What Does That Make Me?
Logline:
Michael, a new-to-town sophomore, falls in love with a senior as her group copes with the tragic death of their close friend.
Tagline:
Can goodness be found in the face of tragedy?
Synopsis:
Tension between Michael, a charismatic fifteen-year-old, and his overwhelmed father rise when they move cross-country to suburban Colorado. There, Michael becomes enthralled with Christina, a senior whose friend group recently lost a member in a drunk driving accident. Christina’s ex gets lost in harmful coping mechanisms, hurting her in the process, bringing Michael and Christina closer as Michael wins over the friend group. As Michael and Christina slowly learn about each other’s broken households, they find solace in each other and eventually begin dating. As they grapple with resentful feelings toward disappointing parents and loss, Michael and Christina’s suppressed pain rises and their relationship implodes, quickly pushing Michael over the edge. Michael’s destructive behavior climaxes into a final conflict with his father.
Shooting Location:
Fort Collins, CO
Key Team:
Keenan O’Reilly, Writer/ Director | keenanoreilly.com
Keenan O’Reilly is a director / writer based in Los Angeles with roots in Fort Collins, Colorado. At 19, after directing a series of short films, Keenan changed course from becoming a college athlete to pursue a full-time career in filmmaking. His particular passion for narrative storytelling inspires his creative approach across every project – from commercial work, to music videos. Keenan believes visual stories have the power to change people for good, and finds inspiration in the universal emotions that connect us. When he’s not working on his next short (or his debut album!) Keenan is either spending quality time with his wife Hayley and their dog Moose, or riding through Griffith Park with Teddy – a 25 year old horse he leases several times a week.
James Duke
James Duke is an accomplished filmmaker and educator with almost twenty-five years of experience in film, television, and video production. His credits include writing, producing, and directing over a hundred award-winning short films, documentaries, and theatrical productions. He has produced several feature films including THE LEAST OF THESE starring Isaiah Washington and Robert Loggia, and RAGAMUFFIN about the life of singer/songwriter Rich Mullins. Currently, he serves as the Executive Director of the Act One Program in Los Angeles.
Andrew Shankweiler, Director of Photography
From an early age, Andrew has been captivated by visual storytelling. Cultivating this passion took on many shapes and forms throughout the years, but it wasn’t until he studied film and media arts at Temple University did it really provide an outlet. He discovered cinematography and decided to pursue this path relentlessly. He gained a great deal of experience as a Gaffer working in Philadelphia and New York, but in 2011 decided it was time
to move to Los Angeles and study cinematography at the American Film Institute.
After graduating from a successful campaign at AFI, Andrew launched into the industry and began shooting narrative, commercial, music video and documentary projects. While Andrew is based in Los Angeles, his work has taken him internationally to over 25 different countries, working on feature length and short form projects throughout.
Executive Producers – Story Mountain Entertainment:
Will LaBahn, CEO Story Mountain Entertainment
Will is an active film producer supporting Colorado based film making. He is CEO and co-founder of Story Mountain Entertainment. He’s an enthusiastic champion of several national film festivals, and is chief patron of the CinemaQ Film Festival, put on by Denver Film each August. He founded and launched the National CinemaQ LaBahn Film Ikon Award in 2022 and presented the first statue to actor Colman Domingo.
Will comes from a real estate and private equity investment background professionally and is passionately engaged in his philanthropic support of various Colorado nonprofits.
The film industry is central to his family history. His grandfather was an executive for First National Pictures in Burbank, CA throughout the 1920s. Will lives in the Colorado mountains, is an avid Alpine skier, mountain biker, white water rafter, and traveler. His companion these days is his 2-year-old Golden Retriever Sadie.
Cory Pyke, Producer
Cory moved to LA to produce thoughtful artistic content, and started his career producing a number of independent films in pursuit of that goal. Cory is known for producing Ethan Hawke’s Wildcat, Andrew Hyatt’s All Those Small Things, and Downeast, as well as a number of other independent films.
About the Characters:
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