Midnyte Improves with an Important Three

An important lesson I try to abide by is to work with talented people and don't try and do everything yourself. It's a given that if you are in charge of any indie production with a low-low budget, you are going to be wearing many hats. You will only be helping yourself, however, if you can pass some of that headgear to others who know what they are doing. The more projects you work on, the more people you will connect with who know what they are doing. Here's a few that have agreed to help on Midnyte, and I am very grateful to have their help.


Tye Nelson is an actor and working casting guy here in Salt Lake City. I met him when he showed up for a little audition I was holding for my short from two years ago, Middle of Nowhere. He was so much better than anyone else I auditioned, that casting him was a real no-brainer. While he has continued acting in both the paying and non-paying world, his bread and butter has been as a casting assistant. He recently worked on High School Musical 3 and has agreed to help me find talent for Midnyte. I couldn't be more thrilled.


Seth Neuffer is Tye's cousin, a film composer living in California. Upon Tye's recommendation (who else was going to score my movie, me?) we hooked up for Middle of Nowhere via the Internet and it was a great experience. We corresponded about what kind of mood I wanted. I sent him video files and he put music down and sent them back. After some back and forth, I was so happy with the results, I used Seth again on The Payoff, which I created for my film production class at the University of Utah. I have yet to meet the guy, but his talent and ability make all the difference in the world.


Doug Clift is not only a good friend, but someone I find invaluable on any production. He is the guy who will do any job, do it well and enjoy himself the entire time. He is easy going, supportive, and comes with a seemingly inexhaustible well of positive attitude. It doesn't seem to matter to Doug what the project is, as his first response is always "Sounds great! When do we start?"

It's always a good idea to surround yourself with people who not only know what they are doing, but bring just as much passion to the project as you do. I'm glad these three have joined up, as they more than fit that description.