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Internal Orange

Internal Orange is the second segment in the trilogy “Secondary Colors”, but is a stand alone film. The visual aesthetic is essential to understanding negative body issues in women, sexualization of women in the media and methods involving color theories specifically, the color orange. The plot of the movie
revolves around a girl with orange hair, who identifies with all things orange. Even her skin is orange form all the fake tanning. Bright, happy color on the outside, morbid darkness suppressed deep down on the inside. She cannot stand the way she looks. A fire evacuation forces her to reassess her inner demons when she falls into a mirror and relives the skeletons of her past. After a breakdown, she finds a doorway back into her house. There are no more fires now, and in a state of sadness mixed with contention, she jumps into her pool and disappears shedding her orange exterior.

  • Erica Cullwell
    Director
    Purpul
  • Erica Cullwell
    Writer
  • Erica Cullwell
    Producer
  • Jennifer Paredes
    Key Cast
  • Lolly Boroff
    Key Cast
  • Pourya Rahbar
    Key Cast
  • Kate Esparza
    Key Cast
  • Mark Curtsinger
    Key Cast
  • Armando Armas
    Director of Photography
  • Rachel Woodburn
    AD
  • Carly Lujan
    Art Department
  • Ralph Blanchard
    Art Department
  • Dan Hampton
    Art Department
  • Casey Poma
    Art Department
  • Hannah Arp
    Art Department
  • Erica Cullwell
    Editor
  • Nick Gustufsen
    Editor
  • Mark Janiak
    Script Supervisor
  • Melissa Edwards
    Makeup and Hair Stylist
  • Rachel Wittenberg
    Makeup and Hair Stylist
  • Hannah Arp
    Makeup and Hair Stylist
  • Nick Gustufsen
    Key Grip
  • Taryn Lahey
    Sound
  • Christophe Boucher
    Composer/ Sound Design
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 38 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 19, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    7,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Blackmagic 4k Cinema Camera
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • Best of the Best Showcase
    San Diego State University
    May 13, 2015
    WON: Best Graduate Film
Director Biography - Erica Cullwell

A Native San Diegen, Erica's wild imagination she believes to have received as a product of the "only child" syndrome. She completed her undergraduate work in Cinematic Arts and Technology in 2011 and recently finished her graduate work at San Diego State University in Television, Film and New Media.

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Director Statement

Internal Orange is second film in a trilogy I have created called Secondary Colors. This film is a very personal film and I came up with the idea not only for the film, but for the trilogy while I was vacationing in Palm Springs. The predecessor film PURPUL deals with issues of depression and agoraphobia, but the color purple is prominent, and the main character identifies with it because it is the same color as the daily medication she takes. Internal Orange follows similar guidelines, but the color orange represents a happy facade, bright on the outside and dark on the inside. Overall the film is on the surrealistic side as reality is constantly questioned inside the head of the Orange Girl. I have worked on this film for almost two years and it is my graduate film. I saved money, used financial aid, took out of my 401k, asked for donations and created an Indigogo account to fund the film. In the end, the film cost a little over $7,000 to make.

The message I hope to get across is just the blatancy of materialism that exists, especially in women. As an individual you are your harshest critic and everybody else sees you for what you are, even if you're pretending to be some other way because you don't like who you are or how you were raised. It is a darker film, darker than I have ever done before, but the visuals are so stunning (in my opinion) so I would love for people to appreciate and understand the subtext of the color orange as well as enjoy the look of the film.