Release Date:
June 13th, 2025

Starring:
Jada Ann Chevalier • Pennelope Gonzalez Rosario

Directed by:
Steve Sanchez Rosales

Production Assistants:
Malika Peterson • Aumary Gonzalez

Music by:
Liam Canet Leiva

November - December, 2024

Reasons to Continue:
Walking on the Moon was supposed to be the last PinkWhiteBlue film. It ended with the hope that the audience could set forth on their own adventure and make new friends. So much emotion was put into that project that when it premiered on November 15th, 2024 I didn't know what to do with myself. I felt a hollow in my heart from saying goodbye to the generous actors and crew that created the film.

"For every person that you know
Once they'll say goodbye and go
Think you'll see them soon, then no
You won't see them again
There's always a last time
That you'll see everyone
There's always a never again"
- Jon Brion, "Schenectady"

I returned to civilian life, tried to find peace in normal living, but I couldn't make it work. Maybe I could do one more. Maybe seventh time's the charm. I revved up the engine again and got to work.

December, 2024 - February, 2025

Why a Film Set in 2005?:
The script needed to fulfill a few needs I had.

First, I was afraid of following up the scale of Walking on the Moon. That film felt enormous with its many scenes and characters. I didn't know if I could write something bigger, so I decided to write a short and intimate script.

Second, working with Jada and Pennelope again was a must. I had a great time directing them last year and they're great collaborators. I was also interested in pushing their acting forward by writing a script just for them.

Third, I wanted to write a script that was just two characters in a room talking. It's a simple film making exercise that would force me to be a better writer. The prompt fit perfectly with my plan to write a short script, and I have two great actors to perform it.

Lastly, I've been trying for years to produce a film set in the 2000s. It's been on my mind since 2019 but because of how expensive historical films are, I've never been able to do it. However, a 2000s film set in one room with two characters? That might do the trick.

Character Work - Esperanza:
Esperanza is a character I've been writing since I was in High School. They're an eager, ruthless musician trying to be a superstar. For this film in particular I made their goal to write a song for their best friend. It's simple, sweet, and a way for them to showcase their musical talents.

Having the music be a way for them to speak out about their feelings was a metaphor I liked, so it became that they were struggling to "speak" about how they feel about Chrysanthemum , and the music would do it for them. Seeming avoidant and uninterested at first, but really caring underneath.

Character Work - Chrysanthemum:
Chrysanthemum was written as the opposite of Esperanza. A best friend who was confident with their feelings and is able to share them. I wrote them having to say farewell because that's what I was feeling at the time. I wanted this character to be the security Esperanza needs, and must say goodbye to. Parting ways with no doubts about how they feel about each other.

All of this was tied together by the book, I wanted to share some of their history without it being obvious; the book was a great way to share exposition in a way that was cool and unique. Below you can read the screenplay! You can see some changes were made during filming, including the opening scene!

February 16th, 2025 Shooting Script

April 4th, 2025 Opening Scene Revision

February - March, 2025

Rehearsals:
The actors and I worked on understanding these characters. I shared backstories, musical tastes, and aspirations of these characters. A lot of information that isn't explained in the movie, but shared through the performance of the actors. Here are some of photos of the rehearsals as well as those extra materials:

Costumes and Prop Hunting:
I felt like an archaeologist scouring through thrift stores, antique shops, and flea markets for 2000s items; most excursions returned nothing of use. Lots of hours were spent traveling and dating, this is the most exhaustive way to gather props and clothes. I ended up buying most of the things off eBay or Depop; online shopping is easy to do from home and I can buy exactly what I'm looking for. Plus, online vendors do a better job of archiving and dating clothing!

Grand Central Terminal:
A 2000s film needs period accurate locations; The New York Public Library and Grand Central Terminal are two locations that didn't change much in twenty years. I went to Grand Central Terminal to take some photos of the scene. Storyboarding becomes a lot easier when you're in the real location.

There was no way to get permission to shoot in Grand Central Terminal so I planned out a guerrilla shoot. I scoped out the area and noted where there was less people, and at what times. We couldn't risk getting detained by security or police, as well as avoiding big crowds of people dressed in modern day clothing.

Music:
I wanted the character of Esperanza to sing an original song. I reached out to Liam to write an original song for the film as I've worked with him before on Walking on the Moon. He churned out this song and as soon as the demo was finished I sent it to Pennelope to practice for the performance.

Hitting the Books:
I couldn't seal a deal with the real NYPL so I asked my local library for permission to shoot and they agreed! The only problem was due to the library's strict schedule and policy, we could only shoot for two hours a day, for only two Tuesdays. I would've liked six straight hours, but two sets of two would have to do.

I took some test photos, so a special thank you to my friend Bashon for being a stand-in for the actors!

What is the Riemann Zeta Function?:
In the film, Chrysanthemum keeps a diary of her life via a library book on Riemann's Zeta Function. I chose it because proving (or disproving) the hypothesis described in the book will award you a prize of one million dollars! In the year 2000, the Clay Mathematics Institute pledged to award one million dollars to selected unsolved math problems; so I imagined this would catch the interest of Chrysanthemum as a teenager with her love of complex analysis.

As for the prop, I bought a copy off of eBay and got to typing up a three page document full of diary entries that Chrysanthemum would have written between 2001 and 2002. It was fun coming up with stories for Chrysanthemum and Esperanza's misadventures, even though the audience wouldn't be able to read them. I assigned our wonderful production assistant Malika with writing the entries into the book by hand and the result was amazing! Here are some photos of the final prop!

Final Rehearsal:
We were set to shoot at the library on March 25th, 2025; but unfortunately an actor got sick and it left us with one, two-hour day to shoot at the library. We made the best of it and spent our time at the library rehearsing the scene. Our production assistant Amaury helped me figure out the lighting set up and we practiced how we would need to move on the production day.

This was also the first time we got to see Pennelope in full costume! It took a lot to acquire that Radiohead t-shirt but it looked great along with the rest of the pieces that came from Pennelope.

April 1st, 2025

Library Shoot:
We only had two and a half hours to film at the library for one day. I prepared so much and double checked all my notes before arriving to set. Amaury and I started early by hauling all the equipment and props to the library, with the actors arriving a little later

We hustled and set everything up and got the camera rolling. We shot it like a one-act play, for each camera angle we recorded the entire scene in one go. The actors had all the lines memorized and it took about seven minutes per take. I started with the wide shot because it was the least intimate and it allowed us to see what was working and what wasn't. I rearranged some of the dialogue and we finished the wide angle shots.

By the time we got to the close-up shots the actors were in tune with the characters and did the takes perfectly. We only had about fifteen minutes to get the final b-roll shots and after that we quickly cleaned up and left like nothing happened. The library opened and the public entered unknowing that we just filmed a great scene!

April 9th, 2025

Grand Central Shoot:
We started the day with the exterior of the real NYPL, filming both the opening and closing scenes. It was the one day of April that dipped to thirty degrees! It was cold and we tried to hurry up. This was also the first time I got to hear Pennelope sing and it was beautiful! We did the song a few times before heading Grand Central.

At Grand Central we had to avoid any crowds of modern day people. I shot at low angles and in secluded areas, this led to some great shots that were unique and some of my favorite in the film.

We ended the day with the train scene. Pennelope's role was finished, Jada and I said farewell to a great actress and friend. We boarded onto the train headed towards the Bronx. I timed the train shoot ahead of time so we would have an empty train car to ourselves. I love filming on trains and this was a great way to wrap our production!

April 25th, 2025

Recording a Whole New Song:
Pennelope came back to record the studio version of 'Chrysanthemum's Song'. Liam was there as producer and they made a whole song for the film! It was a great experience to watch the recording process and to have an original song for the film.

April - June, 2025

Editing:
I gave myself a week off before starting the edit. The task started with the Library scene which took about a month to get it cut together. I chose to have the entire conversation in close up, only cutting to the wide shot when there's an important break or tension between the two. I spliced five different takes for this one scene and it resulted in various cuts of the film with different emotions.

I try to tether myself to a central emotion when editing, I look back at what started the project in the first place and ask myself, "Is this what I'm expressing right now?". The edit became out of control and not what I originally intended. I wanted a tragedy and I ended up with a comedy.

An example was the music. Liam wrote a song that starts with a grunge melancholy, but shifts into a rock song with enticing guitars. I realized this wasn't what I originally intende , and I cut out the latter half of the song, only keeping the somber opening of the song for Esperanza to sing over.

It was issues like this that led me to reedit the whole film with only a week left until release. Scenes got moved around, the opening and ending were completely changes, but I got what I sought after and I'm glad with the result!

Premiere Night:
We showed the film to our friends and family, a final celebration for our hard work. It's always surreal to see real people show up the watch the film as opposed to seeing a view counter on social media.

On Endings:
For years I've wanted to do the 2000s film and at last, it's over. It's difficult to say goodbye, for months I dedicated my life to a feeling, a story, and emotion, and in an instant it's all over. But I'll always remember the time we spent together, I'll look back at this time and the fantastic cast and crew. Forever in my memories, even twenty years from now.