Short films
Making films is my greatest passion. I've had the pleasure of working with many talented collaborators and/or members of the Chaparral Filmmaking Club (est. 2021) in the making of these shorts. Enjoy!
Glass Station
This short film, drawing inspiration from an original poem, explores the pain caused by missed opportunities. As the protagonist sits in solitude at a desolate station, the symbolism of a departing train becomes a haunting reminder of moments lost. With introspection as her only companion, she reflects on why she didn't act when it mattered most.
Written, Directed, & Edited by Carolyn Robertson
Heart on your sleeve
Kit, a teenage girl, copes with the recent death of her boyfriend, Sam, while still being reminded of him by his old sweater.
Written and Directed by Carolyn Robertson
Starring Maya Jones and Adlai Reuss
Original Piano Compositions by Luis Chiappetti
Guitar Compositions and Performance by Adlai Reuss and Abraham Sánchez
Lyrics by Celestia Gold
Costumes by Celestia Gold and Avril Garza Alanis
Makeup and Hair by Marie Huang, Avril Garza Alanis and Celestia Gold
ADs: Jayla Richardson, Robert Zamora
Director of Photography: Dylan Johnson-Bayer
Assistant Camera Operators/ Production Assistants: Robert Zamora, Daniele Perkovich, Kenderick Quon, Ryan Smith, Lauren Burnside
Sound by Layla Walker-Maney, Daniele Perkovich, Celestia Gold
Poster Design/Photographer: Carolyn Robertson
Edited by Carolyn Robertson
Polarity
Charlie, an actress in the school musical, must face her "shadow" - her crippling stage fright, when her performance takes a turn for the worse.
Directed and Written by Carolyn Robertson
Starring Emerson Stafford, Kendrick Quon, and Rebecca Ding
Edited by Daniele Perkovich
Writing Edited by Dylan Johnson Bayer
Director of Photography: Dylan Johnson-Bayer
Lead Production Designer: Celestia Gold
ADs: Jayla Richardson, Daniele Perkovich
Sound Operators: Layla Walker-Maney, Jayla Richardson, Celestia Gold
Light Operators: Robert Zamora, Jayla Richardson
Production Assistants/ BTS Filming: Ryan Smith, Robert Zamora, Lauren Burnside
Paper Prayers
A mini-documentary about the origin of origami cranes and the atomic bomb survivor, Sadako Sasaki, who popularized the practice and solidified its ties to world peace after the Hiroshima bombing.
Written and Directed by Carolyn Robertson
Original Idea by Charlene Robertson
Interviewees: Tomoya Itafuji, Ken Koshio, Anna Taylor
Subtitles by Carolyn Robertson & Tomoya Itafuji
FESTIVALS
Arizona Japanese Film Festival - Official Selection
Invited to Speak About Paper Prayers at Haru Festival at the Phoenix Japanese Friendship Garden
Activists Without Borders Film Festival- Official Selection
Screened at the Phoenix Japanese Friendship Garden three times (paid screening and discussion panel)
Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival- Official Selection
Houston Asian Pacific Islander Film Festival- Official Selection
life on mars!
Two Martian cowboys, Brooks and Keith, are wandering the barren, alien plains when they witness a UFO crash with the "first" human to reach Mars onboard. When Keith goes missing and everyone suspects the human, their friend Poppy locates the lost cowboy and "saves" Mars from humanity's encroaching darkness.
Directed and Co-Written by Carolyn Robertson
Starring Layla Reif, Emas Johnson, Nikolas Terry, and Eli Binder
Edited by Carolyn Robertson
Co-Writer and Original Idea by Jayla Richardson
Assistant Director: Jayla Richardson
Cinematography by Dylan Johnson-Bayer
Lead Production Designer: Daniele Perkovich
Icebreaker
Two teenagers meet on a blind date and get to know each other as their relationship grows. At first they label each other with superficial adjectives, but as they spend more time together, their views of each other begin to transcend first impressions.
Written and Directed by Carolyn Robertson
Starring Hector Flores & Miranda Sherrill Madrigal
Original Piano Compositions by Hector Flores
AD: Jayla Richardson
DP: Dylan Johnson-Bayer
Lead Production/ Graphic Designer: Daniele Perkovich
Sound by Daniele Perkovich and Avril Garza
Edited by Carolyn Robertson
Underwater photography by Carolyn Robertson
FESTIVALS
East Valley Film Contest- Best Screenplay
East Valley Film Contest- Best Cinematography
East Valley Film Contest- Best Overall Picture
National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter Emmy Awards-Nomination for Best High School Fiction- Short Form
2024 Poppy Jasper International Film Festival - Official Selection
2024 Arizona Student Film Festival - Official Selection
3rd Place at 2024 Arizona Student Film Festival
Lovesick
Hugo, a lovesick teenage boy, is infatuated with Anaise, a perfect girl who seems as if she were conjured from a dream. But when their breakup shatters Hugo's heart, his insane state reveals that their relationship was not as it seemed.
Directed by Carolyn Robertson
Cinematography by Jayla Richardson
Written by Carolyn Robertson, Jayla Richardson
Starring Raymond Elliot, Miranda Sherrill Madrigal
A Chaparral Filmmaking Club Production
FESTIVALS
All American High School Film Festival- Official Selection
Arizona Student Film Festival-Official Selection
National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter Emmy Awards-Nomination for Best High School Fiction- Short Form
The Bubble
Afraid, afraid confess her feelings for Rowan, the man of her childhood dreams, must look inside herself to find the cause of her hesitation. Why is she afraid to tell him how she feels? Adina must pull herself out of her comfort zone, or bubble, and come to terms with her feelings before she can confess what she’s always wanted to say.
Directed by Carolyn Robertson
Cinematography by Stella Phillips
Written by Carolyn Robertson
Produced by Laura Valentine
Starring Chad Courtney, Lauren Lau, Paulina Ocampo Restrepo
A USC School of Cinematic Arts Production
FESTIVALS
All American High School Film Festival- Official Selection
Arizona Student Film Festival-Official Selection
National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter Emmy Awards-Nomination for Best High School Fiction- Short Form
Student World Impact Film Festival-Quarter- Finalist
The Bubble, Alternate 2-Minute Version
-No dialogue and slightly different ending
Selene
Jamie, a recent high school graduate, has mixed feelings of pride, meloncoly, and longing for her late mother, Selene. Everyone said that Selene was like the moon, and Jamie felt it more than ever as she often gazed at its light above her. At this major turning point in her life, Jamie hopes to feel her mother's warmth again even if it's "impossible."
Directed by Carolyn Robertson
Cinematography by Winston Verdult, Carolyn Robertson
Written by Carolyn Robertson
Produced by Sergio Delgado
Starring Meredith Avery, Alexis Dixon
A USC School of Cinematic Arts Production
FESTIVALS
All American High School Film Festival- Official Selection
Socks in the city
When Olive, a sock-making apprentice loses a sock, Mrs. Richardson tells him of this dynamic and dramatic tale of a sock who is destined to be without a pair. "Socks in the City" has a core message of embracing oneself by oneself, without ever having to rely on being in a relationship to define one's worth.
Directed by Carolyn Robertson
Cinematography by Carolyn Robertson
Written by Carolyn Robertson, Jayla Richardson
Starring Carolyn Robertson, Jayla Richardson, Ava Castle, Emas Johnson
A Chaparral Filmmaking Club Production
FESTIVALS
All American High School Film Festival- Official Selection
equilibrium: A Haiku Collection
Life is made up of opposing forces, but the stress of living a chaotic life can cause us to forget this basic principle. The Sun and Moon, old and young, beginning and end, spring and winter, stress and relaxation all balance each other as we see and experience both of their respective pairs. Taking the time to observe this is what truly relaxes a chaotic mind.
Directed by Carolyn Robertson
Cinematography by Carolyn Robertson
Written by Carolyn Robertson
Starring Carolyn Robertson, David Robertson, Dwight Robertson, Charlene Robertson
FESTIVALS
All American High School Film Festival- Official Selection
The Scarlet Door
This is the story of the author who has a magical book titled "The Scarlet Door." With one touch, an illustration of this door appears in reality and takes Ella to a new land in the past, the author's cottage. To return home, Ella must find the "Scarlet Door" again in this past world.
Directed by Carolyn Robertson
Cinematography by Carolyn Robertson
Written by Carolyn Robertson
Starring Nikolas Terry and Carolyn Robertson