Experiencing Interruptions?

On Repeat

Logline: A young woman tries maintaining a sense of normalcy during the COVID-19 pandemic while battling the profound loneliness of living alone during lockdown.

May 2020. Laurel, a young woman in her 20s, lies in bed. Her alarm goes off, kickstarting her daily morning routine that she keeps while under lockdown. She starts her day by making her bed, exercising, and then fixing her morning coffee before sitting down by her kitchen table to work remotely from her laptop.

By evening, Laurel enjoys her nightly ritual of ordering takeout for dinner and fondly greeting the Delivery Driver, a young man about her age. The Delivery Driver is Laurel’s one human connection outside the confines of her apartment. Laurel then sits down to the evening news, a barrage of ominous updates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

June 2020. Laurel’s alarm goes off, kickstarting another day and her same morning routine. She goes through the motions of making her bed, exercising, sipping on her coffee, and then opening her laptop for another banal day of remote work.

That evening, she retrieves her takeout from the Delivery Driver but without her usual enthusiasm. The Delivery Driver notices Laurel’s dour mood. Laurel sits down to watch the evening news, listening to more frightening updates regarding the pandemic.

July 2020. Laurel sleeps as her alarm continues going off. She eventually gets out of bed to begin her day, yet she breaks from her once regimented morning routine. In lieu of making her bed, she tosses the comforter over the mattress. She stops in the middle of her exercise routine and stares at the ceiling of her apartment in contemplative silence.

She opens her laptop to begin working only to find an email notifying her that she’s been laid-off from her job.

That evening, when she orders takeout, the Delivery Driver arrives with Laurel’s order along with something extra. When Laurel opens the bag, she finds a desert with a special note, “We’ll get through this.” This small gesture of kindness uplifts both Laurel and the Delivery Driver.

  • Tony Marquez
    Director
  • Kathleen Barth
    Writer
  • Tony Marquez
    Producer
  • Mannon Butt
    Producer
  • Laurel Pierce
    Producer
  • Cina McKenna
    Key Cast
    "Laurel"
  • Tony Marquez
    Key Cast
    "Delivery Driver"
  • Mannon Butt
    Director of Photography
  • Evan Gradillas
    Colorist
  • Mannon Butt
    Editor
  • Andrew Scott Bell
    Composer
  • Laurel Pierce
    Boom Operator
  • Michael Gallagher
    Post Audio Mix
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 14, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Tony Marquez

Tony resides in Los Angeles, California working in the entertainment industry. Originally from the Washington DC Metro area, he graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies. After finishing school, Tony was able to land jobs in non-scripted Television formats with Travel Channel and Discovery Networks. His pursuit of directing narrative films led him to ambitiously create independent projects while working a busy schedule. With success in the festival circuit being selected to places such as Boston International, Richmond International and a winner at the Olympus Film Festival in Los Angeles, he moved West to take on the Hollywood Dream. Eager to work and learn he has been on sets for major super bowl commercials, music videos with Ariana Grande and television shows on the Warner Bros, Disney and Fox Studio lots. Tony was recently accepted to the Sundance Director Core Masterclass in 2020 and is currently a key staff member on the CBS show Young Sheldon.

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Director Statement

On Repeat is a true “quarantine film” that came together during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Development and pre-production brought both coasts of the United States together with the collaboration between filmmakers from D.C. and L.A. respectively. The cast and crew followed strict health and safety practices recommended by the C.D.C. while filming On Repeat. The fruition of this films serves as a testament that even in the midst of isolation incited by a pandemic, our human need for stories can bring us together.