Click on any photo for truly lovely hi-res photos (by Brian Gee, visit his website and Instagram and show him some love, and FYI photos were taken with a Sony A1 Mark II with a Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II lens).

  1. Our four main cast members: Cassandra Dae Sanchez (GRACE), Luke Logan (SAUL), Ifeyinwa Onyekonwu (NIKKI), and Ben Hilzer (LANCE):

2. Images from the rehearsal dinner on Friday night, including the cast, Sienna Smith (AD and table read actor), and beer enthusiasts Jeremy Mathews (director), Yoram Bauman (screenwriter and producer), and Laura Gee (craft services):

3. The shoot on upper Red Butte Canyon Road on Saturday, with extras (Alicia, Ben, and Penny Tomlin; Julian Ortiz; Choijamts Purevdorj; Zoey Porucznik [or maybe Gail Chumbley]; Dylan; Wilam Handy; Brandon Palacios; Dylan Langford; Laura Gee and Teddy and Zadie Bauman; Keven Gee; Karson Baker [with fiancée Shellby Carvalho somewhere nearby!]; Tania Maldonado; Janean Parker; Mike McAinsh; and Emma Pham [with mom Ha Vo!]), plus cast and crew, including Brendan Cheng (sound), Doug Sands (boom operator), Director of Photography Bryan Stewart (LinkedIn, MediaStew.tv, with his camera, a RED Komodo 6k with DZO Pictor lenses), Director Jeremy Mathews (LinkedIn, Vimeo), 1AC Jake Dickey (LinkedIn, see also this Instagram), DIT Bradford Jones (website), and Charlotte Barnett Shirley (hair & make-up):

   

3. The shoot in Yoram’s backyard on Sunday, with Saul and crew, including DIT Bradford Jones (website), still photographer Brian Gee (website and Instagram, and FYI photos were taken with a Sony A1 Mark II with a Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II lens), Director Jeremy Mathews (LinkedIn, Vimeo), Director of Photography Bryan Stewart (LinkedIn, MediaStew.tv, with his camera, a RED Komodo 6k with DZO Pictor lenses), Charlotte Barnett Shirley (hair & make-up) and Sienna Smith (AD), Doug Sands (boom operator), Zadie Bauman (script reader), and Giada Pennino (hair & make-up):

4. Outside the 7-Eleven on Sunday, with cast and crew, including Destiny Moreno (AD, additional headshot here), Yoram Bauman (screenwriter, producer), Sienna Smith (AD), and many extras enjoying “free” Slurpees (because the scene takes place on July 11, “free Slurpee day”), including Fred Winter and some or all of Susan Bhopel, Saskia Buschmann (and friend Aurora Smith), Elias Bowen, Marco Ciriello, Claire Culver, Riley Curran, Miles Durham, Milo Jones, Odessa Jones, Balwinder Kaur, Simrat Kaur, Jay Kumar, Summe Lalena, Shanaya Liza, Mitz Lloyd,Ryan Murphy, Anveer and Harvir Sanger, Joel and Alice Sherry, Thea Singe, ManKham Singe, Sage Ziebell, and Sophia Zosa.

 

5. Sunday night table read, with cast including Julie Slack (KATHERINE), Sienna Smith (A DOZEN MINOR FEMALE CHARACTERS), Doug Sands (A DOZEN MINOR MALE CHARACTERS), and Yoram Bauman (screenwriter / producer, additional photo here), plus a shot of Giada Pennino (hair & make-up):

 

6. Filming the Innuendo Scene, late at night on the SFEBB east lawn outside the GARFF building:

   

 

** Filming on Sat Sept 19 ** Filming on Sun Sept 20 ** Table reading on Sun Sept 20 ** See also internal doc

For the 10-minute short / proof-of-concept we’re filming Sept 19-20, here’s the latest script, and here’s a sign-up doc with info if you want to help us. (Please!) And FYI “we” includes director Jeremy Mathews (LinkedIn, Vimeo), DP Bryan Stewart (LinkedIn, MediaStew.tv), 1AC Jake Dickey (LinkedIn, see also this Instagram), DIT Bradford Jones (website), sound Brendan Cheng, ADs Doug Sands, Sienna Smith, and Destiny Moreno, hair and make-up Giada Pennino and Charlotte Barnett Shirley, key grip Fred Winter, craft services Laura Gee, photography Brian Gee, jib assembly Keven Gee, and cast members Luke Logan and Cassandra Dae Sanchez as the romantic leads SAUL and GRACE; Ifeyinwa Onyekonwu as Grace’s best friend NIKKI; and Ben Hilzer as LANCE. We’re also hoping to do a table read (with this script, from Aug 23) that will also include Julie Slack as KATHERINE, Doug Sands as a dozen different minor male characters, and Sienna Smith as a dozen different minor female characters. The summary/logline is the same as for the full-length feature script: Saul puts the “action” into climate action, flirting with young women and roping them into volunteering for a carbon tax ballot measure campaign in Utah… but then he falls for Grace.

Information for filming on Saturday Sept 19 (sign up to help!)

From 10am-6pm we will be filming on upper Red Butte Canyon Road, about 5 minutes walking past the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre. (If you need a street address, try 2188 E Red Butte Canyon Rd (Google map) and then walk up the road for 5 minutes.) Park for free in lot 66, or try to snag one of the spots on at the end of Red Butte Canyon Rd, both of which are near 2188 E Red Butte Canyon Rd (Google map). Then walk 1,000 feet east up the gravel road into the canyon (the yellow barricade prevents vehicle access) to the shooting location. If you’re a fan of the location website What3Words, we’ll be at falsely.tonal.warthog.

We will be filming with a small group of extras from 10am-1pm, then lunch 1pm-2pm, then filming with a large group of extras from 2pm-6pm. Come help just in the afternoon, or for the whole day! FYI we will have coffee and bagels in the morning, starting about 8am, and then for lunch we’re planning to have salami and/or baked tofu sandwiches, grapes, homemade brownies, and more!

Note that there is a U of U football game that starts at 1:30pm and will end at about 5pm. Traffic will be bad near the stadium, so give yourself extra time and/or use Google to find the best route. The good news, based on my scouting during the Sept 3 football game, is that fans don’t park at Red Butte (so there should be plenty of parking) and also that sound doesn’t really carry to our filming location from the stadium.

Weather forecast for Sat Sept 19 (as of Sat Sept 19) is mostly sunny, high 71, low 55, possibly a bit of rain at 8am. Sunrise 7:12am, sunset 7:30pm.

Regardless of the actual weather, please wear clothing appropriate for the scene, which is supposed to take place on a hot July afternoon (July 11) in the line of people waiting to get into an outdoor concert venue. So: wear hot-weather midsummer clothes if possible, please no big logos or anything like that. (Any brands shown are ideally used only with legal permission of the trademark owner.) Also bring coolers and low-to-the-ground camping chairs and cards and such if you have them! Also please bring things like hats or short-sleeve button-downs over t-shirts if you have them because then you can easily take some of those things off and play a new character in a different part of the “line”.

We will provide food and drinks and snacks! (You can also bring your own, but please: no alcohol.)

Then, from 8:30-10pm, we may be filming the “Innuendo Scene” with SAUL and GRACE on the grass under a streetlamp, location TBD. Note that sunset is at 7:30pm.

Information for filming on Sunday Sept 20 (sign up to help!)

In the morning (time and location TBD) we will be filming scenes with SAUL preparing his bicycle and biking up a hill.

At 2pm we will tentatively be filming a very short scene of SAUL bicycling past the 7-Eleven located at 1609 S 1100 E (Google map) in SLC. (If you’re a fan of the location website What3Words, we’ll be at eager.baking.socket.) This scene is supposed to take place on a hot July afternoon (July 11, to be precise, because 7/11  is “free Slurpee Day” at 7-Eleven) so we want there to be a crowd of people enjoying free Slurpees outside the store!

If you want to be part of the crowd, show up with at 1:30pm or so with friends, kids, and whoever else you want to bring and find us outside the store so we can get you a free Slurpee! (FYI we have permission from 7-Eleven for this shot and have been coordinating with them; they’ve sent us a box of Slurpee cups to use—not sure exactly why—but we have to pay for the Slurpees ourselves, so come find us so we can figure out how to get you a Slurpee on our dime!)

Please wear hot-weather midsummer clothes if possible, please try to avoid big logos or anything like that (any brands shown are ideally used only with legal permission of the trademark owner), and please note that filming this scene is tentative, depending on whether we are on schedule etc. If I have your cell phone (you can text me at 206-351-5719) then I will try to provide updates if we are not on schedule, but the basic idea is for you to be there at 2pm and if the cast and crew are there then great and if not then please accept our apologies for the wild goose chase.

Weather forecast for Sun Sept 20 (as of Sat Sept 19) is sunny, high 73, low 50. Sunrise 7:12am, sunset 7:30pm.

Information for table read on Sunday Sept 20 (sign up for updates!)

From 6-8pm or so we will tentatively be doing a table read of the entire (feature-length) script on the 3rd floor of the GARFF building. The reading should take about 90 minutes, and then we’ll have 30 minutes for feedback! FYI the script will be similar to this Aug 23 table read script. We’re hoping to provide free pizza from The Pie at 6pm, so please text me at 206-351-5719 to RSVP.

There is free parking in Lot 12 (Google map) south of the GARFF / SFEBB buildings. This is also near the TRAX Red Line (South Campus Station) and various bus routes.

Then, from 8:30-10pm we may be filming the “Innuendo Scene” with SAUL and GRACE on the grass under a streetlamp behind the GARFF building at the U of U. (If you’re a fan of the location website What3Words, we’ll be at oval.gravel.doll.) Note that sunset is at 7:30pm.

 

*** Even more detailed information ***

 

** Arrivals ** Rehearsal dinner ** Daytime on Sat Sept 19 ** Evening on Sat Sept 19 ** Daytime on Sun Sept 20 ** Table reading on Sun Sept 20 ** Departures ** Credits **

Overview / introductions

For the 10-minute short / proof-of-concept we’re filming Sept 19-20, here’s the latest script (Sept 18, plus older scripts from Sept 16, Sept 8, Sept 6 and Sept 4), and here’s a sign-up doc with info if your friends want to help us. (Please!) And FYI “we” includes director Jeremy Mathews (LinkedIn, Vimeo), DP Bryan Stewart (LinkedIn, MediaStew.tv), 1AC Jake Dickey (LinkedIn, see also this Instagram), DIT Bradford Jones (website), sound Brendan Cheng, hair and make-up Giada Pennino and Charlotte Barnett Shirley, and cast members Luke Logan and Cassandra Dae Sanchez as the romantic leads SAUL and GRACE; Ify Onyekonwu as Grace’s best friend NIKKI; and Ben Hilzer as LANCE. We’re also planning to do a table read (with this script, from Aug 23) that will also include Julie Slack as KATHERINE, Doug Sands as a dozen different minor male characters, and Sienna Smith as a dozen different minor female characters. The summary/logline is the same as for the full-length feature script: Saul puts the “action” into climate action, flirting with young women and roping them into volunteering for a carbon tax ballot measure campaign in Utah… but then he falls for Grace.

Saturday Sept 19: Daytime filming (ALL)

From 10am-6pm we will be filming the meet-cute scene on upper Red Butte Canyon Road (here are some location photos), past the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre. (If you need a street address, it’s up the road from 2188 E Red Butte Canyon Rd on Google maps.) Park for free in lot 66, or try to snag one of the spots on at the end of Red Butte Canyon Rd, near 2188 E Red Butte Canyon Rd (on Google maps). Then walk 1,000 feet up the gravel road (the yellow barricade prevents vehicle access) to the shooting location. If you’re a fan of the location website What3Words, we’ll be at falsely.tonal.warthog. This road is Salt Lake County property and we don’t need a permit as long as we have <=50 people and aren’t blocking traffic.

Call times: 8am for crew; 9am for Ben and Ify and Cassandra, 9:30am for primary extras, 10:30am for Luke. Filming 10am-1pm, then lunch 1pm-2pm. Call time 1:30pm for secondary extras, then filming 2pm-6pm, followed by dinner in GARFF (see below.)

Note that there is a U of U football game that starts at 1:30pm and will end at about 5pm. Traffic will be bad near the stadium, so give yourself extra time and/or use Google to find the best route. The good news, based on my scouting during the Sept 3 football game, is that fans don’t park at Red Butte (so there should be plenty of parking) and also that sound doesn’t really carry to our filming location from the stadium.

Weather forecast for Sat Sept 19 (as of Sat Sept 19) is sunny, high 71, low 55, possibly a bit of rain at 8am. Sunrise 7:12am, sunset 7:30pm.

Regardless of the actual weather, please wear clothing appropriate for the scene, which is supposed to take place on a hot July afternoon (July 11) in the line of people waiting to get into an outdoor concert venue.

Saturday Sept 19: Evening filming (SAUL and GRACE)

Dinner in the GARFF building at about 7pm; tentative Thai or Indian food.

Then from 8:30pm-10pm (sunset is at 7:30pm) we will try to steal a shot by filming the “Innuendo Scene” with SAUL and GRACE on the grass under a streetlamp behind the GARFF building at the U of U. (If you’re a fan of the location website What3Words, we’ll be at oval.gravel.doll.) Here are some location photos. FYI: officially, we have a permit from the U of U to film this scene on the evening of Sunday Sept 20, but they weren’t willing to give us a permit for Saturday because of the football game earlier that day. So we are going to try to steal this shot, and I think we’ll be okay. (Note that the GARFF building is where my office is.)

There is free parking in Lot 12 (Google map) south of the GARFF / SFEBB buildings. (If you’re a fan of the location website What3Words, park at supply.jokes.pilots.) This location is also near the TRAX Red Line (South Campus Station) and various bus routes. The U football game nearby should be over by 5pm, but there might still be residual traffic issues… but hopefully not parking issues.

Sunday Sept 20: Daytime filming (SAUL)

We will be filming a scene in Yoram’s backyard / driveway (825 E Logan Ave, SLC, 84105, near 1700 S, here’s a Google map) with SAUL getting on his bike and talking on the phone with KATHERINE, tentatively . We don’t need a permit because this scene is on private property.

Call times: 9am for crew, 10am for Luke, then filming 10:30am-12:30pm, wrapping earlier if possible so we can film the “cheater” scene before lunch. Then lunch (TBD, probably at Yoram’s house since we’ll be close), then filming at Red Butte. Call time 4pm for Cassandra.

Before or after lunch: We will be filming the “cheater” scene with SAUL riding his bike up a hill and getting passed by an e-bike rider. Location TBD, but tentatively near 1225 E Kensington (Google map). We don’t need a permit if we have <= 4 people on public property. (Director Jeremy will be the e-bike rider, so the four people are SAUL, director, DP, 1AC.)

At 2pm we will tentatively be filming a very short scene of SAUL bicycling past the 7-Eleven located at 1609 S 1100 E (Google map) in SLC. (If you’re a fan of the location website What3Words, we’ll be at eager.baking.socket.) Here are some location photos. This scene is supposed to take place on a hot July afternoon (July 11, to be precise, because 7/11  is “free Slurpee Day” at 7-Eleven) so we want there to be a crowd of people enjoying free Slurpees outside the store! Yoram is working to bring a crowd of people. Note that we don’t need a permit if we have <= 4 people on public property. (As above, the four people are SAUL, director, DP, 1AC.) This scene is optional; if we don’t have time we will cut.

Time TBD, but in the 4-6pm window: We will try to steal a shot of SAUL locking his bike up by the Stop sign near the entrance to the Amphitheatre, approximately 2188 E Red Butte Canyon Rd on Google maps or exactly at https://what3words.com/strong.bandit.laser. Any visible people must be far enough away that they are not recognizable (or we need to get them to sign a release). Parking will be a challenge because of all the people coming for the concert; there’s lots of parking but also lots of people. We might need to park further north and walk a few minutes to the venue. There is a drop-off area right by the Stop sign if we want to use it.

Time TBD, but in the 4-6pm window: We will try to steal a shot of SAUL near Red Butte Garden, riding his bike past a sign that says “Red Butte Concert Parking”. (There is in fact a concert that night, gates at 6pm, show at 7pm.) Any visible people must be far enough away that they are not recognizable (or we need to get them to sign a release). Here are some location photos for this shot and the following shots. My suggestion is to do this shot on Hempstead Rd, not far from Red Butte Canyon Road; there’s no exact street address but we’ll be near the Fort Douglas Military Museum at 32 Potter St (Google maps); the exact location is https://what3words.com/funky.ramp.gatekeeper. There should be street parking nearby.

Time TBD, but in the 4-6pm window: We will try to steal a shot of SAUL (and maybe also SAUL and GRACE) walking past people in line for a concert at Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre, approximately 2188 E Red Butte Canyon Rd on Google maps or at https://what3words.com/strong.bandit.laser. . Any visible people must be far enough away that they are not recognizable (or we need to get them to sign a release). 

Weather forecast for Sun Sept 20 (as of F Sept 18) is sunny, high 73, low 54. Sunrise 7:12am, sunset 7:30pm.

Sunday Sept 20: Evening table read (ALL)

Pizza at 6pm in GARFF, then we will tentatively be doing a table read of the entire (feature-length) script on the 3rd floor of the GARFF building. The reading should take about 90 minutes, and then we’ll have some time for feedback! FYI the script will be similar to this Aug 23 table read script.

There is free parking in Lot 12 (Google map) south of the GARFF / SFEBB buildings. (If you’re a fan of the location website What3Words, park at supply.jokes.pilots.) This location is also near the TRAX Red Line (South Campus Station) and various bus routes.

Departures and logistics

  • Monday Sept 21, 8am: Ben leaves, Frontier 3862 to DEN. Ben to take a Lyft to the airport (or Yoram will drive). 
  • Monday, Sept 21, 10am: AirBNB check-out time.
  • Monday, Sept 21, 10:45am: Uncle Fred leaves, Delta 3806 to MFR. Yoram to drive Fred and maybe also Brendan.
  • Monday, Sept 21, 12:20pm: Brendan leaves, Southwest 2759 SLC to PHX, then Southwest 982 PHX to ONT. 
  • Monday, Sept 21, 1:30pm: Ify leaves, Delta 2921 to SLC. Yoram to drive Ify and maybe also Brendan. 

Credits

  • SAUL: Luke Logan
  • GRACE: Cassandra Dae Sanchez
  • NIKKI: Ifeyinwa Onyekonwu
  • LANCE: Ben Hilzer
  • KATHERINE: Julie Slack
  • Director: Jeremy Mathews
  • Director of Photography: Bryan Stewart
  • First Assistant Camera: Jake Dickey
  • DIT: Bradford Jones
  • Hair & Make-Up: Giada Pennino, Charlotte Barnett Shirley
  • ADs: Doug Sands, Sienna Smith, Destiny Moreno
  • Sound: Brendan Cheng
  • Craft Services: Laura Gee
  • Screenwriter / Producer: Yoram Bauman
  • Thanks to: Toby Adelman, Hazen Babcock, Dave Kozin, Amity Kramer, a hundred extras
  • Post-Production: ??
  • Music: “Wawa Hoagies”, written by IRCASIM, performed by Aaron Out, used with permission of Gail Garin and Aaron Brodsky
  • TABLE READ ONLY (MINOR MALE CHARACTERS): Doug Sands
  • TABLE READ ONLY (MINOR FEMALE CHARACTERS): Sienna Smith

The past and the future  (by Yoram)

  • Clean The Darn Air is a real ballot measure campaign that tried to get on the statewide ballot in Utah in 2019 and 2023. We fell short both times, with about 50,000 signatures each time (which is not nothing! especially for an all-volunteer effort!!) out of the 150,000 signatures needed to qualify. Thinking that the third time’s the charm, campaign co-lead Dave suggested—in December 2023—that for our next effort we should have a YouTube video about how to do volunteer signature gathering, and I offered to draft up a script. In order to make it interesting and engaging, I used what I’ve learned from the 10+ years I spent making a living as “the world’s first and only stand-up economist“, and I also put in “tales from the trails” from the campaigns I’ve spearheaded here in Utah and in Washington State (where we gathered 250,000 signatures in 2015 to qualify for the 2016 ballot… and then lost, partly because of opposition from the Sierra Club and other groups on the “environmental left” that wanted the Green New Deal instead of a revenue-neutral carbon tax… but that’s another story!).
  • The script quickly turned into a romantic comedy stage play (!), which premiered to sold-out audiences at the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival in summer 2024 (!!), and then my joke is that I only lost half my shirt on the stage play, so I decided to bet the other half on a movie project (!!!).
  • The goals of this movie project are for it to be safe, educational, and fun… and to make a great proof-of-concept that will get us the funding we need to make the feature-length film, which will not only win Oscars but also help us recruit volunteers for the next iteration of the Clean The Darn Air ballot measure campaign… maybe in 2027 or 2029?!!
  • Many of the props in the story come from the campaign, and most of the stories in the script are based on real life: we really do collect signatures from folks in line outside Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre, the ARGUMENTATIVE JERK was a real person that campaign staffer Laurel Wolf got a signature from, KATHERINE is based on Katherine Bragdon, who taught me everything I know about volunteer signature-gathering… and SAUL  is based on former Washington State campaign staffer Ben Silesky. (SAUL is an exaggeration, of course, but the joke around the campaign office in 2015 was that half of our young female volunteers joined the campaign because they were smitten with Ben!)
  • The cast-and-crew member with the longest history with this project is Ify, who was amazing in a table reading in Seattle in spring 2024. Jeremy is a neighbor who was kind enough to come see the stage play in summer 2024 and even more kind to agree to direct the movie project and reach out to other talented folks like Bryan and Jake and Bradford. I met Julie in Park City in Jan 2026 when I was shamelessly pitching this project to other folks attending a Sundance panel about “Meet-Cutes with Meaning: Rom-Coms with a Purpose.” Ben submitted an incredible audition tape for LANCE and saved our bacon. Cassandra was in a table reading in SLC in Dec 2025 and has been wonderfully committed to this project; she and Luke know each other from… the SLC actor community?? Brendan is a family friend with a FILM degree, Doug and Sienna have been kind enough to join the table reading, and Laura is my wife, who grew up in Kaysville and brought me to Utah in 2016; she picked me up back in 2003 at the Comedy Underground in Seattle after joking with her friends that she was “going to have my nerdy babies”. (Zadie is now 12, Teddy is 8.) Finally, Toby, Hazen, Dave, and Amity are friends who have chipped in money to make this project happen! (They also supported the stage play, and Amity took an 8-hour detour on a Minnesota-to-Seattle drive to bring her family to see the stage play :). Many thanks to you all, let’s make something great!

 

Arrivals and logistics

  • Thursday Sept 17: Brendan arrives at 12:45: Frontier 2232 from ONT to LAS, then Frontier 3016 from LAS to SLC. Brendan to take bus or Lyft into town. Spending one night at Holiday Inn Express SLC Downtown.
  • Friday Sept 18, 10:41am Ben arrives, Frontier 3219 from DEN. Yoram to pick up. 
  • Friday Sept 18, 2:30pm: Ify arrives, Delta 1265 from SEA. Yoram to pick up. 
  • Friday, Sept 18, 4pm: AirBNB opens for Ben, Brendan, Ify, and Luke at 116 E Garden Ave, SLC. FYI the AirBNB is just off of State St, which is a major arterial in SLC. (I didn’t see red flags about traffic noise in the AirBNB reviews, so hopefully that’s true!) The AirBNB has a coffee maker and I will work to get you drip coffee. And/or walk 10 minutes north on State St and you’ll be at Delice French Bakery and Cafe, which is a lovely place to get coffee, dessert, or a full meal. (It’s open 7am-9pm on Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday, open at 7am Monday.) Walk 15 minutes south on State St and you’ll be at a little Chinatown area with shops and restaurants and such, including Oh Mai (closed on Sundays), which has highly-rated bahn mi sandwiches and pho. You’re also 15 minutes from Afghan Kitchen (closed on Mondays), one of my favorite restaurants in SLC.
  • Friday Sept 18, 4:30pm: Uncle Fred arrives, Delta 3865 from MFR. Taking a Lyft to Yoram’s house. Spending 3 nights at Yoram’s house. 

Friday Sept 18: Rehearsal dinner

Location is Yoram’s backyard: 825 E Logan Ave, near 1700 S, SLC 84105. Cast show up at 5pm if possible for an hour’s discussion with Jeremy before dinner. Everyone else show up between 5 and 6, we’ll probably eat dinner (burgers and veggie burgers on the grill) in shifts. Family is welcome, please contact Yoram 206-351-5719 with any dietary restrictions or preferences.

Weather forecast for F Sept 18 (as of F Sept 18) is partly sunny with a few showers early and late, high 78, low 59.