Private Project

Johnny Colorado

Johnny, a drug-addicted wayward deplorable, runs into the harsh realities of the workforce.

  • Alejandro Espinoza, Michael Benton
    Director
  • Alejandro Espinoza, Michael Benton
    Writer
  • Alejandro Espinoza, Michael Benton
    Producer
  • Daniel Baldock
    Key Cast
    "Johnny Colorado"
    Mr. Mercedes, The Vampire Diaries
  • Doyle Reynolds
    Key Cast
    "Mr. Reynolds"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 34 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 1, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    8,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Alejandro Espinoza, Michael Benton

Alejandro Espinoza and Michael Benton met during film school and became fast friends. They've been making short films for awhile now but have recently begun to truly express their view of the world. They believe strongly in inclusion, as Alejandro is Latinx and Michael is openly gay.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

JOHNNY COLORADO started as an amalgam of various wayward friends we’d met and known throughout our early twenties. Suburban guys who were born with all the best opportunities but had wasted each one due to, well, a myriad of reasons. Johnny himself was a goofy and sad personification of that malaise.
The script started as a writing exercise between us – who could write the craziest, chest-beatingest “here’s how cool I am,” line of dialogue. Alejandro won out and set to writing the script. It had all the tragedy and crass comedy and tension required. And, of course his name would be Johnny – the most used name in rock n roll songs – and Colorado because it sounds bigger and grander than it really is.
What we’re most trying to communicate with JOHNNY COLORADO is that identity can be very important, we all crave it, need it, but it can really cause damage. We can be trapped by it. We have to live up to it. But without any sense of self, existence can be pretty empty.
He’s a very specific kind of person, Johnny. And that’s why all sorts of different people respond to the film. We all know a guy like Johnny Colorado.