Hazel was an interesting example of a well-written piece in a brutally minimalist production. My role concerned a meeting between a mom, played by Evelyn Locolano, and her young daughter's orchestra teacher that alludes to something more than just music instruction going on. And my character, Matt Allen, has no qualms in saying so. Filmmaker Marissa "Elliot" Little, who identified with being a writer, described her concept this way: "The whole film is one scene and want to shoot it similarly to a play. The first half, we’ll be experimenting with a black comedy tone -- not exactly going for laughs, but there’ll definitely be a shift to a darker, more serious/uncomfortable tone in the second-half."

Hazel ended up being one of these little favorites of mine. The material could be bitten into. It could be paced well. It starts on the page and this was Elliot's forte. I was very happy with my work on this quick project, particularly the one-pager monologue that delivered the big reveal. I recall working on two films during this same weekend. My other role was the polar opposite which required a major mental gear shift.

Hazel was written and directed by Marissa Elliot Little. It was shot entirely in New York City by Tom Chen on a Sony FS100 with Zeiss lenses. Running Time: 10 minutes.