The Standard of Living
Austin, Texas | Film Short
Comedy
Based on the eponymous short story by Dorothy Parker, THE STANDARD OF LIVING explores class and conspicuous consumption over the course of a single conversation, in which two working-class women fantasize about being liberated from financial obligation.
The Standard of Living
Austin, Texas | Film Short
Comedy
1 Campaigns | Texas, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $975 for distribution. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
25 supporters | followers
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Based on the eponymous short story by Dorothy Parker, THE STANDARD OF LIVING explores class and conspicuous consumption over the course of a single conversation, in which two working-class women fantasize about being liberated from financial obligation.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The Story
I am always reading short story compilations in search of historical material to adapt into my next short film. Dorothy Parker's short story “The Standard of Living” reminded me of a photograph we had found of my grandmother in college (she is the lady in front!). Immediately, my mind connected this picture to the short story — what would a candid street photograph such as this one look like as a film?
Every moment tells a story, but I wanted to explore what it looks like to expand a single moment into something with a beginning, middle, and end. Dorothy Parker's story, and my hopefully faithful script, may seem simple and reliant on a single gag, but within that gag are hidden layers of interpersonal character drama and class commentary. My goal with the film was to put my grandmother's picture in motion, which is why it is a one-take film like Birdman.
"The Standard of Living" has been described as Broad City in the 1940s. It is also inspired by Golden Age Hollywood film, such as Sullivan's Travels, as well as the street photography of Vivian Maier. Colloquially, I've been calling it the "girls talking" movie. Two working class women ask "what would you do if you had a million dollars," descending into reckless fantasy...
Pre-Production
Creating a period piece starts with the casting. I was seeking theatrically-trained actors because of their memorization ability, and fluency in the constructed “transatlantic” dialect was a plus. After meeting with twenty actresses from all over the state, Jenna Ivey and KarieAnn Randol settled into their roles almost instantly, creating inner lives for the two characters that extended beyond the five-minute runtime. From costumes, hair and makeup, to the characters' invisible backstories, these two brought life to Annabel and Midge in a way I could never have imagined.
Production
We rehearsed for two days before the actual shoot day. The first day of rehearsals was spent mostly just hanging out and eating dinner, so the talent could get acquainted. This made it all the more believable that Annabel and Midge have been lifelong friends instead of two strangers who just met! The next day, we went down to the eventual location on Congress and 8th, and blocked out the camera movements.
All this preparation ensured the actual shoot was fairly uneventful! The day of, we were downtown for only about two hours, with only two crew members besides myself (the incomparable camera crew Jimmie Kadaver and Jeremy Cripe!) I mixed sound while directing, so I could hear the actors' voices from afar.
Post-Production
Post-production is my specialty, and in my mind the film really took form in post. This is strange to say about a film that was shot in one take and rehearsed like a theater piece! But although no traditional editing took place, post-production has been fairly involved.
It was shot in 8K on a fairly wide lens, so much of the film's camera movements were accomplished through digital zooms. The frame is tighter as the characters advance into their fantasy, but you wouldn’t know it unless you scrubbed through the timeline. To quote Sidney Lumet: “Good style, to me, is unseen style. It is style that is felt.”
Though it was shot digitally, I emulated film stock by adding highlight rolloff, analog clipping in the audio mix, and a slight jitter on the titles which gives the subliminal impression of an old projector.
Next Steps?
Your contribution to our crowdfunding campaign will help pay for licensing and festival entry fees. Since the film is based on a 1941 short story, the rights are still owned by the NAACP to which Dorothy Parker bequeathed the rights of her works when she passed away. They have graciously offered a low licensing fee of $500, and the money will of course be going to a good cause! The licensing fee not only covers the eventual online distribution, but first and foremost a festival run. I hope the film's short length (5min) and underrepresented genre (historical comedy) will make it stand out for festival programmers. Unfortunately, submission fees can add up! For my last festival run, we spent over $500. Your pledge will help as many people as possible see this film. If our goal is reached, any stretch contributions will help cover travel and lodging costs.
While in many ways my most ambitious project to date, "The Standard of Living" represents taking a step back, and reflecting on what my voice as a filmmaker truly represents. The last short film I codirected, "Stiletto", was very different — a horror film about a stripper rooted in the slasher tradition! It also had a much higher budget and much larger crew. The Standard of Living represents paring down my craft to the bare essentials and accomplishing something deeply personal with a cast and crew of only six people. To all who helped bring this story to life, and to all who are considering it by contributing to our campaign, I extend to you the warmest appreciation.
-June Shaukat
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Licensing Fees
Costs $500
Dorothy Parker donated the rights to her works to the NAACP, so the legal fees go to a good cause!
Festival Entry Fees
Costs $500
Festivals and distribution can be expensive! Help us help as many people as possible see this film!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Meet the Cast & Crew of The Standard of Living!
STARRING
Jenna Ivey as Annabel
Jenna Ivey is an actress and singer-songwriter based out of Texas and New Mexico. She earned a BA in Theatre Arts from New Mexico State University and has experience both on the stage and behind the camera, working as an artist and creative while collaborating with others to tell stories across multiple mediums.
KarieAnn Randol as Midge
KarieAnn Randol is a proud 8th-generation Texan who has been acting since her friend convinced her to quit orchestra and join theatre in the 7th grade. She came to Austin in 2014 to act in her first feature-film directed by her now husband, Wilson West Bondesen, which landed her a nomination for Best Actress. Since then she has received numerous nominations for her portrayals in short films and was awarded Best Actress by the Hill Country Film Festival in 2019 for her role in 'Malignant.' If she could split her time 50/50 between being on set and riding a lazy donkey through the countryside while eating an apple and reading her Bible, she would.
CREW
Writer, director, producer and editor - June Shaukat
June is a post-production professional and cofounder of Austin arts collective Jonny Studios. Her last short film, "Stiletto," codirected with Maclaine Lowery, has screened at festivals including Nightmares Film Fest and the ATX Short Film Showcase. She also has a degree in environmental biology from UT Austin.
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Director of Photography - Jimmie Kadaver
Jimmie Kadaver is a freelance filmmaker and photographer located in Austin, TX. His work is inspired by a lifelong obsession with horror, and a radical queer perspective on life. He was director of photography and producer for "M is for Mindmeld" distributed by Drafthouse Films as part of "The ABCs of Death 2.5 World Competition Edition." He worked for years in live event photography and videography focusing on the Austin Queer community, and has shot several short films and music videos for emerging local drag artists and musicians. Those years saw his work published locally and abroad both online and in print by The Chronicle, The Reupubliq, and Gay Times Magazine, among others. Today he is co-owner of 2-Storey Productions LLC which is currently in post production on its first feature film.
1st AC - Jeremy Cripe
Jeremy Cripe is a human shaped meat paste animated by thousands of bugs. Jeremy Cripe is an avid film maker from Corpus Christi, TX. Driven by curiosity and his love for science and cheaply-made props, he hopes to one day direct feature length films about AI and human extinction
Associate Producer - Stephen Teeter
Stephen Teeter is what you would call the ultimate glue-man. He has mastered the art of “creative mediation”, and thus enjoys the craft of film, music, cooking, or any art that requires that people come together. His list of dream projects are a tolerable (and maybe even enjoyable) defensive driver course, a day-in-the-life-Linklater-style-future-set space series, or anything that gets someone else excited!
WHO IS JONNY STUDIOS?
After a shared period of creative depression, me and my closest friends and collaborators founded a production company and arts collective called Jonny Studios, which has produced five short films between June and November of this year. Jonny Studios is truly an example of the cliché “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” because it is nothing more than the Jonnies making films together out of sheer joy like we did when we were children.
Since our inception in the summer of 2022, Jonny Studios has participated in the Austin 48 Hour Film Challenge twice, winning runner up with our film de femme Jenny Studios (dir. June Shaukat and Stephen Teeter). In addition to four short films, Jonny Studios also produced the music video for WHAT!! by the local dubstep artist Kitty Trigger (dir. Jeremy Cripe).
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The Story
I am always reading short story compilations in search of historical material to adapt into my next short film. Dorothy Parker's short story “The Standard of Living” reminded me of a photograph we had found of my grandmother in college (she is the lady in front!). Immediately, my mind connected this picture to the short story — what would a candid street photograph such as this one look like as a film?
Every moment tells a story, but I wanted to explore what it looks like to expand a single moment into something with a beginning, middle, and end. Dorothy Parker's story, and my hopefully faithful script, may seem simple and reliant on a single gag, but within that gag are hidden layers of interpersonal character drama and class commentary. My goal with the film was to put my grandmother's picture in motion, which is why it is a one-take film like Birdman.
"The Standard of Living" has been described as Broad City in the 1940s. It is also inspired by Golden Age Hollywood film, such as Sullivan's Travels, as well as the street photography of Vivian Maier. Colloquially, I've been calling it the "girls talking" movie. Two working class women ask "what would you do if you had a million dollars," descending into reckless fantasy...
Pre-Production
Creating a period piece starts with the casting. I was seeking theatrically-trained actors because of their memorization ability, and fluency in the constructed “transatlantic” dialect was a plus. After meeting with twenty actresses from all over the state, Jenna Ivey and KarieAnn Randol settled into their roles almost instantly, creating inner lives for the two characters that extended beyond the five-minute runtime. From costumes, hair and makeup, to the characters' invisible backstories, these two brought life to Annabel and Midge in a way I could never have imagined.
Production
We rehearsed for two days before the actual shoot day. The first day of rehearsals was spent mostly just hanging out and eating dinner, so the talent could get acquainted. This made it all the more believable that Annabel and Midge have been lifelong friends instead of two strangers who just met! The next day, we went down to the eventual location on Congress and 8th, and blocked out the camera movements.
All this preparation ensured the actual shoot was fairly uneventful! The day of, we were downtown for only about two hours, with only two crew members besides myself (the incomparable camera crew Jimmie Kadaver and Jeremy Cripe!) I mixed sound while directing, so I could hear the actors' voices from afar.
Post-Production
Post-production is my specialty, and in my mind the film really took form in post. This is strange to say about a film that was shot in one take and rehearsed like a theater piece! But although no traditional editing took place, post-production has been fairly involved.
It was shot in 8K on a fairly wide lens, so much of the film's camera movements were accomplished through digital zooms. The frame is tighter as the characters advance into their fantasy, but you wouldn’t know it unless you scrubbed through the timeline. To quote Sidney Lumet: “Good style, to me, is unseen style. It is style that is felt.”
Though it was shot digitally, I emulated film stock by adding highlight rolloff, analog clipping in the audio mix, and a slight jitter on the titles which gives the subliminal impression of an old projector.
Next Steps?
Your contribution to our crowdfunding campaign will help pay for licensing and festival entry fees. Since the film is based on a 1941 short story, the rights are still owned by the NAACP to which Dorothy Parker bequeathed the rights of her works when she passed away. They have graciously offered a low licensing fee of $500, and the money will of course be going to a good cause! The licensing fee not only covers the eventual online distribution, but first and foremost a festival run. I hope the film's short length (5min) and underrepresented genre (historical comedy) will make it stand out for festival programmers. Unfortunately, submission fees can add up! For my last festival run, we spent over $500. Your pledge will help as many people as possible see this film. If our goal is reached, any stretch contributions will help cover travel and lodging costs.
While in many ways my most ambitious project to date, "The Standard of Living" represents taking a step back, and reflecting on what my voice as a filmmaker truly represents. The last short film I codirected, "Stiletto", was very different — a horror film about a stripper rooted in the slasher tradition! It also had a much higher budget and much larger crew. The Standard of Living represents paring down my craft to the bare essentials and accomplishing something deeply personal with a cast and crew of only six people. To all who helped bring this story to life, and to all who are considering it by contributing to our campaign, I extend to you the warmest appreciation.
-June Shaukat
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Licensing Fees
Costs $500
Dorothy Parker donated the rights to her works to the NAACP, so the legal fees go to a good cause!
Festival Entry Fees
Costs $500
Festivals and distribution can be expensive! Help us help as many people as possible see this film!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Meet the Cast & Crew of The Standard of Living!
STARRING
Jenna Ivey as Annabel
Jenna Ivey is an actress and singer-songwriter based out of Texas and New Mexico. She earned a BA in Theatre Arts from New Mexico State University and has experience both on the stage and behind the camera, working as an artist and creative while collaborating with others to tell stories across multiple mediums.
KarieAnn Randol as Midge
KarieAnn Randol is a proud 8th-generation Texan who has been acting since her friend convinced her to quit orchestra and join theatre in the 7th grade. She came to Austin in 2014 to act in her first feature-film directed by her now husband, Wilson West Bondesen, which landed her a nomination for Best Actress. Since then she has received numerous nominations for her portrayals in short films and was awarded Best Actress by the Hill Country Film Festival in 2019 for her role in 'Malignant.' If she could split her time 50/50 between being on set and riding a lazy donkey through the countryside while eating an apple and reading her Bible, she would.
CREW
Writer, director, producer and editor - June Shaukat
June is a post-production professional and cofounder of Austin arts collective Jonny Studios. Her last short film, "Stiletto," codirected with Maclaine Lowery, has screened at festivals including Nightmares Film Fest and the ATX Short Film Showcase. She also has a degree in environmental biology from UT Austin.
Director of Photography - Jimmie Kadaver
Jimmie Kadaver is a freelance filmmaker and photographer located in Austin, TX. His work is inspired by a lifelong obsession with horror, and a radical queer perspective on life. He was director of photography and producer for "M is for Mindmeld" distributed by Drafthouse Films as part of "The ABCs of Death 2.5 World Competition Edition." He worked for years in live event photography and videography focusing on the Austin Queer community, and has shot several short films and music videos for emerging local drag artists and musicians. Those years saw his work published locally and abroad both online and in print by The Chronicle, The Reupubliq, and Gay Times Magazine, among others. Today he is co-owner of 2-Storey Productions LLC which is currently in post production on its first feature film.
1st AC - Jeremy Cripe
Jeremy Cripe is a human shaped meat paste animated by thousands of bugs. Jeremy Cripe is an avid film maker from Corpus Christi, TX. Driven by curiosity and his love for science and cheaply-made props, he hopes to one day direct feature length films about AI and human extinction
Associate Producer - Stephen Teeter
Stephen Teeter is what you would call the ultimate glue-man. He has mastered the art of “creative mediation”, and thus enjoys the craft of film, music, cooking, or any art that requires that people come together. His list of dream projects are a tolerable (and maybe even enjoyable) defensive driver course, a day-in-the-life-Linklater-style-future-set space series, or anything that gets someone else excited!
WHO IS JONNY STUDIOS?
After a shared period of creative depression, me and my closest friends and collaborators founded a production company and arts collective called Jonny Studios, which has produced five short films between June and November of this year. Jonny Studios is truly an example of the cliché “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” because it is nothing more than the Jonnies making films together out of sheer joy like we did when we were children.
Since our inception in the summer of 2022, Jonny Studios has participated in the Austin 48 Hour Film Challenge twice, winning runner up with our film de femme Jenny Studios (dir. June Shaukat and Stephen Teeter). In addition to four short films, Jonny Studios also produced the music video for WHAT!! by the local dubstep artist Kitty Trigger (dir. Jeremy Cripe).