First Time

It’s Melanie’s first time and Taylor, her roommate, couldn’t be more excited. Taylor has been waiting for her friend to “pop” for a while now. Once Melanie says she’s going to, Taylor isn’t going to let her back down. 
Melanie may be finally ready. She has the boy, he’s HOT, she’s made up her mind, and most importantly she wants to do it. 
By the way, we’re not talking about sex here. Melanie and Taylor have to get ready for the big night, and when Mel starts to get cold feet, Taylor does her best to encourage her friend.

  • Jeremy Stewart
    Director
    The Ceremony, Everything I Learned Came From the Television
  • Erica Mary Wright
    Writer
    Forget, Give Me An A
  • Erica Mary Wright
    Producer
    Forget, Give Me An A
  • Brenna D'Amico
    Key Cast
    "Taylor"
    Descendants Trilogy, Night Night
  • Brielle Barbusca
    Key Cast
    "Melanie"
    Modern Family, Scandal, Big Time Adolescence,
  • Joe Seo
    Key Cast
    "Drew"
    Cobra Kai
  • Ian Nelson
    Key Cast
    "Josh"
    Paper Spiders, Hunger Games, Summer Night, Teen Wolf
  • Anderson Collins
    Cinematographer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Dark Comedy, Thriller
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 8 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 15, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    8,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jeremy Stewart

Jeremy is a 4th generation Jewish Los Angeles native. He went to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and when he moved back to LA he started directing. He works mainly in the thriller genre and the darker side of things, with sleek visuals and an uneasy aesthetic. His previous films include The Ceremony (Oscar qualifying), Everything I Learned Came from the Television (currently in festival circuit), and a couple others that nobody has ever heard of.

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Director Statement

I always tend to lean towards thing that are darker and where the characters actions have consequences. When Erica sent me this script I was immediately wrapped up in how it balanced such a light and fun tone with a darker and more dramatic undercurrent. It feels like a river that looks peaceful from a distance and then has a fast undertow when you get up close. One of my favorite things about film in general is the collaboration between every single person who works on it, and this project has been the most ideal thing to work on. The score and all of post reinforcing the lightness and the wispy-ness of a coming of age story, while our on set lighting and the camera choices mirror (literally) the duality that the girls possess. I talked SO much about darker films (Jennifer’s Body, etc.) when it came to our actors and with my DP and the amount of fun that everybody had working on this project is all I could’ve asked for. The message and the meaning of this film isn’t lost on any of us either. As much as it’s a fun ride, I think there is something really important in that bubbling undercurrent of how much do you trust someone. And that goes for every character relationship in First Time. Between Tay and Mel, and how much Mel puts her faith in Tay when she’s getting pushed to do something that she is a little uncomfortable with, and between the boys and what they want from the girls too. The film is a leap of faith. It was a leap of faith for Erica to ask me to even do it in the first place, and it’s been a leap of faith ever since. Because that’s what this process is. For Brenna and Brielle, and Joe and Ian, to trust me and step on set with me, and for us to take this film as far as we did from where it started and how Erica went about writing it, it’s always been a leap of faith.
And luckily, we took the jump together.