Salute Your Shorts 2019 – bnb
A couple spends the night at a mysterious Airbnb and tries to survive the night... and also get a good review.
Interview with Writer/Director/Actor Hunter Stiebel
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
The inspiration for my film came during my first stay at an Airbnb. My now wife and I were staying in my hometown of New York City to visit friends. My family has since moved so we decided to stay at a hotel but because of the cost of New York, we chose a room at an Airbnb. I thought I would be fine with it, but when we arrived at night all that quickly changed. We had to let ourselves in via an email which said where the key was hidden and my imagination immediately started to wonder. We entered a dark house, followed a dark hall past closed doors to an open door with an illuminated room. Were our hosts home? Was this definitely our room? The room felt like a haven, everywhere else begged questions from whether I could just leave my toiletries in the shared bathroom to whether or not there was a murderer behind a closed door.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It's a really fun ride. My first and foremost goal was that the audience enjoyed a nonstop funny and thrilling experience. It's only twelve minutes, I promise we trimmed the fat and got to the good stuff. Beyond that, I think it is very relatable and will have many people thinking about how they interact with social media and the online "sharing economy". I hope this is particularly true for folks who have spent much of their adult life immersed in the internet but grew up in a time before it existed.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I'm a New Yorker. Anxiety is what I do best. Bnb plays off the new fears and phobias that are building with the rise of the online sharing economy. As people live more and more online, interactions that once took place face-to-face now occur via notes on Facebook or instant messenger. We no longer practice the intimacies of how to host or personally interact with one another. In contrast, the birth of the “sharing economy” (i.e. Airbnb, Uber, etc.) exposes us in a way like never before. We now go from spending the majority of our day isolated to being thrust into the very private spaces of complete strangers. A world where we fear the unfamiliar, and feelings are valued more than facts, is a ripe playground for paranoia and deadly misunderstandings.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
It's stayed pretty true to the first words I wrote but it's only gotten better. I had the pleasure of working with my insanely talented co-star Tate Hanyok. She is incredibly charming, funny and in many many ways a better writer than me. She gave me one big note. The original first scene had a lot of character exposition. She pointed out it's a short. People will relate to these characters just get to the point of what you're trying to say in this film. That note gave me one of the tightest openings I've ever written and I'm really proud of how the film begins.
The other change happened in production, my sharp as a knife producer Amanda Markowitz pulled me aside (while we were chasing the clock) and suggested that we merge two scenes. We should merge an entire scene of dialogue with the scene of us tensely walking down the hall. It was brilliant. It practically got us back on track for time and ended up being one of the best directorial choices in the film.
Both of these scenes are tight as hell and they are that way completely thanks to the gifts of my partners.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I think my favorite quote is from horror film writer, reviewer and all-around lover and expert of genre film Michael Klug of Horror Freak News when he wrote that bnb is "A perfect blend of genuine laughs and good scares..., while bnb is a comedy, it presents (and in some cases, answers) real questions about the world we live in."
But people frequently walk out of the theater and grab me and say a variation of "Oh my god that was so me, and it scared the hell out of me." That makes me really happy. It means I'm using my anxiety for good. I'm not alone and neither are you. It's ok to feel these things and it's important that we address them.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I have to say I wrote this film for the xenial. The folks who know both the world before the internet but live their lives immersed in it. What surprised me is that folks of any age who don't even know what Airbnb is, completely relate to this. Everyone has been in an unknown place, where they don't know what is "correct" and it triggers something in us. Our best screening was at 9 am at the Cleveland Film Festival. Not exactly a hip showtime. The audience was with us for every beat.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Come see bnb on Sunday, August 18th at 1:10 pm in block 8. If you don't live in L.A. email me at ThatbnbMovie@gmail.com and we'll find a way for you to see it.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
All of the above please. I have a pilot that is a prequel to bnb, It's a horror-comedy road trip with each episode focusing on a different element of the sharing economy. Each episode is like Black Mirror/Curb Your Enthusiasm race across the country. I'd like to make that magic happen.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Non-stop standing ovations... I kid. I'd like people to reflect upon their use of the internet. Is it a tool or a replacement of something deeper?
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How much does your online reputation matter?
Would you like to add anything else?
A few extra zero's to my tax return next year... Oh regarding the interview? Nope, just thank you. This has been really fun.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I'm working on the pilot OverSharing that I mentioned before. I believe Tate Hanyok is writing a film for Hallmark. Our Producer Roni Geva's web series Ctrl, Alt, Del has just received it's second Emmy nomination and Amanda Markowitz and Allison Powell have recently completed features that are on or heading to the festival circuit. Our cinematographer Brian C. Weed travels the world filming Discovery Channel's Expedition Unknown. Our editor Gavin Booth directed a film called Last Call that is killing it on the festival circuit. Oh and composer Mike Zarin, he runs one of the top trailer music companies in the business, Sencit Music. A film is certainly not made by one person and as you can see, if you like bnb it's because I'm lucky to know a lot of amazingly talented folks.
Interview: August 2019
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
bnb
A couple spends the night at a mysterious Airbnb and tries to survive the night... and also get a good review.
Length: 12:41
Director: Hunter Stiebel
Producer: Roni Geva, Amanda Markowitz, Allison Powell, Mary Elizabeth Boylan
Writer: Hunter Stiebel
About the writer, director and producer:
HUNTER STIEBEL began his career as an actor, working with Tony award-winning theaters such as Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare and The Milwaukee Repertory Theater, but is currently best known on TV from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Superstore, The Thundermans, many recent Samsung commercials and many other times you may have said “Oh, it’s that guy.” He has written for various national publications, L.A. comedy theaters and online publications. He wrote and directed the promotional short "Do You Hear Something?" for the renowned trailer music company Sencit Music. Bnb is his first film. Coming in October, Hunter is incredibly grateful and excited to be working with his favorite collaborator on their upcoming “untitled project” in the role of Father.
RONI GEVA, AMANDA MARKOWITZ, ALLISON POWELL and MARY ELIZABETH BOYLAN are all members of The Collaborative a Los Angeles based 501c3 non-profit educational institution dedicated to promoting the artistic growth of its 100 members by providing opportunities in education, production and communal creative engagement. The script for bnb won a production grant to be co-produced by The Collaborative. Separately these amazing producers are all currently working on projects of their own from RONI's Emmy nominated web series Ctrl, Alt, Del (two years in a row Emmy nomination) to Allison's just-released feature Banging Lanie. All of which have received support from The Collaborative.
Key cast: Hunter Stiebel, Tate Hanyok, Tacey Adams
Looking for: distributors, journalists, film festival directors, producers, sales agents, buyers
Facebook: bnb
Instagram: @thatbnbmovie
Hashtags used: #SharingIsScaring
Other: IMDb
Made in association with: The Collaborative - https://the-collaborative.net/
Funders: Won a Production grant from The Collaborative
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? We shall see...