Divorce Video Therapy (2018) is a 10-episode dramedy web series.
View the 10-minute series highlight reel here Stream all episodes here
Director's Commentary
This episode is a mosaic that took shape over the course of two years of filming throughout Connecticut, New Jersey and New York City. Christina Dufour stars as Colleen, an aspiring painter who married Jim Acheson (David Kubicka), a self-absorbed workaholic billionaire. She was whisked from a humble apartment in Brooklyn out to a suburban New Jersey castle, where “the silence was deafening”. “Our honeymoon lasted 72 hours—that’s when he got an emergency call from Geneva,” Colleen recounts to Neil Osprey (Alex Fuller) during one of her divorce video sessions. She then spent 3 or 4 years in a soulless haze, baffled as to why on earth the women at pilates would be envious of her “glamorous life”. The first 30 seconds were originally placed in episode 1, but for pacing I lifted it and used this as the introductory segment in episode 7. When she says “Yes, I cheated on him”, the viewer needs to know that plot point, and can’t be expected to remember it from all the way back in episode 1. Neil’s “outdoor office”
We were all set to film at a pristine wildlife preserve, only to discover that it was closed that day for deer population control. Hmmm….
Re-scheduling was out of the question, and we lucked into an alternate scenic location—which was by a small airport. But we got the takes very efficiently, in between planes. Jan Klier filmed this scene with his Sony FS7. Billionaire!!!
We had the great fortune of filming on the grounds of an actual billionaire’s estate!
The premise is that this mansion is in Alpine, New Jersey, lair of the celebs and other mega-millionaires. Luigi Benvisto captured the stunning footage with a tiny handheld stabilizer device called the DJI Osmo. Show Me, Don’t TELL Me
We had gathered all of this footage over the course of one year, and I could feel the pressure of “show me, don’t tell me” mounting. It was time to create a flashback sequence in which Colleen and Jim are interacting.
They’re having “date night” in the West Village—actually it’s their 5th wedding anniversary, and it could not possibly be less romantic. In fact, it’s downright dysfunctional. It is starkly evident that this marriage is over with. Filming in the West Village
Filming on the street is always a challenge, especially in terms of audio. The first scene is on a side street, where it was relatively quiet. After that, the crowds were unavoidable (by the Whitney Museum and High Line entrance). Somehow we pulled it off.
As a bonus, I had gotten permission to do some brief filming (no dialogue) at a picturesque wine bar. My original shot list had us arriving there by 4:30, but it was now 6:00 and getting dark. The dinner crowd was flowing in, and we were not welcomed with open arms (far from it). I informed the maitre’d that Jane-Do-the-Manager had given me permission, but he was having none of it. I don’t begrudge him for this; I had no leverage. I wanted to order a glass of wine for each of the actors, and just film them for 10 minutes—nope, no dice. And yet, miraculously—during this painfully awkward interchange—the actors had already seated themselves in a window booth. They were doing some rehearsal takes, and Luigi Benvisto was grabbing focus on them (with his Blackmagic Ursa Mini). From these minuscule outtakes, I was able to extract a few precious moments. A screengrab from one of these moments became the poster art (custom thumbnail) for the trailer and for this episode. Priceless. The viewer is blissfully unaware that I never had a chance to say “Action” and get ANY takes at the wine bar!!! Cuckolding the billionaire (while he’s away in Geneva)
Byron Clohessy plays Steven, who has been having an affair with Colleen. He is tragically head-over-heels for her, yet she appears to have been using him just to make Jim enraged. It actually took Jim a year to figure it out (easy to be out of the loop if you’re in Geneva or you’re at the office 75 hours a week).
We happened to be filming in Madison Square Park during the holidays, and I love the glittering light show in the background! (I filmed this with my Canon 60D.)
Steven texts her: “Jim is such a big crybaby—he’ll only speak to you through his celebrity lawyer now?”
Colleen responds: “By the time they finish nitpicking the stupid prenup, that guy will probably get more money than ME!!!” Finally, she is gearing up for her return to a non-materialistic lifestyle. The $500 haircuts, pilates, shopping sprees and long naps are behind her now. After taking a 7-year hiatus from her true self, Colleen is anxious to roll up her sleeves and devote her life to painting and all things creative. Alex Fuller Writer/Director alexfullermedia.com
2 Comments
11/10/2022 03:46:06 am
Wrong deep hit so. Cup score others start change better begin. Position family speech rule. Power wish it center development data research.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorAlex Fuller ArchivesCategories |