A Case Study
Narrative | Dramatic Features
Film Name: Repo
Genre: Drama, Crime
Date: January 2020
Director: Aaron Rovner
Producer: Jason Michael Berman, Edd Benda
Writer: Aaron Rovner
Cinematographer: Xander Herman
Production Company: Beyond the Porch, Mandalay
Budget: $20,000
Financing: Self-financed
Shooting Format: Digital (Alexa Mini)
Screening Format: DCP (UHD)(2.35:1)(5.1 Surround)
World Premiere: LA Shorts International Film Festival
Awards: NA
Website: http://www.reposhortfilm.com
indieactivity: What is your film about?
Aaron Rovner (AR): “Repo” is about a young car repossession agent named Michael who ends up learning the hard way that in his line of work, there’s more at stake than just his own life. Repo is both a day-in-the-life and a coming-of-age story set in the back alleys, grungy apartments, and used car dealerships of Los Angeles. The story of “Repo” was inspired by a first-hand account of day-to-day life from a former repo agent. Hearing about that job, the kinds of people it might attract, and the toll it could take on a person, all inspired me to write this story.
The Official Trailer for REPO written and directed by Aaron Rovner
Tell us about the festival run, marketing and sales?
Aaron Rovner (AR): With Covid 19, “Repo” has had a somewhat nontraditional festival run. The film premiered online as part of the 2020 LA Shorts International Film Festival. That premiere was quickly followed by screenings on Bitpix as part of the Hollyshorts Film Festival. The film also played in a theater as part of the Phoenix Film Festival, which had been rescheduled due to the pandemic. “Repo” is continuing its rounds through the festival circuit, after which I hope to find distribution for the film through an online platform. Any inquiries regarding sales/distribution can be directed to “aaronrovner@gmail.com“.
Give the full Official Synopsis for your film?
Aaron Rovner (AR): One particular morning, Michael, a car repossession agent, finds himself in an all-too-familiar situation. He’s behind on his rent, the people he had over last night left his place a mess, and he’s almost out of crystal. When Michael receives a call from Eugene, a used car dealer and repeat client, and hears there’s a Mustang in need of repossession, he jumps on the opportunity despite the difficult nature of the job. Wasting no time, Michael commits to getting the car back that night. He drives to the address given to him by Eugene and quickly devises a plan. Michael’s never had a problem putting himself in harm’s way, but as the repossession unfolds, he discovers there’s always been something far worse at risk.
Development & Financing?
Aaron Rovner (AR): As a writer/director, I wrote Repo after being inspired by the first-hand account of what it was like to repossess cars from a real repo man. With a first draft of the script in hand, I approached one of my friends, Jason Michael Berman, who is a producer and creative collaborator and together, we refined the script and put together a lookbook to present to actors. Despite the relatively small amount of dialogue in the script, I wrote a detailed backstory for the main character both as an exercise to deepen my connection with the story and to help actors inhabit the role. With the help of an outstanding casting director we went out to actors and as luck, or fate, would have it, my first choice of actor, David Rysdahl, liked the script and was interested in taking on the part. The film was majority self-funded, with additional contributions coming from friends and family.
Production?
Aaron Rovner (AR): Location scouting was one of the first steps leading up to production. Many of the locations that I had imagined when writing the script were inspired by real places around Los Angeles, so of course I got in my car and started there. Additionally we hired a location scout who helped us narrow our search. The climax of the film takes place around the exterior of a house, and that house presented a specific challenge when scouting. Due to the highly choreographed nature of the action that takes place around the house, we needed a property with a very specific layout. Luckily, one of my producers, Edd Benda, had a personal connection to a location that fit the requirements almost perfectly, with the added benefit of being FREE!
I’m extremely detail-oriented, and as such, I was heavily involved with scheduling the shoot. After creating the shotlist, I spent a lot of time figuring out the schedule for the shoot. “Repo” takes place almost entirely outdoors with over 6 distinct locations across multiple times of day. Needless to say, cramming the entire shooting schedule into one weekend (2 days and 1 night) was an interesting challenge, but with some clever scene shuffling, we were able to figure it out.
I was lucky enough to have an extra day with the lead actor David before shooting, which I found invaluable. We spent that day visiting some of the locations and doing some light rehearsal and blocking. David’s character Michael uses a number of tools in his work and I wanted to give David some time to hold them and familiarize himself with them. One particular tool was a lockpicking kit, which I gave to him before the shoot to practice with.
There was a major scare when David fell ill the day before principal photography, but he insisted on going forward with the shoot. The makeup department barely had to put anything on him to make him look strung out and malnourished.
The shooting went surprisingly well, all things considered. While most scenes were shot on private property, there were a number of street and driving scenes that warranted permits. And while we wanted to be as legit as possible, there were certain scenarios in which we felt we could steal the shot without needing to go through that process. Specifically for the scenes in front of the repo house, we didn’t have a permit, but whenever a car passed by, we simply stepped off the street and onto the front lawn and we were legit again.
Another issue was dealing with weather and maintaining continuity. It was an uncharacteristically rainy weekend in Los Angeles when we shot and we often had to pause production to allow clouds to roll by. One silver lining was that the intermittent rain gave us some beautiful skies and sunsets, which we tried to capture whenever possible. I was incredibly happy with how the film ended up looking thanks to the cinematography of my DP Xander Herman.
We edited the film in Premiere. I remember the first cut landed at almost 15 minutes, which was extremely concerning when considering the 8 page shooting script. My producer Jason said that I could get the film down to 10 minutes, which I of course said was impossible. A few weeks later I had a 10 minute film (10:40 with credits).
The Release?
Aaron Rovner (AR): As “Repo” is still making its rounds through the festival circuit, it has not been released publicly yet. After the festival run is completed, I hope to find distribution for the film through an online platform.
Advice from the Filmmaker?
AR: I don’t claim to be a fountain of knowledge, but one thing I learned from making this film is that as a director, it’s imperative to stay focused on your story. I have a habit of worrying about every aspect of shooting, but it’s best to let your crew handle the set so that you can stay focused on telling the best story you can.
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