First and foremost, I could not have done any of this without the talented cast and crew who offered their valuable time.

I wrote  Home around the same time as Viral, maybe even earlier. Back then, thinking about attempting it felt very ambitious for me and our small crew. I wanted to keep the filming grounded but apply some suspense with editing, pacing and practical camera tricks. The hardest part was walking that line between drama and spectacle. I didn’t want one to overshadow the other, and I definitely didn’t want it to feel corny.

This was also the point where I really started paying attention to how much impact camera movement can have. When I watch a movies, I rarely notice the camera work because it’s apart of the story, it’s guiding you without being present. That’s what I was chasing: natural, intentional moves that enhances the story without drawing attention. .

We ran into plenty of technical issues—nothing anyone could have avoided, just part of stepping out of our comfort zone. It was our first time shooting outdoors, both during the day and at night. We had no clue what was going to happen. Would the cops stop us? Would the sound get wrecked because we can’t stop traffic and we’re filming on a freeway overpass? Any one thing could have completely stopped us in our tracks, but by the grace of the movie gods, nothing happened. We filmed around my neighborhood again, which worked out since people here know I make shorts and usually leave me alone. I scouted spots that looked visually interesting, not just usable. We were running and gunning with a Sirui anamorphic lens, pulling focus by hand. Honestly, we had no business doing what we were doing, Roger (DP), went through focus-pulling hell on this one. We weren’t unprepared, we knew our equipment and what we were going for, but things change fast when you’re shooting—you either adapt and pivot hard or fight it the whole way. We don’t have the luxury of time.

The cast made the film what it is. Their professionalism and energy carried us through, and I’ll always be thankful they trusted me enough to take those risks and big swings. We shot over four days across two weekends, and some days it was literally just me, Roger, Daniel (our 1st AC), and Theresa, our lead actress.

Home was hands down the hardest project we’d taken on at that point. Could it have been “better”? I don’t think so. It happened the way it was supposed to. We threw everything we knew at the time into that film, and the result reflects that—flaws and all. To me, each project is a time capsule of our knowledge in that moment. Have we grown since then, absolutely, will it show in our next project? we’ll see. What we managed to pull off honestly feels like a miracle. I’m grateful for everything I learned and for everyone who was part of it. When the right people come together and things click, you end up with something special. To me, even at our micro level, that’s the magic of movie making.