Short films by NYU alumni are relatively common, but few can claim to have Broadway stars involved so quickly after their graduations.
Joanna Strange, who received her master of arts degree from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study in spring 2013, recently began shooting the short film “Blonde” alongside Gallatin junior Tommy Craven, the assistant producer.
Originally, Strange had written “Blonde” as a short story but said it was easy to transform the story into a screenplay. The short story was originally published in the quarterly magazine Vitrine: A Printed Museum.
Strange described the movie as the genesis of a young woman who turns out to be a serial killer. The female protagonist’s name is Blonde and the male protagonist is simply named The Man.
“Giving a name to a character creates a whole story about them and I wanted it to be as clean as possible,” Strange said. “We know nothing about [Blonde], and she has no background issues.”
NYU students are not the only members of the film’s cast and crew — Broadway star Max Von Essen acts in a starring role. Blonde is being played by Gallatin junior Annabelle Attanasio and The Man by Von Essen.
“We knew we wanted somebody who we could tap into the audience of,” Craven said on signing Max Von Essen as The Man.
Both Strange and Craven wanted somebody who would be interested in the project. Von Essen turned out to be just the person who not only fits the role but is also passionate about the film.
“Although the underlying theme of ‘Blonde’ is quite complex and perhaps disturbing, I was drawn to the simple human desires of my character, The Man,” Von Essen said. “We’re all grown children wanting to find love and connection. He may mask his desires with an air of confidence, but he deeply wants to fall in love.”
Blonde and The Man were written to seem like stereotypical in characterization, but ultimately defying explanation. Strange stated “Blonde” would be entertaining for anybody who likes romances with a twist, and that she hopes to create a “visually spectacular” movie.
“I am a very visual person so I wrote a short story with absolutely no dialogue,” Strange said.
“I would love to watch this romance-gone-wrong and see how the movie conveys its meanings by focusing on the images rather than the dialogues,” CAS sophomore Shradha Shetty said.
Strange described the rest of the cast to be “NYU-heavy,” which is why she said she hopes to plan a screening at NYU when the film is completed. Strange and Craven are also going to submit this film to film festivals such as TriBeCa Film Festival and New York Film Festival.
Pre-sales of the movie will be available on blondeshortfilm.com starting next week.
A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Nov. 4 print edition. Ritansha Jalan is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].