Private Project

Bridge Escort: Modern Tale Of Charon

If fear, doubt or remorse prevents you from your final destination, a bridge escort officer will see you home safe.

A modernized perception of Charon, The Ferryman of the River Styx. BRIDGE ESCORT: MODERN TALE OF CHARON is a multimedia short film based on the feature length screenplay THE BRIDGE ESCORT by Nick Sanzo. The initial intent is to modernize the ancient myth of Charon while exploring concepts and theories of the soul and an afterlife. It’s main theme is man versus himself as we bare witness to the cathartic creation of a bridge escort officer. Written, produced and directed by Jesse Petrick.

  • Jesse Petrick
    Director
    Heathens
  • Jesse Petrick
    Writer
    Heathens
  • Nick Sanzo (Feature Screenplay)
    Writer
  • Jesse Petrick
    Producer
    Heathens
  • Raja Orr
    Music Score
  • Dave Mcadams
    Key Camera
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Genres:
    Sci Fi
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 21, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    8,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Fantasmagorical Film Festival
    Louisville, KY
    August 8, 2015
    North American Premier
  • Immortal Con
    Ronkonkoma, NY
    September 9, 2015
    Best Screenplay
  • International Film Festival for Spirituality, Religion and Visionary
    Jakkarta, Indonesia
    November 14, 2015
    Director - Filmmaker of Spirituality Award
  • Macabre Faire Film Festival
    Long Island, New York
    January 16, 2016
    Macabreite Best Screenplay
  • International Freethought Film Festival
    Orlando, FL
    May 14, 2016
    Best Animated Short Film
  • Esoteric Film Festival
    Moscow
    Russian Federation
    February 18, 2021
    Russia Federation Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Jesse Petrick

Award winning and critically acclaimed, with a body of work encompassing feature films, interviews, live concerts, music videos, documentaries, educational videos, a web series and several commercials, Jesse Petrick is a proven professional in the industry.

Jesse's introduction to television was winning first place in a Dr. Pepper commercial writing contest at age seventeen.  He was then awarded the prestigious Hungerford Memorial Fellowship, and a university scholarship followed shortly afterward. Jesse studied performance and direction and had cameo roles on Network Television and independent films.  Before graduating, he received the Rex Raybold Fellowship and went directly to work as a company member with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival while he completed his degree.

Jesse was nominated for a 2009 Streamy Award as Best Director of a Dramatic Series for his directorial debut of "Heathens,” an episodic Texas western set in the fictional town of Freedom, circa 1846.    Jesse later became the Creative Media Producer for ArtistWorks inc., an online video-based learning institution.   During this time he produced "The Guitar Project, a documentary" as well as several promotional videos, concert and seminar recordings, music videos, interviews and industrials, all of which became the foundation for the ArtistWorks' educational platform. Jesse was also a producer on the web series "Organics From A to Z" that was picked up by the Discovery Network.  He is a voting member of the International Academy of Web Television.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

My current project "Bridge Escort: Modern Tale of Charon,” reflects my passion for modernizing ancient texts in an effort to exhibit their timeless relevance. For me “Bridge Escort: Modern Tale of Charon” illustrates not only what we have gleaned from Charon’s early texts (Aristophanes, Aeschylus, Euripides) but it also attempts to rediscover what we may have forgotten: If fear, doubt or remorse prevents you from your final destination, a bridge escort officer will see you home safe.

I believe that there must have been more ancient works about Charon. Scripts that were lost in the burning of the Library of Alexandria. The very concept of Charon is an important institution now gone. Ancient civilization had in their belief system that at death there is someone there to bring you to the other side. That was Charon's job. It didn't matter the religious outlook of the deceased. His was not to question the plight of the soul but to make sure it didn't get stuck roaming the earth for all eternity. I was fascinated. If there had been an ancient play about Charon, what would it have been like and how would I modernize its timeless relevance? This is what I was interested in doing with this short film project. Traditionally, the Greek classics were theme driven with a chorus that took on the role of various literary devices. The chorus provided a social commentary, and often they gave characters the insight they needed. The chorus was also used frequently to interpret the mental and emotional reactions of the principal characters. How could I implement a chorus? I really wanted to do it. But how could I do this without blatantly calling attention to the fact that this is an "Ancient Greek Tale." I wanted the concept of a chorus present but subtle. I also wanted to show the Principal characters (The Officers and their passengers) interacting with the chorus. One day while pondering my Greek chorus dilemma I found myself stuck in traffic sitting in my car and talking back to the radio. From that moment the pieces started falling into place.