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The Breakroom

After Mindy's PTO gets denied while working in retail at a big box store, Jana shares her fantasies of robbing the place as Mindy struggles with the reality of her situation.

  • Cormac Bluestone
    Director
    It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
  • Cormac Bluestone
    Writer
  • HaleyJane Rose
    Writer
  • Alyssa Bennett
    Producer
  • Gary Bennett
    Producer
  • Hayley Batson
    Key Cast
    "Jana"
  • Madison Hullsiek
    Key Cast
    "Mindy"
  • Laura Iturregui
    Key Cast
    "Dawn"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 20, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • New York City Short Comedy Film Festival
    New York City
    United States
    November 3, 2023
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • The Iron Mule Festival
    New York
    United States
    November 6, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Portland Comedy Film Festival
    Portland, OR
    United States
    December 8, 2024
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Cormac Bluestone

Cormac Bluestone is a Director, Composer and Actor from New York. Cormac has directed a number of short films, including "Flavor of the Week," for which he was nominated for Best Director and the Hollywood Verge Film Awards.

Cormac Bluestone may be best known for his work as Composer on the Television show, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", where he composed music and lyrics for fan favorite episodes such as "Nightmare Cometh," "Franks Little Beauties," and "A Very Sunny Christmas." He has also done the music for FOX’s The Cool Kids starring Emmy-winning actors Vicki Lawrence and Leslie Jordan, Emmy-nominated actor Martin Mull and David Alan Grier, as well as YouTube Premium’s female comedy Overthinking with Kat & June. He has scored a number of features as well including "Tenured" which premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival.

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Director Statement

I have always loved working in Comedy, and this film is no exception. I had known all three women from teaching at Stonestreet Studios as part of the Tisch program, and was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with them outside of an academic setting to make this buddy comedy, The Breakroom.

I love the original draft of the script, written by HaleyJane Rose and wanted to elevate her excellent take on this idea of two people fantasizing about robbing the place they work at (doesn't everyone?). I also wanted to have the opportunity to show a character struggling with the lingering issues that Covid has brought upon the world and how it still effects everyday life for so many.

As I pulled the project together, I knew there were going to be a lot of visual effects, and we wouldn't have a lot of time to shoot. I have a background working in VFX, and I didn't want our shoot to be bogged down with the technical requirements of the piece, so the prep had to be airtight and executed cleanly. I had a fantastic cast and crew who were able to do so while we shot in front of green screens, choreographing falling v-flats and fast dollies, all while keeping the funny.

Most importantly, I wanted a broad audience to be able to relate to the film: The Breakroom is a buddy comedy about two friends figuring out how to dig themselves out of a financial hole by robbing their employer.