Stranger Mornings

"Her mornings were pretty predictable. But a stranger morning was on the horizon."

Seven strangers are magically transported to a clearing in the forest after they each experience one strange morning.

  • Angela Joy Bass
    Director
  • Angela Joy Bass
    Writer
  • Angela Joy Bass
    Producer
  • Alicia Brewster
    Key Cast
    "Breakfast Girl"
  • Kayla Odom
    Key Cast
    "Wardrobe Girl"
  • Vanessa Cornwell-Chiu
    Key Cast
    "Working Woman"
  • Audrey Ishikawa
    Key Cast
    "Fitness Girl"
  • Emily Price
    Key Cast
    "Gardener"
  • Gina Fong Seidler
    Key Cast
    "Painter"
  • Vicky Hochman
    Key Cast
    "Mom-to-Be"
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Music Video, Short
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 11 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 6, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, DJI Mini 3 Pro
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Angela Joy Bass

Angela Joy Bass founded Joy Visuals, a film, video and photography production company in 2014.

As a one-woman production company based in Sacramento, Calif., Joy Visuals creates short films, videos and photos featuring performance artists and other creatives seeking to tell a visual story in the most joyful way possible. As a filmmaker, Angela enjoys directing, scriptwriting, storyboarding, shooting, editing, and working collaboratively with on-screen talent, especially dancers.

Angela holds degrees in multimedia journalism and creative writing from UC Berkeley and San Francisco State, and possesses more than 20 years of experience as a video and radio producer, photographer, journalist and PR professional.

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Director Statement

Stranger Mornings is a testament to what can happen when women believe in women and, perhaps more importantly, when women directors decide to believe in themselves.

When the featured dancers – most of whom work as full-time teachers, lawyers, therapists, doctors, and mothers – saw an early version of the film, they encouraged me to submit it to the San Francisco Dance Film Festival and hold a small, in-person premiere. They helped me see that this film was bigger than my own insecurities and doubts as a filmmaker. I realized that if my film uplifts and moves others, then I need to accept that as a measure of its real value. With that acceptance came a clear determination to keep believing in myself and the visual stories I feel compelled to tell, despite any real or imagined shortcomings.

If not for the seven members of Bay Area Dancers (BAD) who said yes to my early ideas and storyboards, and who volunteered their time and creative energy choreographing and rehearsing for the group dance scenes and deciding on costumes, and helping to secure song permissions, among many other tasks, I’m not sure Stranger Mornings would have come to fruition.

Stranger Mornings is a narrative dance film that transports seven strangers (and hopefully the audience) from everyday situations and places to a magical forest where each dancer decides to adjust to the unexpected. Filmed in Oakland, Santa Cruz, Moraga, Vacaville and Concord over the course of five months, Stranger Mornings is the fun and playful version of what life challenges us to do every day.