Filmmaker Statement

"Step Into The Mattress" was inspired by growing up in the suburbs, working dead-end retail jobs as a teenager. I wanted to shine a light on a pair of characters who, despite their best efforts, are frankly quite bad at their jobs. Rather than being punished for their waywardness, they bond over an afterhours hobby at the store one night, resulting in an unexpected win. The project was also inspired by our co-lead, Eleanore Pienta (Becky), whose standup and improv work I've been following for years. I was excited to write a short that would give her and our co-lead, Eudora Peterson (Linda), room to experiment and go big with absurdist humor. Aided by our talented production designer, Becca Morrin, and our costume designer, Allison Pearce, the visual world of the short pushes corporate tropes to the extreme, maximizing bold colors and uniformity to create a painfully cheery sales floor experience.