Big Mama Ohana - A Short Film 

Crew Members: 

CU Denver Students 

Alexander Kimose - FITV - Writer & Director 

Davina Vetter-Drake - FITV -  Producer 

Brad Stowell - FITV -  Director of Photography 

Hunter Thompson - FITV -  Gaffer 

Rachel Sochinski - FITV -  Production Designer 

Christopher Probst - FITV -  VFX Supervisor 

Ella Srholez - FINE - Illustrator/Graphic Designer 

Jesse Crone - MEIS - Composer 

Becka Jimenez - FITV -  1st AD 

Peyton Hagerty - FITV -  2nd AD 

Ashley Vaughn - FITV -  Sound Designer, Script Supervisor 

Joseph Bramer - FITV -  Sound Recordist 

Savannah Gonzales - FITV -  Boom Op 

Amadeus Bennett - FITV -  1st AC 

Abby Pellien - FITV -  2nd AC 

Stevenson Sakalian - FITV -  Key Grip 

Emma Peterson - FITV -  Costume Designer 

Ethan Lien - FITV -  DIT, Editor 

Santiago Jimenez & Austin Baier - FITV -  BTS Photographers 

Non CU Denver Students 

Ryan Wilkes - Puppet Designer, Puppeteer 

Richard Muller - Actor (Hector Metro) 

Brittany Mendoza-Pena - Actor (Regina Stink) 

Alex Guerra - Storyboard Artist 

Sam Saliba - Associate Gaffer 

First, a quick status update on where we are at in the project: “Big Mama Ohana” aka “B.M.O.” is a short film project from CU Denver CAM students across three areas of focus: Film & Television Production, Visual Arts, and Music. The story revolves around two employees that work at a lab that studies Kaiju (giant Godzilla-like monsters) and who get acquainted when a Kaiju actually attacks! We wrapped a significant chunk of production in early December and are in the process of creating a rough edit of that footage - roughly 80% of the movie. We have yet to film the first and final scene, the final scene being the most complex involving heavy visual and practical effects. We are making headway with Ryan Wilkes, a local puppeteer in Denver, on the final design for the puppet of the Kaiju. We have one more test shoot for VFX (led by Chris Probst) and lighting (led by Hunter Thompson) on the roof of Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station before we commence shooting in early February. We are in good shape to meet the April 29th deadline for the Future of Creativity Award. 

So far, this project has been incredibly collaborative and fun to work on! There’s nothing more collaborative than actually being on set and working together to get everything shot before the end of the day. It’s like being in a rowing competition and you have 20 people in the boat that all have to be in sync to cross the finish line. Our four preliminary days on set went very smooth and everyone was on their A-game the whole weekend. On the third day of shooting, half the crew got subbed out with another crew because of availability conflicts. That forced everyone, both regular crew and sub-ins, to be extra clear and communicative as there were people on set who didn’t even know the background of the film. Regardless, they filled in nicely, we finished smoothly, and even got some of our best shots that day! It was a massive collaboration of listening, responding, and making sure everyone felt heard on set in order to get the best results possible and make sure everyone felt creatively fulfilled and supported. 

Another example of supporting each other’s artistry has been the work with Ella Srholez, our graphic designer. She’s been a perfect fit for the science fiction world we have been building and much of the work has been her own monster designs. Not only were these made as posters and will be featured in the film, we are also working with Ella to make a comic book set in the world to serve as another huge means of our marketing plan. She has been phenomenal to work with. Typically, Alex (Director) and Rachel (Production Designer) will give her ideas and the purpose behind certain posters and using the world directory of Kaiju that Alex wrote, she designs and illustrates the entire poster herself. They’ve also had plenty of back and forth conversations to tweak details about all the designs so that everyone is happy with the end result. And the creatures look great! Creatively, Ella’s works really fit the world of “B.M.O.” and it is her bread and butter in designing monsters, making her feel celebrated and accomplished as well.