Private Project

Ziggy Starfish

A teenage girl on the verge of attending college is suddenly reunited with her imaginary friend from childhood.

  • Tivoli Silas
    Director
    Don't Fret, I Just Called to Say I Love You
  • Seth Taylor
    Writer
  • Rajeev Colton
    Producer
  • Charlie Jackson
    Key Cast
    "Judy"
  • Miles Shapiro
    Key Cast
    "Ziggy"
  • Weihao Wang
    Cinematographer
  • Ryan Shannon
    Editor
  • Matthew Kaminski
    Composer
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Fantasy, Drama
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 18 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 9, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:9:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Chapman University
Director Biography - Tivoli Silas

A long-standing desire to create and tell stories has led me to pursue a career in film and writing. In 2016 I graduated magna cum laude from the University of Florida, with a major in English, a concentration in Film and Media Studies and a minor in History. I was raised as a cinephile. Growing up watching Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and the Marx Brothers was fertile ground for my appreciation for film. I’ve been imagining stories since I was a young child, only later expanding and writing out these narratives. While I had many film and video ideas, I did not make my first video until freshman year of college. Since then, I have made 11 promotional videos, six short films, and a few other projects. I have also written ten feature scripts, three novels, as well as having other projects in development.

I have also been seeking to expand my production experience. In college, I was involved in film and TV production with Tangible Productions, ChomPics Productions, the Gator Wesley Foundation, and NBC affiliate, WFLA. I recently interned at PBS affiliate, WEDU, and pursued opportunities as an actress, production assistant, script supervisor, and assistant camera on local productions in the Tampa Bay area, where I was born and raised.

I completed the Professional Program at Screenwriting at UCLA this past year. I am now an MFA student in Chapman Univerisity's Film Production, Directing Emphasis, program.

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Director Statement

For our first films in Chapman’s MFA directing program, we had to choose a script by an MFA screenwriter called a 3-2-1, which is three pages, has two characters, and takes place in one location. For the first film to solo direct that I also didn’t write, I was blessed to be able to choose this script and work with Seth on polishing it. I was attracted to this project because I consider myself someone who still has a sense of childlike wonder. I was also fortunate enough to have this film, which would normally have been filmed in the fall of my first year, delayed until May 2021, providing plenty of time to study the script and gather toys from my childhood for set dressing.

Shortly after choosing the script, I realized similarities it has to C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, since it features something magical in a closet and makes a reference to hide-and-seek. Since I’m a huge Narnia movie fan, I added several visual refrences, including actual Turkish Delight in the ending. These references add another layer to the theme of growing up, especially to those familiar with Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I had a blast making this film and I hope the audience enjoys it too. And for the record, I have never seen A Land Before Time.