A comedian with severe anxiety pursues her co-worker, empowered by Shakespearian fantasies.
A short film by Melanie Notinger with DP Layton Blaylock (COMMUNITY FIRST, A HOME FOR THE HOMELESS, SXSW).
S C R E E N I N G S
Artists & Beers, 2018
Melanie Notinger
Writer/Director/Lead
DIRECTOR STATEMENT
CHOKE ARTIST explores casual anxieties we carry on a daily basis; the thoughts that stop us from being brave, confident, and vulnerable. I've experienced middle-school-level social anxiety all my life. It's a product of living in my head. I began writing and performing stand-up in 2015, shortly after coming out as queer. It was a way for me to face the confusion and find my voice. A recent acting grad in Austin, I auditioned for a lot of projects, and I saw myself in none of the scripts. While working as a bar host, I caught myself frequently drifting off into vivid fantasies. Anything to escape the boredom. One night at the host stand, I twisted my choker around my finger and spaced out. From that feeling of unaware asphyxiation, the concept for CHOKE ARTIST emerged. I wrote the project to star in, and for locations I hoped we'd gain access. Guided by my obsessions with Shakespeare and the imagery in Alan Ball's AMERICAN BEAUTY screenplay, the film questions how our fantasy lives can directly affect our waking lives...if we let them. The CHOKE ARTIST half-hour comedy pilot is in revision.
