Synopsis: A young man attempts to enjoy a lunch break reprieve from work, but things take a hilarious turn for the worse.
Starring: Brendan Solovey, Ivory Brownback, Anthony Carvello, Micheline Wu, Kevin James, Lainey Drew, TJ Ferrari, Abigail Allen, Kameron Mills
Written & Directed by: Jamiya Wilson
Makeup & Hair: Dana Arcidy

Production Stills

Set Photos

Director Musings

Lunchtime is the first film I’ve ever directed. What started simply as a small idea I had while sitting on a park bench having lunch, turned into an actual project. It’s both exciting and a bit scary when you see a story you’ve written come to life. I was definitely nervous entering into this new world of filmmaking. Although I went to film school and had plenty of on set experience, there’s nothing quite like being over an entire film project. There’s so much to juggle and consider if you want the end result to match the vision you had in your mind. And there are far more moving parts for a film than you’re typical photoshoot.

I wanted to tell a story of a guy trying to have lunch, but each day something ridiculous happens to ruin it. It would culminate in maybe a co-worker, stranger, or potential love interest seeing his predicament and giving him a much needed break by sharing their lunch with him. I also wanted it to be a silent film, a la Charlie Chaplin, but maybe a little less campy. This would put the focus on the wacky events and the actors’ expressions more so than their dialogue.

The entire production really came down to the wire and I credit my assistant director, Ivory Brownback, with pushing me to make the film. After pitching her the idea, I dropped the ball on getting it started. There I was resting on my laurels and I’d get a text from her, “So what day are we shooting?” We originally aimed for a July 2019 date, then first week of August, and it ultimately feel on the last weekend of the month. We had a date, a script, and a general idea on what we were going to do. I also already had several actors in mind for supporting roles, but we still didn’t have a leading man.

In a mad dash, I scoured the interwebs and came across the portfolio of one Brendan Solovey. Soon as I saw his pictures I was like, “He’s the guy! He looks just like how I envisioned the character!”. I reached out to him via Instagram and crossed my fingers he wouldn’t think I’m some weirdo. “Hey man, my name’s Jamiya, want to be in my movie?!” I mean, I would have rolled my eyes if that were me. But he responded promptly and professionally and was all in. Yes! We had our guy! We held a production meeting shortly after so everyone could meet and get an idea of what to expect on the day of shoot.

I’m learning quickly that in the world of filmmaking, no matter how much you prepare, there will always be unexpected events. Scheduling conflicts, budgeting issues, lighting problems, etc. You have to be able to roll with the punches and do your darnest to stay on task. I credit the entirety of my cast and crew for being patient and supportive doing the entire process. Micheline helped with lighting, Kevin helped with camera work, Anthony helped out as both 2nd AD and PA, Ivory was on it with the scheduling and keeping us all on task, Dana our makeup artist ensured everyone looked their best and even did some set photos. Everyone was eager to pitch in and do double-duty in order to help make the film as good as we could. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to work with.

So, here’s our little film, Lunchtime. I hope you enjoy it!

- Jamiya