MISSED - A short film - 14 years in the making

A 7 year old girl waits to be collected after school. Nobody comes. What happened to them? What did she do next?

What happens to her?

Why 14 years?

It's actually 16 years, as I waited two years for the film to finish all of it's festival applications. It got into Los Angeles CineFest.

My Last short film, Irons, took many months to make, a huge amount of work, stress and five years worth of savings.

Something that big, requires a lot of input. 50-60 people worked on it. The bigger the project, the harder it is to control, especially if most aren't getting paid. And my First Assistant Director, my right hand man, pulled out three days before, leaving me stranded. Inevitably, many compromises are made. I must bear the brunt of it though as I was ultimately the one in charge. It was one of the most stressful periods of my life. I'm happy with about 50%. Maybe 60% on a good day. The story is good. It really should have been an hour.

From there on, I decided to concentrate on writing. That and editing is what I enjoyed most about Irons. I began writing my first novel later that same year, 2004. I could create whatever I wanted, without budgetary constraints, nor consultation with big egos and have total control over my universe.

And so went the next dozen years. Many novels, stories and poetry were born. Something I returned to, in a way, as I began writing stories at ten.

I continued to make small videos in the way of Video Poetry, Art Videos and Family videos. And I had a daughter in 2010. All of that takes up your time. I had a job and was a step father too. God, no wonder I'm tired.

Come early 2018, I decided I wanted to make a little film. So small that I would make all of it myself and have total control. And you know? I'm pretty happy with it. And I had an actor whom I could work with. That's always a positive. She did good. Especially as the film progresses. It was shot mostly in order.

Budget? Around $400, compared to $35,000 of Irons. I submitted it to a bunch of small Festivals, which is why I had to wait. Then I was concentrating on releasing my book, A Refugees Rage in 2019.

And now it has life. Enjoy. Please share the video if you can. It's the 'Little film that could.'