Private Project

Ocean's 14

Logline: A group short film project turns to chaos as divas clash, twins with a deadly cat allergy appear, and feather boas start to fly. Facing the prospect of F’s on their report cards, the teens need to figure out how to work as a team if they are going to beat the clock and salvage their project.

Brief Synopsis: Lila, Marcy, Tatum, and Ryan are assigned a project in English class to create a short film on “problem solving through collaboration." Lila asks her friends to help out, and Murphy’s Law kicks in. There are mid-rehearsal script rewrites, an understudy has to step in, and girl code gets chucked out the window. After Julia’s wheezy twin siblings pull out the pool noodles, Lila is ready to give up on the doomed assignment. Between Aidan leaving early and Keira’s fashion faux-pas, the kids learn the importance of connection and collaboration—a lesson that is ever harder to learn, growing up in a digital age. As everything falls apart, the group has to discover what they’re really trying to accomplish and what they’re going to have to do to get it done.

  • Tyler Rockwell
    Director
  • Ayla Nahmias
    Writer
  • Jill Johnson Mann
    Producer
    "Lux Freer"
  • Cynthia Gibb
    Producer
    "Lux Freer"
  • Isabelle Leeming
    Key Cast
    "Lila"
  • Ayla Nahmias
    Key Cast
    "Marcy"
  • Jasmita Mani Lorenzato
    Key Cast
    "Tatum"
    "Lux Freer"
  • Blake Raho
    Key Cast
    "Ryan"
    "Lux Freer"
  • Austin Jax
    Key Cast
    "Justin"
    Who's Dating David
  • Callie Sarro
    Key Cast
    "Gemma"
    The Calling, Election Overtime
  • Leanna Mitev
    Key Cast
    "Julia"
    "Lux Freer"
  • Charlie Carroccio
    Key Cast
    "Aidan"
    12 Days of Christmas Eve
  • Vivienne Leeming
    Key Cast
    "Kiera"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 27 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 29, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    3,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Triple Threat Academy
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Gothamite Film Awards

    Award Winner
Director Biography - Tyler Rockwell


Tyler Rockwell is an aspiring young filmmaker. Growing up on the Sci-fi and Dystopian classics of the late 20th century, he has grown up with a love for film as an art, beyond merely a technical accomplishment and has long sought to create such art himself. In recent years, Tyler has brought this love for film to life, starting off with simple iphone shorts for school projects before traveling to Burlington, Vermont, where he partook in the School of Creative and Performing Arts (SOCAPA) core filmmaking class, writing and directing 3 of his own short films, all shot on professional equipment and collaborated on by fellow students. With his sights now set on college, Tyler is pursuing more complex and thematically diverse stories, focusing on the complexity of human nature and the moral grays that people so often find themselves in.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This film was very transformative for me as a filmmaker. Most of what I’d accomplished on my own prior was through the lens of a phone camera, with really only myself to rely on. A three-week summer program in Vermont helped refine my storytelling capabilities and taught me how to work together with my peers to create something we were passionate about. Then I was given the opportunity to direct this film through Triple Threat Academy, with a professional crew and a cast of nine (including some professional actors) under my direction. This film taught me to be professional and to be efficient. Being my first time working with a professional crew, and first time directing actors who weren’t just my friends, I had a lot to learn and not much time to do so. Throughout the weeklong process of rehearsing and shooting, I felt I really grew into myself as a director and collaborator. I came into this project timidly but was forced to exert myself as I learned to work under pressure, motivate my actors, and work efficiently with my crew.

The film itself captures that universal experience of desperately trying to make a group project come together and the many arduous obstacles that often come up on the journey. Coming out of a period of such isolation, genuine companionship, cooperation, and friendship have never been more important and this film speaks to the necessity of putting aside petty differences in order to come together to create something truly special. Speaking for all of the cast and crew, we hope that you enjoy this film that brought us all together!