This monologue was one of thirteen I wrote and directed for my theatre company Machine Full. The piece was called The Invisible Hand and went up at Here/Home for Contemporary Theatre. Ron Crawford’s subtle performance transcended the physical constraints of an unmoving wheelchair and he held the audience transfixed for 12 minutes. He’s simply a pleasure to work with. The short film was produced by Jeremy Kipp Walker for Journeyman Pictures, the first short I did after Touch Base had garnered such acclaim. I submitted it to about 25 film festivals and 24 of them hated it—-one programmer who loved my earlier work actually called me to ask me what the hell I was doing.
I love the film. To me it’s about what constitutes memory and how often media plays a central role in the events of our lives, only to eventually be left behind by upgrades and new technologies. The media disappears and our memories soon follow. The chain breaks.
One interesting production note: I wanted the entire monologue to be one long dolly into the actors face for the entire 12 minutes. The move was so slow it was impossible for the camera team to maintain a consistent pace. My brilliant DP Kip Bogadahn figured out a way to put the camera on tracks that were in fact slanted down, enabling the crew to slowly lower the camera on ropes as opposed to pushing it forward. Much smoother.