BEFORE THE S T O R M

BEFORE THE S T O R M a short film by erin segal

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AN ESTRANGED FATHER AND DAUGHTER ARRIVE IN NYC ON THE EVE A HURRICANE THREATENS TO HIT


"BEFORE THE STORM” is a short film written and directed by ERIN SEGAL

Academy Award Nominated director of photography JULIETTE VAN DORMAEL editor MELANIE ANNAN composer PERRINE VIRGILE original music MANDY HOFFMAN and producers LYSETTE URUS, RANDA EID, and ERIN SEGAL

 
 

THE STORY

 
 

Post respective break-up and divorce, JULIE and her estranged father, ALAN arrive in New York City to see through the possibility of their living together for the first time- on the eve a hurricane threatens to make landfall on the city. 

Numbed by the pang of quarter-life-uncertainty, Julie hopes to find refuge in Alan, but as the evening progresses- her attempts to bond with him are met with resistance- as Alan seems more inclined to push her away than re-establish a relationship- and the pair find their existential uneasiness amplified by the city, not pacified. 

Despite the growing prospect of the storm hitting, Alan remains unperturbed- and with the discovery of a prescription bottle in Alan’s bag- Julie soon learns the storm is not the only thing he’s avoiding. But instead of confront him head on- Julie takes off into the night… only to find that no matter where she tries to hide, the storm- both personal and literal- is coming for her.

Based on true events and the night Hurricane Sandy hit NYC, BEFORE THE STORM is a story about finding your way forward when everything around you seems to be falling apart; about staring down hopelessness in the face of loss; the delicate and sometimes elusive and obtuse relationship between father and daughter; escapism; the daunting experience of a cancer diagnosis; and the psychological as well as real-life effects of global warming. So. A comedy. Seriously.

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THE PLAYERS

“JULIE” Played by ERIN SEGAL

 
Julie (25) is struggling to make sense of the world and her place within it as she pushes through the uncertainty of her future, the loss of companionship after a break-up, and the denial of depression. She has turned to her estranged father in hope…

Julie (25) is struggling to make sense of the world and her place within it as she pushes through the uncertainty of her future, the loss of companionship after a break-up, and the denial of depression. She has turned to her estranged father in hopes of finding stability and a new start, but instead discovers that moving forward might mean letting go.

 
 

“ALAN” Played by THOMAS K. BELGREY

Alan (65) is in the midst of once again facing the disorienting disillusionment of a failed marriage. He humors his estranged daughter’s suggestion that they move together to New York, only to be faced with his own mortality in the form of a cancer …

Alan (65) is in the midst of once again facing the disorienting disillusionment of a failed marriage. He humors his estranged daughter’s suggestion that they move together to New York, only to be faced with his own mortality in the form of a cancer diagnosis before they arrive. He comes off as cold and disinterested but his disconnect is due to his own inability to reconcile heartache and the inevitable finality of life. He regrets the absence he’s had in Julie’s life but sensing it’s too late now, pushes her away from relying on him and instead towards looking after herself.

 

“EDDIE” Played by BRANDON LAMAR

 
EDDIE (late 20’s) is New York born and raised. Cool, confident, and the leader of his pack. He’s charismatic in his studying of the world around him. A natural poet who doesn’t let anything or anyone dictate who he is or how he’s going to live his l…

EDDIE (late 20’s) is New York born and raised. Cool, confident, and the leader of his pack. He’s charismatic in his studying of the world around him. A natural poet who doesn’t let anything or anyone dictate who he is or how he’s going to live his life. Like his friends, though he likes to have a good time and not worry about the bad stuff that ‘might happen’. His presence brings Julie back to life, forcing her out of her shell, feeding her need for connection, and ultimately causing her to realize she must face things head on and on her own.

 

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THE
CREATORS

 
 

Writer / director / producer

ERIN SEGAL

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Erin is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts- Atlantic Theater Company. Upon graduating she was accepted into ATC’s Los Angeles Film Conservatory, led by David Mamet. After relocating to Los Angeles, Erin earned an alumna status through the three-year screenwriting program at Writer's Boot Camp, and completed UCLA Extension’s Craft of the Director. In addition to acting and writing, Erin has worked as a Production Designer and Art Director on films, commercials, pilots, and music videos such as Halsey’s GHOST directed by Malia James; feature films ECHO PARK starring Mamie Gummer and directed by Amanda Marsalis, and CAUGHT starring Anna Camp and directed by Maggie Kiley. Both films premiered at the LA Film Festival. Most recently she Art Directed the upcoming Drake Doremus film, ENDINGS, BEGINNINGS starring Shailene Woodley which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Erin has completed two short films of her own, ABBIE AT THE PARTY and BEFORE THE STORM. She has a unique combination of experience in the technical and production realms of filmmaking, as well as a lifetime of studying, exploring, and loving the craft, beauty, and importance of storytelling.

 

cinematographer

JULIETTE VAN DORMAEL

Juliette Van Dormael was born in Brussels, Belgium to father and filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael and mother Laurette Vankeerberghen. She is a cinematographer based in Brussels known for the feature film "Mon Ange" (2016) and for the shorts "Jay parmi les hommes" (2015) and "Mouettes" (2013) among others. She studied cinematography at INSAS Film School in Brussels. She won the "Best Cinematographer's Debut" Award at Camerimage 2016 for "Mon Ange" and was nominated for the ASC "Spotlight Award" 2017 for the same film. She was named one of "VARIETY's 10 Cinematographers to Watch in 2017".

 
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EDITOR

MELANIE ANNAN

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Melanie has over ten years experience as a film and television editor across many fields including drama, documentary, television, music videos and commercials. Melanie is known to be a compassionate and dedicated editor. Her short films have screened internationally and won numerous awards including an Australian Screen Editors award for Best Editing for Something Fishy in 2012. Australian Summer won Tropfest in 2005 and Danya won the Rosemount Diamond award at the Jackson Hole Film Festival as well as Best Editor at Hatchfest, USA. Recently she has completed Spine which won Best Australian Short at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Melanie’s documentary work is also highly regarded with the feature documentary Despite The Gods premiering at Hot Docs International Film Festival, Toronto, Canada and selected for the Sydney International Film Festival and the Raindance Film Festival, UK. Her television work includes At Home With Julia which was nominated for an AACTA award for Best Television Comedy Series. Melanie was also editor of CGI-heavy films Crooked Mick of The Speewah and Cockroach. 

 

COMPOSER

MANDY HOFFMAN

Mandy Hoffman is a visionary composer and songwriter who has been writing for various mediums for over a decade.  She has scored numerous films, series, advertisements, and art installations that have appeared in theaters, top film festivals, television networks and galleries all over the world.  She is known for her nuanced scores that adhere closely to the fabric of moving pictures, strongly supporting both story and vision.

Her collaborations with director Azazel Jacobs have garnered critical acclaim, and her orchestral score to A24's The Lovers (2017) not only received abundant praise from the press, but it ended up on Film Music Magazine's Top Ten Best Scores of 2017.  High honors were received for indie favorites Terri (2011) and Momma’s Man (2008).  They also collaborated on the HBO/SKY series Doll & Em (2013-2015).  

Hoffman teamed up with Jill Soloway on the lauded Amazon Studios series titled I Love Dick (2017), and her music can be found on a myriad of television shows including Inside Amy SchumerAmerican Pickers, and The Voice to name a few.  Recently she worked with director Minhal Baig and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith's Overbrook Entertainment on the poetic feature HALA (2019), which premiered at Sundance 2019.  She has also collaborated with world-class artists including Marcos Lutyens and Barbara Husar to present installations in distinguished galleries located in New York, Paris, Vienna, Switzerland, Sweden, and Los Angeles.

She is a multi-instrumentalist with a keen understanding for dramatic nuance, and can write honestly in many musical styles and genres.  She is both versatile and unique.  Noticeably gifted as a child, she easily picked up new instruments and would often improvise compositions and melodies.  After being told countless times that her music sounded “cinematic”, she seriously pursued musical training, first as an multi-award winning student at Pasadena City College’s prestigious music program and was certified at UCLA Extension’s celebrated Film Scoring Program.  She is a 2018 class member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

 
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CO-PRODUCER

RANDA ED

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Randa Eid grew up in Northern Virginia; always with a camera in hand and singing her favorite classical piece. Studying art and music from the age of 5 she was given a great gift of honing her talents and thriving in her passions. Two months after graduating from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec (2002) with a BA Double Major Communications and Music she moved back to her hometown and was hired to work as a production assistant at Al Jazeera Arabic Television in Washington DC. She grew up quickly in the fast paced environment of the news world. Within 8 months she was promoted to Producer and moved to New York to work at the United Nations Bureau. After 12 years of producing news, features, documentaries, covering the gamut of war, Arab Springs, innovations in technology, and climate change, she said goodbye to that world so that she could get back to her roots and delve into more creative projects. For the past 4 years Randa has been freelance producing commercials, short films, documentaries, music videos, photos shoots and even experiential events. Working with reputable agencies and organizations like Arcade Agency (Sony), documentaries for Tribeca Digital Studios, the documentaries Mass Appeal for Hulu, commercials for Wieden + Kennedy, Little Bear Inc, and producing short films for a campaign that raised over 1 million dollars for Syrian refugees at Kickstarter, Kickstarters first ever fundraiser campaign.  Director Erin Segal has inspired Randa to move towards the beautiful worlds of scripted and narrative storytelling. She is looking forward to helping realize more dream projects of talented diverse female directors.

 

CO-PRODUCER

LYSETTE URUS

Lysette is a producer from NYC who currently resides in Los Angeles. Lysette cut her teeth in the NY production scene, under the guidance of producer, Alon Simcha. Through Simcha, she worked with world renowned director, Andrew Wonder, on projects that garnered the attention of some of the biggest festivals; "One More Day" which received the Cannes Lion Award in 2016 and "Seed" which premiered at SXSW in 2017.

She has worked the production circuit inside and out and is as well versed in the commercial standard as she is in the guerrilla technique. She is a ferocious go getter, who doesn't take no for an answer, only gives it. Lysette received her BA in film from American University, Washington DC, where she also spent a semester studying film in Prague, Czech Republic at FAMU. She continues to work bi-coastally as she builds her network and helps creatives realize their visions.

 
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1ST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

SACHI MACLACHLAN

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Sachi Maclachlan is a NYC/Brooklyn based filmmaker. She has been fulfilling her life long dream within the world of cinema for the pat 7 years. Her directing, producing, and AD credits include commercial, music videos, and narrative projects, including Recover 180, YourGoodSkin, “Friends” by Animal Years music video, and “Fake it Till You Make it” by Gaya music video.

 

ADDITIONAL CREW

 
 
 

1ST ASSISTANT CAMERA                  Rachel Batashvili

2ND ASSISTANT CAMERA/DIT           Alexandra Bock          

                                                  Joey Katz

GAFFER                                        Pierre Wurstemberg

KEY GRIP                                      Julia Gowesky

SWING                                        Josh Rodriguez

 

KEY MAKE-UP ARTIST/STAND-IN        Teresa Brown

SOUND MIXER                               Adam Soltis

                                                  Ed Morris

SUPERVISING SOUND EDITOR            Igor Comes

VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR             Zach ShukAN

 

COLORIST                                     Gabriel Sanchez

CASTING DIRECTOR                         Ivan Martinovic

ADDITIONAL CASTING                      Tracey Moore

CASTING ASSISTANT                        Elsa Lathan

PRODUCTION DESIGNER                    Erin Segal

/ ART DIRECTOR         

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR                  Ben Trimble

ART ASSISTANT                                Janelle Gonzalez

ON-SET PRODUCTION ASSISTANT      Nicole Cartolano

David Donohue

                                                    Joey Katz

ON-SET PHOTOGRAPHER                   Nicole Cartolano                                            

 

2ND UNIT

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY            Dan Finlayson

1st ASST CAM / OPERATOR      Erin Douglass

2nd ASST CAM                  Lauren Arthur

GAFFER                                        Zed Kitchens

KEY GRIP                                      Paula Crichton