Blog #1
01/22/2026​
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As the spring semester at SMCC rolls into action, so does pre-production on the film FRET. Much of the scheduling, budgeting, writing, location scouting, and planning was accomplished during the first semester of school, but that doesn’t mean any of it isn’t subject to change. Number one on our priority list is the script. Although I have a finished version, I know it could be improved. Since the very beginning of the pre-production process, my characters have been floating in my head, with endless possibilities for how the story could go. With all that time, the characters become real before filming even begins. This stronger grasp of their motivations has provided me with more clarity in how I want them to act, react, and navigate the plot. Of course, there are no massive changes to the overall arc, but I can confidently say the story has changed for the better. Emerson Dolan, the director of photography, kindly reached out to a friend at Emerson College who has extensive knowledge of screenwriting, and he provided me with some valuable advice for the story. It felt good to have a win after what happened a few days earlier.
On the second day of the semester, I received a pretty disheartening text message from the landlord of my main shooting location. He expressed concern about the contracts required for screenings of the film and was no longer willing to permit our production to film in his apartment. Luckily, I had a few backup options to reach out to. After location scouting a house belonging to a friend of a friend and finding a spot even better than the original location, CC and Quinn now have their home.
Galen Neal and I took a day to film one of my original songs out on the beach for some social media promotional content. On top of that, our Indiegogo campaign was just approved and should be launching within the next week or so. Overall, jumping right back into the crashing wave of mayhem has given me a tight, white-knuckled grip on my surfboard. Although overwhelming and demanding, and a massive undertaking, the crew for FRET can’t wait to ride this wave all the way to shore.
Blog #2
01/28/2026
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Welcome back to a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming short film, FRET. Thank you to anyone who has been in support of the production so far. We couldn’t be more grateful. Week three has provided us with many unexpected challenges and opportunities. Firstly, the script has been fully finalized with the help of Pirx Rhodes, the assistant director and producer, and Winn Hamil, the lead actor, allowing us to jump headfirst into storyboards and shot lists. Every step of the way feels like a massive achievement, and this one in particular has Elliot extremely excited. Storyboards are by far his favorite part of the planning, as it allows him to fully visualize the look of the film and draw out each shot on paper. Each new drawing brings the film closer to reality as it draws closer to production.
Thanks to Galen Neal, the official FRET website is up and running, where you can see a sneak peek of the proof-of-concept, the background and story of the film, all the cast and crew, weekly blog posts, and updates on the pre-production process. FRET also now has an official Facebook and Instagram account where you can follow along for more updates and videos on pre-production, songwriting, and more. Pirx has created a Tumblr account for our weekly blog posts as well.
Elliot has been working on writing and recording the original songs, which will be featured in the film. One of which is available to see on our website and will soon be shared to our other social media platforms.
Unfortunately, Emerson Dolan had to resign from the project due to scheduling issues, so we are now in search of a new director of photography. Although not ideal, we’re rolling with the punches and pushing on with more momentum than ever.
Logan Files has signed on with Galen as a gaffer, and Leo Millechia will be on sound. For more updates regarding pre-production and BTS (behind the scenes) content, consider following us @fret_officialfilm on Facebook and Instagram.
Blog #2
01/28/2026
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Welcome back to a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming short film, FRET. Thank you to anyone who has been in support of the production so far. We couldn’t be more grateful. Week three has provided us with many unexpected challenges and opportunities. Firstly, the script has been fully finalized with the help of Pirx Rhodes, the assistant director and producer, and Winn Hamil, the lead actor, allowing us to jump headfirst into storyboards and shot lists. Every step of the way feels like a massive achievement, and this one in particular has Elliot extremely excited. Storyboards are by far his favorite part of the planning, as it allows him to fully visualize the look of the film and draw out each shot on paper. Each new drawing brings the film closer to reality as it draws closer to production.
Thanks to Galen Neal, the official FRET website is up and running, where you can see a sneak peek of the proof-of-concept, the background and story of the film, all the cast and crew, weekly blog posts, and updates on the pre-production process. FRET also now has an official Facebook and Instagram account where you can follow along for more updates and videos on pre-production, songwriting, and more. Pirx has created a Tumblr account for our weekly blog posts as well.
Elliot has been working on writing and recording the original songs, which will be featured in the film. One of which is available to see on our website and will soon be shared to our other social media platforms.
Unfortunately, Emerson Dolan had to resign from the project due to scheduling issues, so we are now in search of a new director of photography. Although not ideal, we’re rolling with the punches and pushing on with more momentum than ever.
Logan Files has signed on with Galen as a gaffer, and Leo Millechia will be on sound. For more updates regarding pre-production and BTS (behind the scenes) content, consider following us @fret_officialfilm on Facebook and Instagram.
Blog #3
02/04/2026
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The crew is coming together. Week three of pre-production saw quite a few new members join the team, bringing FRET’s all-star cast and crew even more talent. First, Gryphon Vorbach, a former Mayhem director, has signed on as director of photography. Rhiannon Berry, another Mayhem alumnus, will take the role of script supervisor and be head of hair and makeup. Logan Files, the current Mayhem director of Blueprint, will be working with Galen Neal as a Gaffer. Rein Berube has signed on as our creative director. On top of that, Charles Benider and Nolan Kahlil will be our on-set photographers to document the production process. Also joining the team is David Shaffer, who will be playing Nate. David has acted in countless mayhem films and has been a reliable friend of SMCC’s film department for years.
Over the past week, Elliot has been working on some test animations for FRET, which will showcase a blend of hand-drawn animation and live action footage. He has also been focusing on writing the songs that will be featured in the film as well. He’s had a lot of fun putting himself in the perspective of the protagonist and songwriter, Quinn, in order to create songs written by the main character. Elliot also acquired a contact who will allow him and Winn Hamel to record their music in a professional studio space. Though not confirmed, the two couldn’t be more excited as they have been playing music together for over a year in hopes of an opportunity like this.
Though it took much more time than anticipated, our fundraising campaign is nearly set for launch and will be going live on February 10th. If you want to support the film, be sure to stay ready for that date. We greatly appreciate all the support we have gotten so far and can’t wait to see where we go from here.
Blog #4
02/11/2026
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Fret is nearing the check-in status for the fourth week of Production. Although we have reached some great milestones this week, a few challenges have arisen as well. First off, FRET has officially launched its Indiegogo campaign and can now start properly crowdfunding. This is such a vital step in our process as our filming begins soon, but to do so, we need your support.
Some challenges this week have been staying on top of communication, keeping disciplined and motivated, as well as preserving a clear mind and avoiding burnout. With that being said, we are excited to welcome Anna Chaloult to the crew, filling the role of assistant camera aside Gryphon.
In recent weeks, Fret has continued to tick off the preproduction tasks, such as creating a logo and building a small social media following. In the upcoming weeks, Fret is looking to finalize storyboards and shotlists, fully solidify cast, crew, and locations by securing contracts and agreements, and start preparing and designing a movie poster. We’re also looking to better prepare the crew overall for the upcoming production.
Elliot has spent a lot of time this week writing new music for the goal of solidifying the soundtrack. Though it is work that must get done, he’s looking at it as more of an escape from the other tasks at hand, an opportunity to separate himself from… well, himself, and take a deeper look into the fictional world of FRET.
So far, producing FRET has been an amazing experience. A crew-specific goal we have is to really hone in and continue to network and communicate more regularly. Also, we are making a great effort to capture more content from behind the scenes, such as pre-production gatherings and general content that is currently being worked on, so stay tuned! Fret truly appreciates all the engagement and support we have already received.
Blog #5
02/18/2026
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Welcome back to week five of FRET's production. This week has been monumental in the full securitization of our filming locations. Starting the week, Pirx, Logan, and Elliot revisited the main filming location, a house in Portland, in order to get some pictures and videos in preparation for lighting plans and storyboards. The visit also gave them another chance to talk with the owners and confirm filming dates. Although it took a little bit of negotiating, our main location is officially locked. Another confirmed location is High Fidelity, a bar in Portland with an incredibly generous owner granting us permission for our shoot. The last location is Deering Oaks Park. This one was more difficult to secure because we had to go through the city of Portland. Luckily, the head of the Parks and Recreation department was on our side and provided us with a lot of leeway regarding the shoot.
Other updates include more advancements in props, with a new guitar being purchased. Elliot has also recently acquired a 1999 Sony camcorder, which will be used as a prop and filming device for the film.
Last week, FRET launched its crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. Thanks to the incredibly generous donations of our supporters, we have already received over half of our funding goal! Hopefully, setting us on course to reach the full budget before the end of the campaign.
On top of that, Pirx has been working diligently to finalize FRET’s meal plans and budgets. Cutting costs and finding workarounds, he has been in charge of all the meal plans for cast and crew when we get on set. Elliot has been, and will continue to be, working on storyboards and shot lists for the upcoming shoot beginning March 3rd! With less than two weeks out, the crew is feeling more prepared than ever and a bit impatient to get filming. Our anticipation continues to build as we draw closer every day. Once again, thank you all for the support in means more than you know!
Blog #6
02/25/2026
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Week 6 is here. FRET has been ongoing tremendous development phases and preplanning before production officially begins. A lot of the work being done is finalizing set design, shot lists, and storyboards. Part of finalizing the set design, Elliot was able to travel to Boston to pick up a camcorder. The camcorder is going to be a vital prop and tool to provide the audience with a better understanding of Quin and his internal world. FRET was hoping to utilize the VHS system to capture a unique element and look. Though with further discussion and planning, FRET has opted to use the digital camcorder as it will keep costs down, provide a similar image we could potentially develop in post.
A major announcement FRET has to make is were fully funded! Shortly after nine days of launching the campaign, FRET received all of its crowdfunding. With nearly two weeks left of the campaign, FRET is going to continue to push and publish our campaign and social media. FRET cannot thank everyone enough for the wonderful response and engagement we have received. Our hats go off to anyone and everyone willing to take a moment of their day to show interest, invest a moment, or even donate towards FRET.
Aside from being fully funded, FRET will need to wait until the campaigns end before receiving any funds. Our first production day is nearing fast on Tuesday, March 3rd. Lack of funding before then should be no issue in terms of filming on the 3rd. Ideally, funding will have cleared and will be accessible before the heart of filming.
Each week presents new challenges and opportunities. The crew behind FRET is continuing to practice self-discipline, adequate communication, and perseverance as each week develops.
Fret Blog Post #7
The seventh week of Fret’s development has arrived, and we are proud to announce that we have officially entered production! We began shooting Fret this past Tuesday, and could not be more excited to share what we have learned over the past week.
Tensions were high as the first shoot day loomed in the distance. Both Elliot and Pirx were caught by a nasty illness, which left them unsure of whether or not they would be in condition to shoot. Thankfully, they showed enough resilience to muster through being sick and were back to their normal, healthy selves by the time filming came around.
Overall, the first day of shooting was tumultuous at times. There were a few bumps in the road, but nothing that proved to be insurmountable.
There was an error with Apple Maps, where they tried to instruct everyone arriving at the shoot location to travel down a one-way street. We were lucky enough that the crew was able to work around this issue without getting into any traffic accidents. We will be informing all of our crew members of this discrepancy in the GPS following this.
Additionally, a snowstorm was set to hit in the afternoon, which coincided with the time we planned to shoot an outdoor scene in Deering Oaks Park. Because of the inclement weather, we decided our best bet was to postpone the filming of that scene for a later date, which honestly saved us later on.
When the shooting began, Elliot and Gryphon, our director of photography, noticed that some of the shots they had storyboarded would be impossible with the gear we had. Thankfully, they thought on their feet and worked around the issue, which sadly left us behind schedule. However, due to the rescheduling of the park scene, we were able to complete the scene before wrapping for the day.
In other news, we are proud to announce that our Indiegogo has now officially closed, with our end goal being surpassed by over $300! We want to give a special thanks to everyone who backed our project. We are beyond grateful for the opportunity we have to show our combined movie-making talents to the world, and none of that would be possible without these donations from our generous backers. Seriously, you guys rock!
As for this week, production will ramp up to its fullest. When you hear from us next, we will have lots to share about the next two shoot days for Fret! Take care, and stay tuned for more updates on the development of Fret!
