Death's Door

A Short Film

About
Death's Door

Death's Door is a quirky supernatural coming-of-age story about a teenager who's pulled between a budding friendship and their oldest friend: Death

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Speaking of goats... one goat took a special interest in our shoot at Portland Goat Parties. Alex nicknamed him Sausage because has was "getting up in everybody's grill." This is only a fraction of his pure chaotic energy 😂

Today we want to shout out a special thank-you to Portland Goat Parties @portlandgoatparties ! They graciously allowed us to film at their farm so their goats could serve as extras in our Animal In-Between scene. Without a doubt, our most memorable shoot day (and according to Cara, the most fun)!

Also: you can book time to go cuddle baby goats at their farm. We just thought you should know 😁🐐

We still have more cast announcements to come! Today we're highlighting Nikki Flinn @thatnikkiflinncharacter , who plays Jennifer. You can find more of her work at https://nikkiflinn.com

On set, Nikki is known for always being down to talk through a scene, or even help source last-minute props and supplies!

Everyone can picture the image of the grim reaper with the cloak and scythe, but what about the hands?

As part of Death's character design, we had to decide what Death's hands would look like. Our inspiration was vulture talons—a scaly, grayish look. Our makeup and special effects artist Dayan devised a process using black and white acrylic paint and mesh.

Then it came time to create it again... and again... and again. Much appreciation to Dayan, Lucas, and Alex for their dedication to getting the look just right!

Shoutout to Dayan Morgan-Sylvaen, our fearless makeup and special effects artist! Beyond helping our actors look their best, she prepared Death's hands shoot after shoot—even while besieged by goats! Though purportedly her favorite job on set was babysitting Brewer the Death Dog.

From director Cara Ehlenfeldt: A good handful of years ago when I lived in Wisconsin, I used to walk around town a lot and found myself directing my course to this little graveyard. What I found most interesting about it is that there's a playground right next to it across a chain-link fence. This physical juxtaposition of life and death hooked me, and I started imagining a character living their life between these two spaces and even comfortable in the graveyard itself. While folks familiar with the film know that there's no graveyard in it, and the story itself has evolved quite a bit over the years, this place is the germ of the idea that started it all.

Next up, meet our amazing production designer, Melissa Walther @wubfox !

Melissa is an experienced creative producer, director, showcaller, and video engineer. She has a Master’s degree focused in Collaborative Production Dramaturgy from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. Melissa specializes in creating experiences, telling stories (especially with lesser heard voices), and inspiring wonder. You can find more of Melissa's work at creativecalibrations.com

On set, Melissa is known for her awesome wardrobe of jumpsuits/overalls and being able to make just about any prop appear from the trunk of her car.

Meet another member of our incredible cast, @madamsatsuma !

Mele Satsuma (she/they) is an actor obsessed with the power and art of storytelling. Having spent their life exploring how we understand ourselves as human beings, being a part of the Death’s Door team was a truly wonderful experience on that journey. And playing the role of Mrs. Johnston, with her love of puns and Shakeseare was… not difficult. Gotta get that NYT puzzle streak, ya know? In April, Mele can be seen in Blinking Eye Theatre’s production of Melancholy Play. Mele Satsuma is a graduate of the Art of Acting Studio and holds a B.A. in Performing Arts from the University of San Francisco.

On set, Mele is known for effortlessly embodying their character and also hanging around to watch and support their fellow actors.

Having a director riding on the dolly isn't the most conventional way to shoot a scene, but it is the most fun. For Cara, at least. Maybe not for Ben pulling it.

🚨Poster reveal!🚨

We're so excited to share our official poster designed by Aldo Garcia, with thanks to @elwoodphotos for taking the photos used in its design. Festivals, here we come!

Our other (maybe actually fearless) director is Ben Edwards!

Ben is a film editor and director. Through this medium, he's been a part of the movement to get name and likeness rights for NCAA student athletes, volunteered with film festivals and The Boys & Girls Club, and worked on trailers and vidocs for the video game company Bungie. Also, Ben isn't short for Benjamin.

On set, Ben is known for being totally unflappable and being a walking, talking human version of IMDb. You can find more of his work at www.ben-edits.com

This week we're introducing our (mostly) fearless directors, starting with Cara Ehlenfeldt!

Cara is a director and producer working in both film and audio. Following grad school at Northwestern, they began their career producing audio in NYC, working on productions with Radiotopia, Criminal, Nickelodeon, and more. They're currently a member–owner of Mumble Media, a worker-owned audio production cooperative, where they develop new shows and work in production and post. Death's Door is their short film directing debut.

On set, Cara is known for perching in what appears to be the most inconvenient place possible and being the owner of the Death dog. You can find more of their work at caraehlenfeldt.com

Assistant editor Brewer is hard at work on post! 🐕

Rounding out our terrific trio of leads is dylan.mojo !

Dylan is a student at the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, and alongside acting, enjoys drumming, writing, and saving princesses from tall towers. Dylan's other roles include Adam in HBO's "The Rehearsal," Frankie in the Lionsgate film "The Legend of Catclaws Mountain," and two years as a member of the award-winning teen improv comedy troupe Impulse.

On set, Dylan is known for his lively stories about other projects he's worked on and mastering the satisfying sound of a high five.

Officially introducing our lead, @charlies_acting_account! Charlie plays Kaylee in a perfect combination of introverted, prickly, and vulnerable—and old pals with Death.

Charlie is an 18-year-old actor who has been acting for four years and wants to go into the industry for a living. Art is his passion, and he hopes to be able to explore more of his craft in the future. Death's Door is his first leading film role.

On set, Charlie is known for his positive attitude and being completely unafraid to handle any insect that crosses his path.

This Tuesday we're grateful for our amazing friends over at @gmsmediapdx!

GMS generously shared their gear and studio space with us for one of our most ambitious days—shooting the magical door. Many thanks to @geffzamor and the awesome folks over there for supporting local independent filmmakers! And if you're looking for a local PDX company that makes great ads, why not give them a call? 🙂

Where we started ⏳ where we're going

Death's Door is a quirky, supernatural coming-of-age story about an introverted non-binary teen who's pulled between a budding friendship and their oldest friend: Death.

We're currently in post-production. Stay tuned for more announcements and behind-the-scenes content!

If you want to support us, consider contributing to our Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/deathsdoorfilm

Also presenting our awesome title design by @designedbykell!

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@deathsdoorfilm

Meet the Cast

Kaylee

Charlie Fogarty

Charlie is an 18-year-old actor who has been acting for four years and wants to go into the industry for a living. Art is his passion, and he hopes to be able to explore more of his craft in the future. Death's Door is his first leading film role.

Death

Alexandria McKinley-Prom

Alexandria is a Pacific Northwest filmmaker who's one part Robin Williams, one part Rose Byrne with a sprinkle of Jodie Foster. In 2011, she graduated from the Creative Media Institute at NMSU with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. They've worked on over 75 different film projects, all the way from local indie productions to full studio films like Due Date and The Book of Eli.

Will

Dylan Mojo

Dylan is a student at the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, and alongside acting, enjoys drumming, writing, and saving princesses from tall towers. Dylan's other roles include Adam in HBO's "The Rehearsal," Frankie in the Lionsgate film "The Legend of Catclaws Mountain," and two years as a member of the award-winning teen improv comedy troupe Impulse.

Jennifer

Nikki Flinn

Nikki Flinn is an actor. More bio to come!

Mrs. Johnston

Mele Satsuma

Mele Satsuma (she/they) is an actor obsessed with the power and art of storytelling. Having spent their life exploring how we understand ourselves as human beings, being a part of the Death’s Door team was a truly wonderful experience on that journey. Mele is a graduate of the Art of Acting Studio and holds a B.A. in Performing Arts from the University of San Francisco.

Young Kaylee

Eleanor Maffioli

Eleanor (Ellie) Maffioli is a hardworking and curious creative who found comfort in exploring their talents in acting. They have been part of hours of theater production and have enjoyed expanding their talents on stage and screen as well. They like extreme sports like snowboarding and surfing or are happy to cuddle up with pets.

Crew

Writer / Producer / Director

Cara Ehlenfeldt

Cara is a director and producer working in both film and audio. Following grad school at Northwestern, they began their career producing audio in NYC, working on productions with Radiotopia, Criminal, Nickelodeon, and more. They're currently a member–owner of Mumble Media, a worker-owned audio production cooperative.

caraehlenfeldt.com

Writer / Producer / Director

Ben Edwards

Ben is a film editor and director. Through this medium, he's been a part of the movement to get name and likeness rights for NCAA student athletes, volunteered with film festivals and The Boys & Girls Club, and trailers and vidocs for the video game company Bungie. Ben isn't short for Benjamin.

ben-edits.com

Executive Producer

Geff Zamor

Geff is a film industry veteran and owner of GMS Media & Advertising.

gmsmediaco.com

Director of Photography

Sam Sanchez

Sam is a Puerto Rican filmmaker and photographer whose work has been featured internationally at the Cannes Film Festival. Graduating with a BFA in theatre along with a tandem honorary film degree, Sam has spent the last 15 years bringing visual spectacle to productions via light and lens. An avid music lover, Sam is most often found just vibing to his favorite tunes, dancing and singing.

samsanchez.art

Art / Costumes / Production Design

Melissa Walther

Melissa is an experienced creative producer, director, showcaller, and video engineer. She has a Master’s degree focused in Collaborative Production Dramaturgy from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. Melissa specializes in creating experiences, telling stories (especially with lesser heard voices), and inspiring wonder.

creativecalibrations.com

Composer / Music Supervisor

Jana Cushman

Jana is a music producer/composer, music supervisor, and frontperson of the dream pop/darkwave band Darkswoon. Recognized for an award-winning original score for the feature film 'My Summer As A Goth,' Cushman is currently composing for several projects across various media.

janacushman.com

Death's Door

About Death's Door

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Meet the Cast

Crew

About
Death's Door