It’s Something
A short film
It’s Something
Branding | Directing | Writing | Producing
What is this?
It’s Something is a short film about a socially anxious musician who finds herself dragged to a desperate hideout with two strangers; she finds that opening her heart and embracing kindness in the midst of their shared terror may be their only hope at survival.
Why does it matter?
This short film matters because school shootings is a very prevalent issue in the United States right now. It is important that we storytellers use our voices through whatever medium to tell stories that need to be told. It’s Something is a story that not only needs to be told, but it’s also one that wants to be heard.
Writing
Writing It’s Something took a full year to complete. This script was born in a Dramatic Writing class at Texas State University and was completed under the same professor in Screenwriting. There were 14 total drafts of this film, and through these changes the script continued to get stronger and stronger. Writing was done through Final Draft.
The script’s original title was Blackbird after the Beatles song by the same name. However, once it was decided that this film was going to be produced we removed the song from the script and the name changed. This short film was always meant to have a music element, so even though we weren’t using Blackbird anymore, it was still important to find a song that worked with the script. That song ended up being People IDK Yet by Jefferson Clay.
< Page 1 First Draft
Page 1 Final Draft >
Location Scouting
Location scouting was something we needed to secure early on, so it was one of the very first things I tackled. I reached out to the Texas State Theatre Department to ask about using the Theatre Center classrooms as our filming location, and we were lucky enough to be able to secure them. The spaces were then transformed to match the films vision with the help of our incredible crew.
Shot List
Our shot list was built after the Director of Photography and I established a visual proposal and determined a set of rules. We would use a shallow depth of field when on main character to promote a sense of isolation and to make the viewer feel as if we are in her world. We would use tighter angles and handheld for closet scene to allow the viewer to experience the trauma within the characters. We would use tripod shots to establish location, raw, natural lighting to promote realism, and longer takes/oners to allow the viewer to live within the scenes.
Production BTS
Cast & Crew
Principal Cast
Josie Bettis | Juliette
Brady Kempf | Seth
Miriam Spumpkin | Aubrey
Zachary Blankenship | Police
Aaron McMillan | Professor
Extras
Carson Poppy Jones
Blaine Underferth
Ava Casias
Karson Widner
Charlie Speck
Kylan Crawford
Mackenzie Anderson
Aileen Salome
Tony Mazzone
Michael Smith
Crew
Director Mallory Randolph
Producers Mallory Randolph & Carter Smith
Writer Mallory Randolph
1st AD Carter Smith
2nd AD Hunter Domzalski
Production Designer Halle Dillard
Director of Photography Terell Zakrzewski
1st AC Seiya Ishigami
2nd AC Kristen Hadnot
BTS Photographer Josh Varble
Script Supervisor Colby Castleberry
Gaffer Nathan Wethington
Key Grip Brian Biggerstaff
Sound Technician Noah Gaskie
Boom Op Lane Blakley
Swing John Field Brown
Swing Andrew Blackhurst
Production Assistant Lauren Morriss
Production Assistant Logan Salinas
Charity
Why a Charity?
Due to the sensitive nature of the topic that this film covers, it was important to our team that we give back in some way to further support the message we are trying to deliver. We were able to do that by donating all unused funds from our fundraising to The Sandy Hook Promise. In the end, we were able to donate $88.28 + processing fees in the name of It’s Something.
What is The Sandy Hook Promise?
The Sandy Hook Promise is a national nonprofit organization founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. Based in Newtown, Connecticut, their intent is to honor all victims of gun violence by turning their tragedy into a moment of transformation. Their mission is to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities.
Official Stills
It’s Something is currently in post-production. Stills coming soon!
Festival Updates + Where to Watch
It’s Something is currently in post-production and is expected to be entered into the 2026-2027 festival circuit. Come back later to see festival updates or follow @itssomethingshort on instagram for more frequent updates!
Brand Applications
This film also gave me the opportunity to work on some merchandising applications, so below are some mockups I created of some possible merchandise opportunities that could come out of this short film. Enjoy!
