An Industry Case Study
Narrative | Dramatic Features
Film Name: Rendezvous
Genre: Drama, LGBT
Length of film: 15 mins
Date: 2021
Director: Benjamin Howard
Producer: Laura Scarano
Executive Producer: Benjamin Howard
Writer: Benjamin Howard
Cinematographer: Michael Elias Thomas
Editor: Benjamin Howard
Composer: Jerik Centeno
Production Company: Windsor Film Company
Budget: $12,000
Financing: self-financed
Shooting Format: Digital
Screening Format: DCP
World Premiere: HollyShorts Film Festival
Awards: TBD
Website: windsorfilmcompany.com
The Official Trailer for Rendezvous
Watch The Trailer for Rendezvous directed by Benjamin Howard
A Short Biography of Benjamin Howard
Benjamin Howard is an award-winning writer, director and producer. A recipient of the New Filmmaker Award at the 2018 San Diego Film Awards, Benjamin’s narrative projects have enjoyed several successful runs in the festival circuit. His work in the San Diego State University program earned him an award for Excellence in Film Directing during the spring of his senior year. In the future, he hopes to start a production company that provides filmmakers with developmental disabilities opportunities in the film industry. Benjamin is currently enrolled in the Film Production / Directing M.F.A. at UCLA.
The Benjamin Howard Interview
indieactivity: What is your film about?
Benjamin Howard (BH): On the surface, Rendezvous is a coming-of-age story about growing up. But what I wanted to explore with the script went beyond just “growing up”. I wanted to analyze what drives us to make certain decisions at certain times in our lives. What happens when intimacy and lust clash. And how honesty and consent play roles in the bedroom– but not always so neatly. Put plainly, Rendezvous is a story that examines what happens when innocence is lost and childhood ends– all within the span of an afternoon. And it’s based on a true story.
Tell us about the festival run, marketing and sales?
Benjamin Howard (BH): We began submitting the film to festivals last fall, at the end of 2020. It went through several rounds of rejections before landing a world premiere at the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival (thank you, HollyShorts!). So, we’re at the early stages of our festival run, and will hopefully be able to attend several more festivals over the course of its life. We haven’t taken any awards home yet, but we’re excited to see where else the short ends up, and what else it might take home.
Give the full Official Synopsis for your film?
Benjamin Howard (BH): Dakota, a reserved teenager, waits awkwardly at the front door of a 30-year-old gentleman he’s been chatting with online. After a moment, the guy opens the door. He’s clearly not 30– older. But he’s welcoming. Inside, the two make obligatory small talk before sharing a kiss and exchanging names: the guy goes by Sebastian. Soon, they make their way to the bed and their clothes come off. The affair becomes heated– Dakota asks Sebastian to slow down. Then, Dakota makes an odd request: “Would you tell me you love me?” Turned off, Sebastian refuses.
Later, Dakota asks if it would turn Sebastian on if he were younger– 16, or 17. Sebastian stops and clarifies: “You’re not, though, right?” Dakota shakes his head: no. The hookup continues. Soon, Sebastian crosses a line, and Dakota puts an end to it. Their encounter ends in a confrontational exchange. He leaves abruptly. Arriving home, Dakota offers a meek “hello” to his mom in the dining room, before escaping upstairs to his bedroom.
Inside, on his dresser, a Homecoming photo displays Dakota and a girlfriend. College admission applications sit on top of a high school chemistry book. Dakota powers up a game console. In the last moments, we watch as the events of the afternoon dawn on him. Tears well up in his eyes as the graphics from the video game dance on his face.
Development & Financing?
Benjamin Howard (BH): I wrote an early draft of the short in one night, after watching the Euphoria pilot. There was a scene in that pilot that triggered this memory I had, and it felt like it would make for a simple, effective short script. I have a tendency to explore coming-of-age stories, typically through a gay lens— after all, we’re taught to write what we know. So the story was sparked from this memory, and then grew from there. I was excited to have something that felt really simple, sincere, and personal— this is definitely the most personal script I’ve penned. Since I wrote the screenplay myself, there was no need to secure any rights. And as an independent student filmmaker (the short was actually a student project for UCLA), I self-financed most of it. UCLA provides a small chunk of funding, but for the most part, I paid out-of-pocket for the piece.
Production?
Benjamin Howard (BH): I began the casting process with Casting Director Paul Ruddy, who lived in my apartment complex. We brought in maybe 50 actors for the two roles, and then invited a handful in for callbacks. Jake Holley and J.B. Waterman had this palpable chemistry in the callback session, and I knew I’d struck gold finding them.
Once they were locked in, Laura (my producer) and I set out to find locations, of which we needed three: an exterior apartment, an interior apartment, and a house (for the end of the movie). With limited resources, we pulled from what we had access to— I shot the opening few moments outside of my apartment complex, with permission from my landlord. The end of the film was shot at my cousin’s house, in Culver City. And the bulk of the film was shot at an Airbnb, which we obtained full permission to shoot in, out in Reseda. This location was perfect, not just for the needs of the story, but it had multiple bedrooms for staging gear, crafty, a green room, etc.
We went through some ups and downs trying to lock in these locations, but Laura was by my side through all of it. I went through an involved search trying to find a cinematographer who could take this script, understand it, and bring it to life— the collaboration between director-DP is one of my favorite parts of filmmaking, and I placed great weight into finding “the one”. I met with a handful of prospective DP’s, but it was clear almost immediately that Michael Thomas was going to be the guy. He just understood what I was trying to say. We put a detailed look book together, and pulled inspiration from shows like Looking, Joshua James Richard’s work in God’s Own Country, and the contrasting efforts of Andrew Palermo, who shot A Ghost Story.
Principal photography took place in January, 2020, and the four-day shoot went by with virtually no hiccups. We had two intimacy coordinators on set, led by Amanda Blumenthal, who is an expert in her field. Without her, the shoot would have had a different dynamic. It was really nice having someone act as a liaison between myself and talent, especially when you’re asking for such intimate performances. Jake and J.B. were so much fun to work with— it was truly a blessing finding those two. I can’t sing their praises enough, and I know both of them have great things in their future.
I’m a quick editor, and had a rough cut of our footage within a week after wrapping. My DP and I were fairly conservative in shot-listing— we only gave ourselves so much footage to work with, because we knew what we needed, and put our energy into making that work. So cuing was really just like dragging and dropping shots into the timeline. I used an original song from a friend and musician, Jerik Centeno, who recorded it on his phone on a whim, some time before the movie was even a thought in my mind. It had a really lovely, nostalgic quality to it, and I knew it would fit perfectly for our ending.
Final polishing took place during the thick of the pandemic. Michael colored the footage, and we brought in re-recording mixer Hamilton Sterling (The Dark Knight Rises, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood) to bring our soundscape to its fullest potential.
Festival Preparation & Strategy?
BH: We took the standard festival circuit approach, starting with a submission to Sundance in the fall. The festival circuit can be such a tricky place to navigate. Eventually, you just hope to receive that first “YES”, and I was so excited to get that from HollyShorts. My undergraduate thesis film played there back in 2018, so it was a nice reunion to come back to the Chinese Theatre and represent another project with the HollyShorts family.
The Release?
BH: Since we’re at the earliest stages of our festival run, we’ve yet to officially release the movie anywhere. After our short plays around for some time, we’ll look to online avenues to find a forever home for our movie.
Advice from the Filmmaker?
BH: I’m not exactly in the position to offer any sort of grand piece of advice, but one thing I’ve learned, especially with shorts, is to keep it simple. Simple shorts really make for the most effective stories, and oftentimes, are just easier to make, too. Keep it simple— and be a nice person. Filmmakers aren’t curing cancer, or fixing rockets, we’re making movies. It’s a privilege to do what we do, so it should be enjoyable. Keep it simple, and be a good person and take a moment to be grateful for what you do every now and again.
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