Yes And

Cristina ‘Rhyme’ Spizzica and Jeremy ‘Zone’ Hughes are ‘Rhymezone’, an improvised rap musical comedy duo, where from a one word suggestion from an audience, launch into an unplanned and different rap musical every performance. Their relationship with each other, the art form, and themselves, is reflected on and joyfully considered in this portrait documentary.

  • Aly Zhang
    Director
  • Aly Zhang
    Writer
  • Aly Zhang
    Producer
  • Shannon Owen
    Supervising Producers
  • Steve Thomas
    Supervising Producers
  • Gordon Lyon
    Post-Production Coordinator
  • Stephanie Phillips
    Production Coordinator
  • Jeremy Hughes
    Key Cast
    "Himself"
  • Cristina Spizzica
    Key Cast
    "Herself"
  • Derek Wilson
    Key Cast
    "Himself"
  • Rachel Tierney
    Director of Photography
  • Aly Zhang
    Editor
  • George Dale
    Sound Recordist
  • Emmy Clifton
    Gaffer
  • Emmy Clifton
    Stills Photographer
  • Karen Jemison
    Production Manager
  • KMPA
    Music by
  • Lucowo
    Music by
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Documentary, Comedy, student, short film, short, student film
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 18 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 1, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    500 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Victorian College of the Arts
  • Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2021

    Official Selection
  • Dumbo Film Festival 2021

    Official Selection
Director Biography - Aly Zhang

Aly Zhang is an Australian-born-Chinese creative. She is an actress, filmmaker, and writer. She graduated from a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) with Honours at the Beijing Film Academy in China. Currently, Aly is studying a Master of Film and TV (Documentary Filmmaking) at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I had been a casual spectator of improv for years, and in late 2018 I began taking improv classes at The Improv Conspiracy Theatre in Melbourne. Whilst there, I found myself in a world of fascinating characters, in a space filled with mistakes, unforgettable highs and embarrassing lows.

As I was creating this proposal, I realised my foremost question I wanted to answer was ‘why do improv when it looks so awkward?’ Not all improv is funny and successful, and often it can veer into awkward, vulgar, and inaccessible. In my preliminary research I found writing from another seasoned improviser on how improv provided more than simple entertainment to such people, and intend to explore these issues and more.

Quickly, I realised that the silly, cheesy and awkward improv moments are as evident to them as they are to me and other audiences. Like with any endeavour, addressing issues, working on them, and embracing them with joy and humour was the key. I am hoping that through making this documentary one can learn to see improv the way they do, and understand why they do improv.

I wanted to therefore bring attention to what improv is and what it has done for some people. The purpose of my documentary is to present this through the perspectives of seasoned improv performers Cristina and Jeremy - a comedy duo. Therefore, this film covers how and why it has altered them, their thoughts on the process, preconceptions, ambitions, interesting experiences and other musings. Ultimately, "Yes And" looks at the universal human elements of feeling accepted, seeking validation, and finding a community.