Private Project

The Other Side

When 1500s Italian Renaissance Aliens arrive in the quiet 1960s town of Summerset, helpless scientist Jim Olen decides to house them from his boss, General McCourt, to save them from destruction. Through all of the chaos, the aliens find their place on Earth amongst the town of Summerset and its people.

  • Jake Harness
    Director
  • Jake Harness
    Writer
  • Kendall Mullenhour
    Producer
  • Bailey Maine
    Cinematographer
  • Aaron Connor
    Production Designer
  • John Bando
    Assistant Director
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Scfi, Drama, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    30 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 5, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Cleveland State University
Director Biography - Jake Harness

Jake Harness is a writer, director, and cinematographer in the Greater Cleveland area. He is a recent graduate from Cleveland State University, where he achieved a BFA in Film and Media Arts with an emphasis on Writing and Directing. His work has played in festivals across the United States as well as on COMPLEX, MTV, Pigeons and Planes, and more. He currently works as a freelance video director and as a staff writer for No Cover Magazine. His mom and her friends really like his movies!

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Director Statement

When writing the film I had a few objectives in mind but my main focus was to challenge myself as a filmmaker. I had never done a genre film, a period piece, or a film over 20 minutes— so naturally this film is a 30 minute comedy science fiction film set in the 1960s. I wanted to make a film that was about people going through changes and though it has ridiculous moments and concepts, it’s very rooted in reality in that it’s a film about family and learning to accept change and failure along the way.
I wanted to make a film that could relate to a wide audience and still feel super personal at the same time. I drew a lot of inspiration from films like Edward Scissorhands, Where The Wild Things Are, and the work of Ray Harryhausen and I wanted the film to have a feeling as though it was being made while you were watching it.
The experience that I gained from working on this film was greater than any film I’ve made before and I was super fortunate to work with some of the hardest working people I know. I knew that if we could pull this off we could be able to make more and more bigger and better projects in the future. I’d love to be able to make a feature down the road and working on a project like this feels like a major stepping stone for that!