Little CEO 3

Production Notes

In our biggest Little CEO short, we did in fact shoot a big chunk of it on-location in Las Vegas. Being the most ambitious of the films led to the most obstacles and challenges as well. Figured we'd share our trials and tribulations since the joy of filmmaking is storytelling. And sometimes there's just as much of a story happening behind the scenes.

For starters, our lead actor, Samuel, lost his two front teeth in the middle of production. How's that for continuity? So we had to come up with some solutions. Wanna know why there was a weirdly large vintage phone brought out to the hot tub? To hide that new toothless smile. And the judge asking "What happened to your teeth?" because, well... Vegas. But also, thank goodness we shot that scene last.

And speaking of the judge (the lovely and talented Maryum Ali)... we struggled to find a proper courtroom set for her scene with our shoestring budget. After scouring Craigslist for prefab sets in downtown LA, and even touring Culver City's Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum which has a standing courtroom, we were coming up empty. I pinged a professional location scout friend of mine who recommended getting more creative. He said to checkout community centers, VFW halls and Masonic lodges, they often have a hall that could pass for a courtroom. So smart! So my brain started thinking to all the places I thought could pass for a courtroom with a little movie magic. And I remembered a small synagogue in Santa Monica that was not overly ornate, but had the perfect small courtroom vibe. I approached their office and they were so generous to work with me. And there you have it, the courtroom is a synagogue.

The hotel room scene where he wakes up late for his trial posed its own challenges. We wanted a "Hangover" vibe. And to shoot a disoriented Bobby Johnstone needed a special camera rig. My Dad, Lester, ever the inventor, built from scratch a snorricam rig perfectly sized for a kid. Worked like a charm and we were able to get the shot we needed.