Avant Guard
A Museum Director chasing fame, her museum about to become famous, with a priceless painting that has never been seen; it just needs to be guarded for one night…from the Guard.
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CR ShermanDirector
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CR ShermanWriter
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May May LuongProducer
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Jimmy SloninaKey Cast"The Guard"
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Nicole UngerKey Cast"Museum Director"
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Socorro JonesKey Cast"Professor Diderot"
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Ryan GalvanDirector of Photography
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Angelo Rey MasangkayEditor
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Ashley-Phoenix TysonProduction Design
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Miranda Kaye TantlingerCostume Designer
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Thomas BjelicSound Design
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:12 minutes 21 seconds
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Completion Date:November 17, 2025
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Production Budget:13,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Film Color:Black & White
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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New York Film & Cinematography AwardsNew York, NY | February 10, 2025
United States
WINNER Screenplay Contest | Shorts -
New York Screenplay CompetitionNew York, NY | August 13, 2024
United States
WINNER | Best Short Screenplay -
Paris International Short FestivalParis, September | 14, 2024
France
WINNER | Script Competition - Short -
Austin Film FestivalAustin, TX | October 27, 2024
United States
Script Competition | Second Rounder -
Seattle Filmmaker AwardsSeattle, WA | October 31, 2024
United States
WINNER | Best Short Script
My first job as a storyteller was as a designer doing brand development for companies such as Symantec, Polaroid, Virginia Power, Cole Haan, Zildjian Cymbals, and The Harvard Business School. My career took me to design firms in Houston and Boston, then I opened my own firm as a cofounder of BrandTank in San Francisco.
I made a career change to aviation in 2001. I built my flight time flying Grand Canyon tours, flew corporate charters throughout the Southwest, and then moved on to jets. I hold multiple type ratings in turbo prop and turbo fan aircraft, and my total number of takeoffs matches my total number of landings--except for that one time.
In 2020 I enrolled in the College of Fine Arts, Department of Film, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I focused on screenwriting classes in both the Graduate, and Undergraduate Programs.
To get production experience on set I worked as a sound mixer doing location sound. I have worked as a Grip, and I freelance as a photographer shooting production stills for music videos and film productions. I write as much as I can between projects, it keeps me out of the heat.
I have always been fascinated with how the culture of fine art coexists with the business of fine art. And how a myth, mystery, or narrative that surrounds an artwork can affect its valuation. Fame has always been a currency. The film, “Avant Guard,” is set in the world of galleries and museums that chase fame just as aggressively as the artists they exhibit.
Presenting this story in B&W was a creative choice to reference an era. The lenses used by director of photography Ryan Galvan were all vintage Nikon, mounted to an Arri Alexa 35 cinema camera. This gives "Avant Guard" an exquisitely rich creaminess and warmth. The style is inspired by films from the 50’s and 60’s. "Mr. Hulot’s Holiday" (1953) by Jacques Tati and starring Mr. Tati, "The Pink Panther" (1963) and "The Party" (1968), both by Blake Edwards and both starring Peter Sellers.
I find that the comedy of these characters is in their elegance, rather than their bumbling’s. Jimmy Slonina, who plays The Guard, is a Las Vegas based artist that performs as a clown in Cirque du Soleil shows. He personifies the effortless skill of accidental elegance with his brilliant physical performance.
And his character raises a question central to the film that has intrigued me for decades. A question that lingers since earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from art school. Do you have to be trained as an artist to make art, or is there an artist in everyone?
