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The Taste of Neon
TYPE: Narrative Feature
GENRE: Drama
STATUS: Pre-Production
LOGLINE
A kleptomaniac caretaker goes on the run when her family discovers her thievery.
SYNOPSIS
Joyce works hard to maintain an ideal life in NYC, but as her kleptomania worsens she must construct a labyrinth of illusions to hide the disfunction. Joyce quickly learns that betrayal can come from even your closest confidant, and how far she's willing to sink to uphold her lie.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT
As a film crew of young creators, we are a part of a divided generation that is either screaming to stop the destructive course of action of the world or simply wants to be lost in the comfort of the neon lights that die just as quickly as they shine. Neon’s representation in art is one of constant shifting from highs and lows, opulence and decadence, growth and decay. These shifts represent our protagonist, Joyce who only wishes to maintain this illusion of a perfect world she’s built around her. Joyce exists in a fast paced life where she lives for the moment and all the glamor that comes with it, but once she’s forced to face the stillness, she meets her destruction and takes everyone down with her. Our generation is dealing with a mental health crisis that only in recent years has become a part of everyday discussion. Luckily, the normalization of conquering mental problems like addiction and depression has done some good, but not all communities are given equal access to resources or the proper education to fight back. Joyce is certainly a product of a household that didn't have the means of handling her condition at a young age and has allowed her addiction to worsen without a fighting chance. Looking back, there were mental health issues from my childhood that I could’ve conquered early with a proper education. Only recently in my early adult years has my family truly opened up about our own personal battles with depression, and the conversation was certainly overdue. As an artist, I wish I could shun reality and live for the moment like Joyce, creating freely without worrying about what’s happening around me, and even shun my own personal mental state. The idea of being able to sink back into an adolescent world without fear sounds like a dream, but this illusion has become impossible to ignore as we’re crushed by a world we can’t even afford to live in with 1.4 million people in NYC including one in five city children living in poverty. Life as an artist would certainly be easier if I was able to have the same benefits that were given to salaried jobs. Films like Heaven Knows What and Waves that depict a system failing to help its people inspires me to the same. I feel called to honestly illustrate the hell of having to simply sustain oneself while the government, climate, and the whole world falls apart. As the story unfolds, the audience will ask themselves “what illusions in their life do they fight to maintain and how does their own willful ignorance shape the world and people around them?” It’s easy to write her off as some abnormal force of destruction, but when you’re pushed to the breaking point, we all have this ability and are not that different from Joyce.
KEY CREW
Zach Blair - Producer, Director
Zachary (ZEEBZ) Blair is a New York City based Director, Actor, and Painter. Whether it involves his Southern, Little Rock roots or new-found NYC artist life, Zach creates from the world around him. Zach's directing journey began in college, but took a hiatus, until he saw opportunities during the pandemic to explore the lives of New Yorkers navigating the empty streets.
"Inspiration comes from the people around you, and I carry that thought with me on every creative endeavor." Some of Zach's recent shorts like Bender have been seen in NYC festivals and festivals around the country.
Previous Directing Credits include: 24 Hour Oils, Apartment No.1, Zoom Cycle, Bender, Meal, The Early, The Taste of Neon, and The Roaches in the Wall.
Summer Warwick - Producer, Actor
Summer Warwick is an Actor/ Dancer/ Choreographer/Singer/Filmmaker from The Bronx, New York. A Dancer first, she has credits in showcases and small company tours throughout NYC and the east coast. Summer has experience on screen as well, having done work for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and many guerilla-style short films with colleagues including Bender and Meal with FlicksbyZeebz L.L.C and Breezeblocks and There’s More to Life Than This with Guerrilla Haus Productions. Shortly before collaborating with Zachary Blair, she booked with Bated Breath Theatre Company in Unmaking Toulouse-Lautrec.
Alexanna Brier - Producer, Art Direction
Aly Brier is an NYC based SAG-AFTRA and AEA Actor/Filmmaker. She began her career in the entertainment industry at age nine, performing in the Broadway production of Billy Elliot and the AEA national tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. At age thirteen, she transitioned into on-camera work and has since been in films including Tape (Deborah Kampeier), Small Time (Niav Conty) and Coolidge (Andrea Natella). Alexanna’s film work has been the Official Selection at several festivals including the Berlin Underground Film Festival and has received the Creative Empowerment Arts Grant. Her photographic work has been published in magazines including MATH Magazine, Thread Magazine and Uncertain Magazine.
Candace Seward - Producer, DP
Candace Seward is a Cinematographer and Producer. She is from Little Rock, Arkansas. Her vast experience behind the camera includes working AC twice with John Malkovich, Meg Ryan, Jason Momoa, Johnny Depp and well as with Thomas Mann, Vernon Davis, Rosa Salazar, Shane West, Jacob Young, Rene Ashton, Justin Long, Kate Bosworth, and many more. Candace has experience in just about every crew position, but really shines with her camera work. Candace is a long time collaborator with FlicksbyZeebZ L.L.C. Some of her recent work includes The Chariot, A Sister’s Grudge, The Cult, and The CareTaker.
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