Rocky is Dead
BROTHERHOOD DOESN'T ALWAYS ROCK.
After a young boy passes away, his older brother visits the lake they used to frequent together and begins to hear his voice speaking to him from beyond the grave... In the form of a rock. What follows is a sad yet silly family dispute traveling backwards through the stages of grief.
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Drew CrosbyDirector
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Drew CrosbyWriter
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Drew CrosbyProducer
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Brad CrosbyProducer
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Michelle CrosbyProducer
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Benjamin RomeProducer
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Nathan StaffordProducer
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Nolen SternkopfProducer
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Nolen SternkopfKey Cast"Reuben"
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Cooper ElkinsKey Cast"Rocky"
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Drew CrosbyEditor
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Draven FordCinematographer
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Jay EckartComposer
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Skylar SmithSound Recordist
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Michelle CrosbyCostume Designer
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Skylar SmithPoster Artist
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Runtime:7 minutes 45 seconds
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Completion Date:August 30, 2021
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Production Budget:1,698 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes - Clackamas Community College
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Oregon Short Film FestivalThe Dalles, Oregon
United States
November 6, 2021
North American Premiere
Official Selection / Best Oregon Film Award Finalist / Best Experimental Film Award Finalist -
McMinnville Short Film FestivalMcMinnville, Oregon
United States
February 10, 2022
Official Selection
Drew Crosby is a student and aspiring filmmaker currently attending Portland State University. Outside of micro-budget original short films and a series of comedy sketches released online, he has worked on multiple projects with the group Metalcorn Productions co-founded by Nathan Stafford and Nolen Sternkopf. Crosby co-wrote and starred in their short Night Lights, which won the first place trophy at 2018's McMinnville Sci-Fi Film Festival, and played Deputy Leonard Oswald in Officers of the Deceased which won "Best Horror Short" at the Oregon Independent Film Festival along with another first place trophy at the McMinnville Sci-Fi Film Festival in 2019. As part of a successfully crowdfunded Indiegogo campaign for Sternkopf's upcoming horror noir film Rotten Shadows (now in the midst of post-production), Crosby executive produced as well as recorded sound on set. Rocky is Dead, a short film he wrote, directed, produced, and edited, premiered at the Oregon Short Film Festival as an official fall 2021 selection.
I'm often drawn to stories of brotherly love as I've grown up lucky enough to call my own younger brother one of my best friends. That's not to say I've never been jealous of him myself though, in early high school in particular I found myself very envious of him which led to inspiration for some of the lead Reuben's plight in my short film Rocky is Dead. This is a story looking at the relationship between two brothers in the context of mourning with a side of fantasy that explores the inner workings of Reuben’s jealousy and guilt. I really prefer to throw comedy into the mix whenever I’m working on a film too, so pretty immediately I came up with the central rock pun upon which the humor of this tragedy comes into play. A lot of my favorite films to watch have a balance of silliness and sorrow that I adore so that combination has been something I've wanted to attempt replicating in my own projects for a long time. Hopefully the ridiculous visual of a talking rock named Rocky paired with Reuben’s descent backwards through the stages of grief emotionally resonates with an audience and guides them to their own unique interpretations of the material while also providing a few laughs along the way.