Morgan Dusatko | Storyteller / Project Manager

Still Life

We have just finished production on Still Life (click on the link to see a slide show and some behind the scenes footage) a short film.  I am very very very excited about what we shot.  The crew we assembled was amazing, dedicated, creative, positive, and hard working.  I am totally humbled by the experience.

I was able to work with Garet Carson, a local actor who is very skilled and a lot of fun to work with.   I’ve always wanted to work with him again since working on the movie Stolen Images (I wrote it and Assistant Directed it).  This character is loosely based on the character he played in that movie.  His acting style was so low key and real, he was able to really breathe life into the character.  Garet was also in the movie, The Yankles, which is in post production right now.  Keep an eye out for it.

Cecily Crow was our lead actress.  I have never made a movie where the protagonist was female, and this has been a sort of study in that.  Cecily is an amazingly dedicated actor.  I have never met anyone who took their work more seriously, and had more fun stretching the limits of what was possible.  She is currently in the play Sherlock’s Secret Life, playing in Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast.

Les Sterling was our lighting designer.  He has many years of still photography experience.  I was worried that having such an experience designer would limit what we were able to do, or that he would be inflexible.  I am glad that the opposite was true.  He was willing to go out on a limb and really take some big risks.  Les works for the Seattle Internation Film Festival when it’s happening and works for a produciton company.

Adam Mahoney was our DP.  I believe this is the first narrative movie he has ever shot.  I feel like this was an asset rather than a liability.  The depth that he delved into the script was amazing.  He came to the table with a lot of ideas and enthusiasm.  In my book those are two of the most important things any person on a project can have.  His dedication was unending.  Sadly (for me) he is on his way to Chapman in Orange County to study directing.

Amanda Watne was our production designer (her reading of the script was incredible).  Katie Izak was our 2nd AD.  Katie Gregg co-produced and recorded the sound.  Cassidy Dimon co-wrote, co-produced, and was our 1st AD.  Brad Hutchinson produced the movie.