The Art of Sweeping Under the Rug
An aspiring performer, a shut-in techie, a vapid couple, drunk punks, reality tv, spying on your neighbors, mysterious vhs tapes, Mini Frozen Quiches... and all the while, in the background world, something even more sinister is being allowed to happen. The Art Of Sweeping Under The Rug presents a trilogy of vignettes focusing on societal apathy, male inaction, and general indifference towards the commodification of, over-sexualization of, and violence against women.
-
Zachary Randolph DanekDirector
-
Zachary Randolph DanekWriter
-
Zachary Randolph DanekProducer
-
Justin RamerProducer
-
JJ HouseProducer
-
Danielle RingProducer
-
Brady DowadKey Cast"Ben"
-
Sawyer PierceKey Cast"Eli"
-
Tatu SinisaloKey Cast"Phillip"
-
Kelly TappanKey Cast"Cassia"
-
Rylie DecocqKey Cast"Simon"
-
Donia RogiaKey Cast"Iris"
-
Michael UrsuKey Cast"Levi"
-
Claire MilliganKey Cast"Lily Price"
-
Mark StancatoKey Cast"Uncle Jack"
-
Jim McSorleyKey Cast"Police Officer"
-
Nate RamerMusic
-
Danielle RingCasting
-
Jeff CendejasProduction Sound Mixer
-
Nic Addante1st Assisstant Director
-
Anthony Blotti2nd Assisstant Director
-
Andre ShahjanianProduction Design
-
Zachary Randolph DanekProduction Design
-
Jedd CaballeroProduction Design
-
Moises BarraganProduction Design
-
James GonzalesAssistant Camera Operators
-
Bill MoranonAssistant Camera Operators
-
Mallory RogersAssistant Camera Operators
-
Charlie OzburnGaffer
-
Alex WaxenbaumKey Grips
-
Jedd CaballeroKey Grips
-
Kaleigh SchoenGrips
-
Evan FarnsworthGrips
-
Michelle MaganaHair and Makeup
-
Aubree RockwellHair and Makeup
-
Jamie GasperHair and Makeup
-
Zachary Randolph DanekEditor
-
Jared FellowsDialogue Editing
-
Zachary Randolph DanekSound Design
-
Christina WenSound Design
-
Mike GallagherSound Design
-
Christina WenRe-Recording Sound Mixers
-
Mike GallagherRe-Recording Sound Mixers
-
Connor BurnsColorist
-
Chris FinnVFX
-
Justin RamerLocation Managers
-
Vanessa GraddickLocation Managers
-
Eric CharbonnelLocation Managers
-
Bill MoranonLocation Managers
-
Ani DemirchyanLocation Managers
-
Thomas ZayasAdditional Boom Operator
-
Anthony BlottiPost PA
-
Scott HydePost PA
-
Eric KimuraProduction Assisstants
-
Nicole BattisteProduction Assisstants
-
Project Type:Short
-
Genres:Thriller, Drama
-
Runtime:32 minutes
-
Completion Date:November 20, 2022
-
Production Budget:20,000 USD
-
Country of Origin:United States
-
Country of Filming:United States
-
Language:English
-
Shooting Format:Digital, VHS
-
Aspect Ratio:4:3
-
Film Color:Color
-
First-time Filmmaker:Yes
-
Student Project:No
Zachary Randolph Danek grew up in Upstate New York. He is the son of a lawyer and a sculptor, both film buffs themselves. Growing up in a house with a closet full of DVDs, he watched everything he could get his hands on. He began making films in high school as part of a video class, and eventually started running the school’s Broadcast club. He then attended Syracuse University, studying in both the Visual and Performing Arts school, and the Newhouse School of Communications, graduating with a degree in Television, Radio and Film. Since then, he has been working in Los Angeles in Production.
This film has been a long time coming. Since founding Arthauz Productions in March 2018, this has been my first major goal, and milestone for the company. I sent the first draft to my producer Justin in early 2019, and I have been trying to get the ball rolling ever since. We, like most of the world, spent all of 2020 saying “maybe in the next few months,” and here we are finally. Oxymoronically, this is quite a long short-film at over a half hour, and depending on how this process goes, I may end up expanding this concept into a feature film.
I once lived in an apartment, where my bedroom wall was the thin border between my space, and the apartment of the couple next door. A few times I heard them yelling at each other and I questioned whether or not I should call the police. They were yelling, but it didn’t sound like anyone was being hurt. Despite this, was I a bad neighbor, or citizen for not intervening? Or was it more appropriate for me to mind my own business? From the perspective of a different window in the same apartment, a friend of mine once pointed out to me that you could see into another woman’s living room from mine, and at the time she was vacuuming naked. I felt very unsettled being able to see this act, and wondered if anyone else was also watching from another apartment or the street, or if she had ever watched me through my window inversely.
I think over the last several years, it became evident to me that people seemed to care less about others, there was a particular cruelty and lack of empathy I was feeling coming from the culture. In general, from my perspective, people are pretty selfish and self-obsessed, but I felt like the disregard for the health, safety and well-being of others had reached an all-time high. There is a disregard for human life that I find sociologically disturbing. Every time there is a mass shooting people dig into their political positions and copy-paste statements of concern and talk about “starting a conversation” rather than taking any form of political, legal, or social action and those are fellow countrymen and women. This disregard only becomes stronger when discussing affairs outside of one’s own country, the disregard feels even more pervasive in the debates surrounding Syrian, Yemeni, Mexican, Guatemalan, Hondouran, and now Afghani refugees. Now, after starting this project, a global pandemic where some deny it’s legitimacy, others spread conspiracy theories about the science and medical solutions. People even attempt to debate the acceptable amount of child deaths whether it be from sickness or gun violence. Despite all of this, many people have a quite frankly - gross attitude regarding true crime and real-life violence. Stories of real-life murdered women and children have become mainstream entertainment from Netflix to wherever you get your podcasts. Their real deaths have literally been made into a product or commodity for entertainment value. This content is often even discussed as if they were no different from fictional stories, with no real regard for the humanity of the person or people who died. It’s a juicy story with murder and intrigue, and better yet, it doesn’t come with some kind of “based on a true story” phony opening that the audience knows is probably 20% true.
The stories here focus thematically on societal apathy, male inaction, and general indifference towards the commodification of, over-sexualization of, and violence against women. Recently we have seen a major cultural awakening surrounding how we treat half our population, and the constant abuse that people endured in our society on a daily basis. Young women deemed not old enough to drink a beer, or buy a lottery ticket are deemed old enough, and in many cases are financially encouraged by others to post pornographic images or videos of themselves. Revenge porn and underage pornography run rampant on the internet as well, even on some of the biggest sites on the internet. In many States revenge porn is still not illegal.
I find myself easily disturbed, or particularly sensitive to these topics, and I am somewhat cynical about how much people care to change. I think ultimately people are somewhat lazy and fall back into what is comfortable or simple, rather than what is the most ethical or “morally right”. I think often people don’t possess the self-awareness or aren’t conscious enough of what they’re doing or how they’re behaving as a citizen, partner, friend, etc. I also think many people do not possess the strength of integrity to do what is right in a situation that may be difficult or uncomfortable, only furthering the lack of intervention, and allowing the trauma to continue.
As I said this film focuses heavily on male inaction to the trauma of women, and people allowing things to take place around them without intervening. I feel it is my duty as a man, a citizen, and an artist to produce works that speak to these issues I see in our culture, and make content that addresses these societal ills and asks people to look at themselves and their actions or inactions and see how they impact others.