A middle-aged bald man eagerly waits at a bar to meet a woman he found on a missed connection post. However, as he waits for her, he realizes that all of the other men in the bar are waiting to meet the same woman. Oh, and they are all bald too.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Rob Shearer

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Thank you! I made my film because I wanted to create a narrative short film. I live in Denver Colorado, and I primarily work in commercial and corporate video production. I haven’t made a narrative short in 6 years, and I really wanted to dive back into writing and directing.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

You should watch this film because it is short and funny, and it’s about bald men. Who doesn’t want to watch a film about bald men?

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I guess some of the themes that are in this film are mostly about modern society and living in a world where the internet has a major impact on our lives. I know I just said this film is about bald men, but it’s really about how people are targeted and marketed to online. I think that the algorithms on social media can be too manipulative and deceptive in order to try and sell us stuff, and this film is an exaggerated version of that, except in a real life context.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

I was having major writer’s block, and my girlfriend told me to just start writing one-sentence stories and just keep doing that until I come up with an idea I like. So, I wrote a one-sentence story, and the first idea I came up with ended up being the film! It was a pretty quick process, and the final film is how I envisioned it would be when I was writing it.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

I’ve gotten good feedback from friends and family, but the Short Film Corner is the first time it will be screened in front of people I don’t know. So, we will see!

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I’m curious to see what the feedback is. If someone has a really good note on how to make it better, then I am willing to take the feedback and make some changes.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I just want more people to see my film and be aware of it. I will be submitting to festivals this year, so hopefully the readers of www.wearemovingstories.com will see it soon.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I would love to have some journalists see the film or interview me about the film.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

Ideally, I would like a warm reception for the film, but I have no control over that!

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

I would like to have people talk about the different ways they are marketed to everyday online. I think it happens more often than we realize.

Would you like to add anything else?

Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me!

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I am going to shoot another short this year, and start writing a feature film. I want to explore the genre of magical realism, so we’ll see where that takes me.

Interview: May 2018

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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

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Missed Connection

Length: 7 minutes

Director: Rob Shearer

Producer: Rob Shearer & Richard Corso

Writer: Rob Shearer

About the writer, director and producer:

Rob Shearer is a filmmaker living in Denver, Colorado

Richard Corso is a filmmaker living in Denver, Colorado
Key cast: Jon Diack

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): journalists

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Keep an eye out for it at film festivals in 2018 and 2019