Leslie Jaye Goff
Writer/Producer
Short Films
I have written and produced a number of short films, both with Puffin Films, the independent production company I started with partner Aram Bauman, and with other directors and production companies. Following is a sampling of my work.
Check (Producer)
Written and directed by Dale Bryant of Other Films, Check was honored with a Creative Vision award by the DVXUser.com SpyFest Judging Committee for being "the film that zigged when everyone else zagged."
Decidedly not a high-concept film, it's hard to describe Check accurately with a single log-line; that said, it's roughly the story of a nondescript office worker who gradually loses his cool when he suspects he's being followed by anonymous enemies. Dale was committed to a specific vision of the story and the visuals, and it was exceedingly gratifying to help him bring that vision to fruition.
Click on the title above to view the film, and check out some of our behind-the-scenes photos below.
Total Running Time: 6 minutes
Budget: $500.00
Number of Shooting Days: 7
RF Eye-D (Writer/Producer/Co-Director)
In RF Eye-D, a mysterious superhero emerges from the underground to free a technology-controlled society. I wrote, produced and co-directed the film with Aram Bauman, my partner in Puffin Films, in April 2006.
Later that year, RF Eye-D was selected from among hundreds of submissions for the Exposure Short Films Online Contest sponsored by the Sci-Fi Channel and Sundance Channel. Based on the online votes, it was one of nine short films featured in the SciFi Channel's Exposure special in May 2007. The airing earned the film a listing on IMDB.com.
This year, RF Eye-D was selected for a screening in the 2008 Things To Come... Sci-Fi Film & Music Festival hosted by LOOKpresents.com (see the "News" section on the Home page for details).
Not bad for a film that we created under intense deadline pressure on a shoestring budget. About half of the film was shot in a makeshift green screen studio that we created with yards of green fabric in a mini-storage unit in downtown Brooklyn. Other scenes were shot throughout the city. We secured permission to shoot at the historic Church of the Intercession in Manhattan; we also shot, guerrilla-style, sans permission, in Central Park, at the South Street Seaport and in a major Brooklyn supermarket that shall go unnamed.
Total Running Time: 6 minutes
Budget: Under $500
Number of Shooting Days: 4
Bone Hand (Producer)
Written and directed by Jack Daniel Stanley of French Quarter Features, Bone Hand tells the story of a neglected young girl and the friendship she shares with a cursed hero who wields a strange power over death.
This was Jack's first film in New York after relocating here from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and it truly feels like a New York film. From a rooftop in the East Village to the streets of Chinatown to the Washington Cemetery in Bensonhurst, we leveraged the urban landscape in all of the exterior scenes.
Special kudos must go to leading lady Jessie Artemis Baum, all of 11 years old at the time, who in her film debut sat for hours in the rain, allowed herself to be covered with Hershey's strawberry syrup, and knew not only her own lines, but everyone else's. She delivered a memorable performance and established the rapport with her co-star, Joel Israel, that was critical to the film's story.
Total Running Time: 5 minutes, 30 seconds
Budget: $700
Number of Shooting Days: 5
Written and directed by Jack Daniel Stanley of French Quarter Features, Bone Hand tells the story of a neglected young girl and the friendship she shares with a cursed hero who wields a strange power over death.This was Jack's first film in New York after relocating here from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and it truly feels like a New York film. From a rooftop in the East Village to the streets of Chinatown to the Washington Cemetery in Bensonhurst, we leveraged the urban landscape in all of the exterior scenes.
Special kudos must go to leading lady Jessie Artemis Baum, all of 11 years old at the time, who in her film debut sat for hours in the rain, allowed herself to be covered with Hershey's strawberry syrup, and knew not only her own lines, but everyone else's. She delivered a memorable performance and established the rapport with her co-star, Joel Israel, that was critical to the film's story.
Total Running Time: 5 minutes, 30 seconds
Budget: $700
Number of Shooting Days: 5
Can You See Me Now? (Writer)
This was my first short film, and it remains one of my favorites -- largely because of the engaging performance by young Kayla Caballero (not to mention the beautiful cinematography by Aram Bauman).
I also love it for its simplicity. We created Can You See Me Now? for an online film fest with the theme "Do you ever feel like you're being watched?" That reminded me of an oft-repeated line from my childhood, and I mapped out the storyline one night over dinner.
Aram shot and edited the film over Easter weekend in April 2004. It may have been a small production, but I think it has tremendous production value.
Total Running Time: 2 minutes
Budget: Dinner, $75; gas and tolls, $20; end result: Priceless
Number of Shooting Days: 1
This was my first short film, and it remains one of my favorites -- largely because of the engaging performance by young Kayla Caballero (not to mention the beautiful cinematography by Aram Bauman).I also love it for its simplicity. We created Can You See Me Now? for an online film fest with the theme "Do you ever feel like you're being watched?" That reminded me of an oft-repeated line from my childhood, and I mapped out the storyline one night over dinner.
Aram shot and edited the film over Easter weekend in April 2004. It may have been a small production, but I think it has tremendous production value.
Total Running Time: 2 minutes
Budget: Dinner, $75; gas and tolls, $20; end result: Priceless
Number of Shooting Days: 1
5B (Producer)
Created more or less on a whim -- an experiment in the horror genre -- 5B is an offbeat short about a quirky girl who rattles her new neighbor with an unsettling revelation about her apartment.
Taina Landron -- the quirky one -- who is currently a drama student at New York's Talent Unlimited High School, made some unrestrained acting choices while filming, and we decided to just let her go for it. Her performance is balanced by the reserve of the new neighbor, portrayed by Adina Bauman. The results speak for themselves: This film was selected for the 2007 Uovo di Napoli Film Festival, which screened a wide variety of horror features and shorts.
Total Running Time: 6 minutes
Budget: Under $100
Number of Shooting Days: 3
Created more or less on a whim -- an experiment in the horror genre -- 5B is an offbeat short about a quirky girl who rattles her new neighbor with an unsettling revelation about her apartment.
Taina Landron -- the quirky one -- who is currently a drama student at New York's Talent Unlimited High School, made some unrestrained acting choices while filming, and we decided to just let her go for it. Her performance is balanced by the reserve of the new neighbor, portrayed by Adina Bauman. The results speak for themselves: This film was selected for the 2007 Uovo di Napoli Film Festival, which screened a wide variety of horror features and shorts.
Total Running Time: 6 minutes
Budget: Under $100
Number of Shooting Days: 3
Mi Robot (Writer/Producer)
Another Puffin Films production, this short depicts the power struggle between two teenage sisters.
Like Can You See Me Now?, Mi Robot sprang from a conversation over dinner and was produced by convincing friends and family to lend us their time and talents.
Special thanks goes to Kaves of The Lordz for granting us permission to use their song "Fly Away" from the Graffiti Roc CD.
The visual success of this short hinges on gorgeous lighting and creative use of special effects in post-production, both by Aram Bauman.
Total Running Time: 6 minutes
Budget: Under $100
Number of Shooting Days: 2
Another Puffin Films production, this short depicts the power struggle between two teenage sisters. Like Can You See Me Now?, Mi Robot sprang from a conversation over dinner and was produced by convincing friends and family to lend us their time and talents.
Special thanks goes to Kaves of The Lordz for granting us permission to use their song "Fly Away" from the Graffiti Roc CD.
The visual success of this short hinges on gorgeous lighting and creative use of special effects in post-production, both by Aram Bauman.
Total Running Time: 6 minutes
Budget: Under $100
Number of Shooting Days: 2
