THE PICKUP
When a bumbling Uber driver unwittingly picks up a government spy who needs to deliver a top-secret package, he finds himself in the driver's seat of a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. With deadly assailants hot on their trail, the unlikely duo must navigate the city streets in a wild car chase involving bullets, crashes, and explosions at every turn in this hilarious action-comedy adventure.
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Nicholas AcostaDirectorMan Eaters
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Nicholas AcostaWriterMan Eaters
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Nicholas AcostaProducerMan Eaters
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Xenia LeblancProducerOrange is the New Black, Justice League, Black Widow, The Boys
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Robert HultmanExecutive Producers
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Nicholas AcostaDirector of PhotographyThe Stalking Fields
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Nicholas AcostaEDITOR / VFX
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Preston Daniel Grant1st Assistant DircetorBirds of Prey, Kajillionaire
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Xenia LeblancKey Cast"Alpha"Orange is the New Black, Justice League, Black Widow, The Boys
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Adam McArthurKey Cast"Joe"Star Vs. the Forces of Evil, My Hero Academia
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Sam PuefuaKey Cast"Delta"Young Rock, Heels, Lodge 49
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Miki NagidaKey Cast"Motorcyclist"
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Sara BitelyKey Cast"Hostile Shooter 1"Pimpkillah
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Vincent AlvasKey Cast"Hostile Shooter 2"The Institute
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Sean CramptonKey Cast"Hostile Passanger 1"The Stalking Fields, Richard Peter Johnson
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Jordan WiseleyKey Cast"Hostile Passanger 2"MTV's The Challenge, The Black List, SWAT
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Adam GotsensKey Cast"Hostile Driver 1"
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Mark AcostaKey Cast"Hostile Driver 2"
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Mack OgdenKey Cast"F.O.B Anylist 1"
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Brandon ClarkeKey Cast"F.O.B Anylist "
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Zachary ZarvosKey Cast"F.O.B Agent 1"
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Valerie LucasKey Cast"F.O.B Agent 2"
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Rielly AlexanderKey Cast"F.O.B Agent 3"
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Nicholas AcostaKey Cast"Tow Truck Driver"Man Eaters
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Sergio BernalKey Cast"Police Dispatch"
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:7 minutes 51 seconds
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Completion Date:March 3, 2022
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Production Budget:6,000 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:BMPCC4K Digital Camera
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Aspect Ratio:2:39:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Nicholas Acosta
Distribution Information
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Nicholas AcostaCountry: United States
Nicholas Acosta first dabbled in the world of cinema when, at age five, his dad put him in a short Indiana Jones spoof. He's never looked back since. Fascinated with film from an early age, Acosta has made his shorts, commercials, music videos, and webisodes since he was twelve. In addition to honing his skills at the Los Angeles Film School, Acosta was the recipient of the "Cheech Marin Latino Arts Scholarship."
His films have gone on to mass acclaim, earning millions of views online. In that time, he has worked with numerous TV and film stars while also having his films win continuous awards in film festivals and online contests worldwide, including the Playhouse West Film Festival, Rattlestick West's 120 Hour Film Festival, DirectTV's "Dare to Direct" Film competition (twice), the "My Røde Reel" film competition (also twice), and most recently The Jakob Owens Horror Short Film Contest.
He has worked as a director, editor, cinematographer, colorist, and VFX Artist for companies like Loot Crate, Lulu Lemon, For Good, and most recently, the CW as a Writer/Producer/Editor.
During the 12 months of unemployment and lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, my wife and I chose to combat boredom by being creative and making as many projects as possible. Among a few other films, The Pickup began as a pure experiment. When it came into development, we only had a small crew of friends and $6000.
Little by little, we shot this film in DTLA and our parking lot in 12 days spread out over nine months. Tirelessly putting together every detail, from location scouting and craft services to editing and VFX, we found creative solutions as we went along.
This film is a love letter to independent filmmaking. We chose to make The Pickup not just as some popcorn flick with cool explosions and badass car chases but as an excuse to push ourselves in ways we never thought we could achieve. Anything is possible if you dare to push the boundaries of creativity. After all, what is filmmaking if not creative problem-solving?