The Hangup

Making a film is never easy—but doing so within the institutional machine of the University of Southern California presents an entirely new set of challenges. When James (Producer, Writer, Lead) first shared this script of "The Hangup" with me during our first year of film school, I was immediately drawn to it—maybe even a little envious that I wasn’t directing it myself. Neither of us could have predicted that a professor at USC would later shut the project down due to budgetary constraints. When that happened, I pitched myself to James as director, with one simple idea: we weren’t going to wait for permission. We’d make this film ourselves. I was captivated by the sharp style and distinct tone of James’ script, and I knew I wanted to bring it to life with him—though convincing him to step in front of the camera and take the role of Kevin took a little more effort. From the start, The Hangup became our own act of rebellion. While we navigated the rigid structures of film school, this was the project we nurtured in the margins, fueled by frustration, passion, and a refusal to compromise. This film was born out of necessity—the kind of project that could only have come to life the way it did: a scrappy, relentless effort, powered by borrowed gear, a tight-knit group of friends, and the sheer determination to make something raw, unfiltered, and undeniably ours.