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Over Coffee

After a long-winded investigation, a small-town Sheriff has finally found the evidence he needs to arrest his greatest rival. In light of this, the killer invites the Sheriff to his home for coffee and a confession.

  • Ethan Garrett Wiley
    Director
    N/A
  • Ethan Garrett Garrett
    Producer
    N/A
  • Ethan Garrett Wiley
    Writer
    N/A
  • Andrew McGarr
    Key Cast
    "Sheriff Wallace Mann"
    South Seminole
  • Scott Scurlock
    Key Cast
    "Pete Black"
    Homestead, Death Ranch, Painkiller
  • Mikayla Stott
    Director of Photography
    Cloudspotting (Short)
  • Andrew Helow
    Gaffer
    N/A
  • Malikchai Powdrill
    Script Supervisor
    N/A
  • William Olson
    Sound Recordist
    Some Southern Waters, Dark Echoes (Series)
  • Conor O'Leary
    On-Set Cook
    N/A
  • Andrew Helow
    Composer
    N/A
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, Neo-Western, Crime
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 14 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 13, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of Central Florida
Director Biography - Ethan Garrett Wiley

Ethan Wiley is a student filmmaker from the rural town of Dade City, Florida. He is currently studying at the University of Central Florida and in his senior year for a Bachelor of Arts in film production with a minor in creative writing. Specializing in screenwriting, Ethan has written dozens of short scripts and is currently working on two feature-length projects.

Since high school, Ethan has used YouTube as a platform for uploading shorts and video essays. At university, he most notably edited and narrated 3 history interstitials commissioned by WUCF, his local public broadcast station.

Ethan's most recent film, Over Coffee, is the first short he has created with a real budget and crew. Using UCF, local resources, and other Central Florida talent, Ethan wrote, produced, and directed the film in the 2023 Spring Semester.

Ethan brings a strong voice to any creative environment he leads or contributes to. He firmly believes a director is only as good as their crew, and creating the best crew requires empathy, respect, and plenty of gratitude. When he's not juggling the life of a busy college student, Ethan enjoys reading, collecting comics, skateboarding, and creating digital art.

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Director Statement

When brainstorming the idea for a short roughly a year ago, my mind couldn't get off the idea of breakfast. Sipping a fresh cup of coffee while chowing down on waffles, eggs, and bacon is one of my favorite experiences in the entire universe. That favorite morning ritual has, for some reason, always felt oddly American to me. What’s more American than bacon and eggs? Cowboys. Mixing those concepts together, and taking structural inspiration from Ernest Hemmingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” I set out to tell the dramatic tale of two cowboys crippled by loss, all over breakfast.

To fully create Over Coffee, I pulled from a variety of other inspirations. The delicious animations of food in Studio Ghibli films helped shape the look and focus on the plates of our characters. The narrative also draws inspiration from one of my favorite films, Logan (2018), and the 1961 Mexican western, Los Hermanos Del Hierro. Johnny Cash’s American II, III, and IV and the videogame Red Dead Redemption 2 also fueled much of the creative process.

Since Over Coffee is the first film I’m putting out to festivals, I also had a strong desire to infuse myself into this project. Much of my desire to create a western came from missing my rural hometown while away at school. The film was even shot up at my Grandparent's property. The 2-hour drive from UCF required my best friend, (and on-set cook) to carpool all of my crew members. While there, my grandparents and mom couldn’t resist catering tasty barbeque for the entire crew and creating an experience I’ll never forget.

Although a tight shooting schedule and many first-time experiences made the production of Over Coffee often stressful, it is a film I’m proud of for numerous reasons. I’m thankful for my friends, family, and teachers who motivated me, and even more grateful for my volunteer cast and crew. All of whom, graciously dealt with the up and downs of production and more responsibility than they likely bargained for. This film is undoubtedly a landmark in my filmmaking journey and I hope to see it succeed in the festival circuit.