A 15-minute NYU senior thesis comedy, "Backyard Portal" is short fantasy comedy that tells the story of a young woman who lives with a portal in her backyard that movie characters continually come out of. It is aiming for film festivals and then potential viral distribution.
It's an absurd but human ensemble piece. We will watch as this girl tries to maintain her relationship with her boyfriend while there is a Roman Soldier from a Spartacus-style movie doing her gardening and a Future Action Girl from a Terminator-style film destroying her toasters because she thinks they are evil robots. However, despite the difficult and unconventional lifestyle of fostering movie characters, Gina comes to realize that these visitors complete her and she would not have it any other way.
Set in the tranquil country outskirts of upstate New York, the film is a celebration of cinema, family, and the oddities that make life worth living. The movie will entertain through its comical scenarios and satirical observations, but at its heart it is a movie about knowing who your family is and living the life you love, no matter how peculiar it is or how hard it is for others to understand. It is a comedy, but one with an actual point to make.
Jack Quaid - Jack Quaid gained popularity and credibility as a comedic actor through his work with NYU's Hammerkatz and his performances at The Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater. He recently starred as Marvel in the Hollywood blockbuster The Hunger Games, and will be seen in the upcoming films Just 45 Minutes From Broadway and Running Wild.
Rachel Joravsky - A rising comedic actress and athlete, Rachel has attracted attention across New York City with her stellar talent and exceptional sense of humor. Her rise began with her popular work as a full-time member of Hammerkatz, a sketch comedy group whose members have gone on to perform, write, and direct for major television shows like Community as well as networks and companies like The Onion and Collegehumor. She has since been recruited by the popular New York Improv Groups Dangerbox and WolfeQueen, and has been seen performing at top comedy clubs such as The P.I.T. and the renowned Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater.
Marlee Roberts - An established actress, singer, and filmmaker, is best known for her roles in The American Girl Revue as Felicity, Kirsten, and Kit. Marlee has gained further exposure for her appearances on the Totally For Teens special on the Adult Swim Network, and for her role on ABC Primetime's What Would You Do? And Marlee’s career is only growing stronger. She has performed in the 2012 feature The English Teacher alongside Julianne Moore and Greg Kinnear. In addition to acting, Marlee is also working on her career as a singer, collaborating with international recording artists. Her new EP Exposed is set to release on iTunes, and she has toured with her music at venues such as Camplified 2012.
Max Ash - A talented comedian, actor, director and musician, Max has been a beloved member of the sketch group Hammerkatz, directed the acclaimed short comedy Handgun, and has starred alongside Marlee Roberts in a grand stage production of Some Like It Hot. With a booming voice and an impressive stature of 6’5”, Max is sure to bring the presence, charisma, and humor needed to bring Marcus to life. Most recently Max has worked as a performer and the Executive Assistant at the wildly popular internet sketch comedy group BriTANick, whose work has struck gold at festivals and has been featured on some of the biggest comedy sites on the web, such as Collegehumor and Cracked.com.
Tirosh Schneider -Tirosh Schneider is an Actor/Writer/Acrobat/Philanthropist in New York City, and is neither an acrobat nor a philanthropist. He attended NYU for Dramatic Writing for one year, and is currently enrolled in the Tom Todoroff Two Year Acting Conservatory, and plans to eventually attend Fairfield Middle School in Fairfield, Iowa. He has studied with such teachers as Tom Todoroff, Gary Austin (The Groundlings founder), Will Hines (UCB), and David Razowsky (Second City). He is also a vegetarian, but not anymore.
THE DIRECTOR
Mathew Wesley Roscoe is an award-winning filmmaker who has been involved in productions of varying scale since high school.
Since attending film school, his passion for the arts has skyrocketed. During the past two years, Roscoe directed the drama Pretty Things at NYU and returned to his hometown to direct and produce the comedy Good Relations with Greatminds Productions. Roscoe also began his career as a Producer, managing the productions of the short films Narenji, Screamer, The Grown-Ups, Nemesis, and The Exploration of Cole As Led by the Prepubescent Sandy. On the side, Roscoe worked under the Producers and Production Managers of the newest film by acclaimed Sundance director Drake Doremus, and worked in the Production Department at Hayden 5 Media in NYC and Peregrine Media in California. He will be interning at Viacom and MTV this Fall.
THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
As early as high school, Drew Ross and Mathew Roscoe were collaborating on a number of award-winning short films. Drew has since become an accomplished Producer, Director and Entrepreneur in his own right, having worked on nationwide commercial projects, as well as being a lead member of two award-winning production companies in Southern California.
THE PRODUCER
Rupeshi Shah’s involvement in this film is a classic example of ‘coming full circle’. When Rupeshi and Roscoe first met, she was a freshman serving as a Production Assistant on the set of Roscoe’s junior thesis. The following Spring, Roscoe took Rupeshi in as his Assistant Producer for a number of projects. Rupeshi quickly proved herself and rose to the top, becoming one of the most sought-after Producers at NYU, being asked to produce and co-produce junior and senior thesis films at a level almost unheard of for someone her age.
Most recently she has interned with PBS, and intends to continue her rapidly evolving career as a producer and writer for narrative film and children’s television. She looks forward to reuniting with her former mentor and bringing everything she’s learned to the table.
THE CINEMATOGRAPHER
Cinematographer, cyclist, and candy connoisseur. A child of skateboarding in the late '90's, Casey's approach to cinematography is fun, playful, and revealing; yet direct and character driven. With roots deep-seated in the arts, Casey has always been around performance and creativity, making him a true believer in putting the script and the directors’ vision first.
Most recently, Casey has been shooting music videos for Monolift, We Are Knights, and The Reel but also shooting commercials for Levi’s, Blackberry, EarthShare, and Converse Footwear.
With a vision in line with the Director’s and a skill for efficiency, Casey looks forward to bringing the story to life in a grand yet fiscally responsible manner.
His current reel can be seen here:www.CaseyStein.com
THE WRITER
Lexus Landry, Roscoe's long-time co-writer and partner, co-wrote this screenplay and the original short film "Make it Jake" that inspired it. Along with being a talented writer, Lexus has become an accomplished actor in his own right, having starred in classic plays such as Arsenic and Old Lace and Rosencratz and Guildenstern are Dead at theaters including the Ferndale Repertory Theater and NCRT.