematography), locations, ADR, editing until the first cut. It is imperative that you recall these processes and write it down chronologically, describing it as much close to detail?
Chloe Lenihan (CL): The most significant part of the filmmaking process was the period of pre-production. The scale of production was very ambitious despite the small budget, and this was the first time I was directing myself as an actor, so I made sure to over-prepare.
In preparation for this shoot, I spent a large amount of time refining my shot list to reflect the psychological arc of the characters in the film, but also the emotional arc I wanted the audience to feel while watching. Because I was also acting in the lead role, I knew that my capacity for answering crew questions would be limited while shooting. I devoted myself to communicating the intention behind every shot and aesthetic choice with all the key creatives before Day 1, so I could trust that onset our team had clear and united objectives.
Calling on help from the community, we were able to source several big elements for free. Some friends lent their houses as locations, former students of mine volunteered as PAs or background actors, and the huge wardrobe was a family perk. My mom owns a vintage & costume store in Los Angeles called Junk for Joy (located in Burbank’s Magnolia Park district) and she supplied all the police uniforms and various costumes. My friends and family really galvanized behind this project, and their support shows in the high production value you see onscreen.
Tell us how you released the movie?
Chloe Lenihan (CL): Like so many other events in 2020, Covid derailed our ambitions to host a live premiere party for industry locals in Chicago. Halloween and a political election are major tentpoles in All-American Sex Offender, so we decided to publicly release in October to parallel the current presidential election and autumnal season. We also explored platforms catering to short-form episodic content, but the landscape had become rather unpredictable in the midst of the pandemic. We decided that YouTube would be the right home because it is an easily searchable platform and exposes our show to the widest possible audience.
Advice from the Filmmaker?
CL: The best bit of advice I can give is to find collaborators who align with your values and share your work ethic. Filmmaking is hard and laborious and I am convinced that the surest means to success is surrounding yourself with people who are smarter and more talented than yourself. When you have the right partners, you hold yourself to a higher standard and the quality of your work soars to new heights. Never put yourself above the work. Learn from your peers.
Celebrate their successes. Rise with your friends. Also, when you’ve had one drink too many and nature calls (in public), remember All-American Sex Offender as a cautionary tale!
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