I am very excited to announce the creation of my film company, Zinnfandel Films. I can’t afford a lawyer so consider this my legal claim to the naming rights. With the introduction of Zinnfandel Films, I am also proud to present my first short film Object of Refraction. This is a project I have been working on for several months, and I hope you all enjoy it. My hope is that this is a stepping stone to greater, more audacious productions in the future. I treated this first foray into cinema as a learning experience (and boy have I learned a lot). As a result I have high hopes and expectations for the future of Zinnfandel Films. Please drop a comment and let me know your thoughts. I would like to thank all TWR’s readers for their continued support of my efforts; I am extremely grateful.
Here is the film:
the written reel 
Jerry: 11:03 pm Friday. Just finished watching. I am blown away. Tense, intense. Tightly wound. Tightly cut. Very powerful to see the portrait in the background. Bemused and nerve-wracked at the same time. And was that my bow-tie? Home run. Godfather.
I have to say, one of the more emotionally-intense short films I’ve seen. Great acting, music, picture, and all-around, a great film. It causes me to ponder the intellectual interactions within the mind, and the reasons behind ones actions. In the end I realized the importance of a daily routine and how something so small can greatly alter the entire day. I don’t know if that is the moral of the film, but that is what I gathered out of it. I look forward to viewing more Zinnfandel films in the future. Great work.
Tyler,
Your interpretation of my film is spot on. It’s meant to highlight both the ridiculousness of the character’s “super-routine” and how a minor change can have such a profound psychological impact. But as with many films, it attempts to highlight an issue by making it over-the-top. With the character, John, in the film, his routine extends beyond that of his actions and goes so deeply into his mind that he even hears the music when it isn’t playing. That is taken to an even greater extent by his ability to block out all sound but the music when he is content with his surroundings. However, when he is upset, unsettled, or frustrated, those sounds are audible. The way I tried to implement (or omit) sound was to draw attention to it and also to bring into focus its importance in John’s life and mind.
Thank you for your thoughts!
Jerry
Hi Jerry, this is charming. Really great job on the sound! And the images–so clean, and at the same time, so full of detail. Congratulations on Zinnfandel’s first! I’m going to re-blog this.–Kate
Reblogged this on The Five Points Star and commented:
Another brilliant member of the Zinn family–who happens to be a freshman at UNC–just completed his first film. Of course, I’m a sucker for a bow tie, but this is very smart and charming.
Hello! Thank you so much for sharing my film with your followers! You are really too kind in your complements. It was great to see you and your husband at Memorial Hall last weekend for a very powerful performance. Fantastic assessments on The Five Point Star by the way! Carolina Performing Arts has had such a tremendous season this year; how exciting to be in the middle of the The Rite of Spring at 100 world! Keep up the tremendous work on The Five Point Star, and I look forward to seeing you all at the next performance!