A mysterious encounter
between two damaged Southerners
quietly unravels over sweet tea.
WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW
BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO
SYNPOSIS
A lone missionary is invited into the stately home of a mysterious older woman. Polite conversation over sweet tea gradually unravels as the two grasp to understand one another. He soon realizes his suspicions only begin to scratch the surface of a terrible truth, forcing him to confront his own damaged past.
LOGLINE
A mysterious encounter between two damaged Southerners quietly unravels over sweet tea.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Cowart
Simon Werdmüller von Elgg
Writer / Director / Editor
Simon Werdmüller von Elgg is an award winning Filmmaker & Creative Director. His decade+ of creative and entrepreneurial pursuits were sparked by his mission: to make the esoteric engaging. He currently lives and works in California. Lemons is his first official short film.
Director’s Statement
My goal with Lemons was to explore the complex relationships we have with our demons. How we face them, how they change us, and how we might find ways to free ourselves from them.
CAST
Jared Carter
as Edwin
- David Byrne of Talking Heads in CBGB
- Cousin Derrick in Hannah Montana the Movie
- Wrangler on the second season of Still the King
Edwin is one of the more complex characters Jared has had the opportunity to bring to life and he was so excited to be cast in the role. Throughout the film he wanted to be able to deliver a performance that would be seen differently on a second viewing, after the viewer knows the whole story and what Edwin has gone through.
Dianne Berry
as Deborah
- Studied acting with the Ivana Chubbuck technique in Los Angeles
- Further acting study in New York, Nashville, Atlanta, Memphis and Montreal
Dianne was attracted to the “Lemons” film by its writer/director Simon Werdmuller von Elgg and the very talented team he had assembled for this film. Dianne greatly enjoyed the challenge of playing a character with complex personality disorders and a colorful hidden past. “Lemons” forces one to look at the line between right and wrong from two character’s perspective. The audience is left to ponder their own viewpoint and struggle with forgiveness.
Tamiko Robinson Steele
as Henrietta
- Awarded Best One Woman Show by the Nashville Scene, for “Miracle In Rwanda” (2011)
- Appeared in TPAC production of “A Raisin In The Sun”
Tamiko Robinson Steele is a mother, performing artist, and an acting coach. She was drawn to “Lemons” because of writer/director Simon Werdmuller von Elgg’s beautiful imagery that she’d glimpsed, but was further pulled in because of beautiful way the story was to be told.
FEATURED CREW
Dianne Berry
Executive Producer
- 30 years experience in finance & investment
- CPA, CFP and an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University
Dianne worked in a CPA firm, a law firm, and a consulting firm before starting her own financial planning and investment company. While enjoying the creative side of acting and music, Dianne has utilized her investment skills as an Executive Producer. Ready for a new challenge, she retired her business to begin her training in the acting and music industry.
Nathan Thompson
Executive Producer, Cinematographer
- 19 time Emmy Award-Winning Filmmaker
- Development Director at Nashville Filmmakers Guild
- DP & Creative Director at Contrast Visuals
- 2012 NPPA National Videographer of the Year
As cinematographer, Nathan was drawn to “Lemons” for its propensity toward dark tonality and emotional ambivalence. At first meeting, Nathan shared Director Simon Werdmuller von Elgg’s vision for a Kubrick influenced style, using embellished natural lighting and patient pacing to build tension and compliment performances. Nathan hopes the imagery leaves audiences curious, yet unnerved, as the characters’ mysterious relationship unfolds.
Amanda Young
Producer
- Award-Winning Producer
- Documentarian for Grammy-Winning Artist
- Projects Shown at SXSW & Other Festivals.
For Amanda, producing “Lemons” presented a unique opportunity to work with some of her favorite collaborators from the Nashville filmmaking world on a project that she knew (from the first moment she read the script) was wildly worthy of their talents. “Lemons” was not only a vehicle for Amanda to crossover from the documentary and music world into the narrative world; but she also saw it as an opportunity to produce a project that would make an audience question their versions of morality and reality in uncomfortable yet pertinent and crucial ways.
Madison Braun
Production Designer
- Award-winning Production Designer
- Projects show at NaFF, LCIFF, SoCalCIFF, & other festivals.
- Production Designer on projects for Cracker Barrel, Lady Antebellum, Charlie Worsham, Adia Victoria, and more.
For Madison, working on Lemons as the Production Designer gave her the opportunity to tap back into her love for narrative short films. She was passionate about the script from the start , but that passion quickly grew after her first meeting with Simon and Amanda and continued to grow throughout the making of the film. Lemons was a great opportunity for her to dig deeper, challenge herself, and create something that’s more than meets the eye.
Sophia Caressa
Script Supervisor
- Director, Choreographer, and Stage Actor
- Musical Theatre and Commercial Dance Major at OSCA
- Chapman University Film Minor
- Writer of Original Show, “Bling, Swing, Sing!”
Sophia feels fortunate to have read “Lemons” shortly after its conception and witness its development along the way. Working as script supervisor presented a unique opportunity to work intimately with the story, maintaining its mood and integrity, as well as getting to work alongside each talented department. She delighted in the challenge of working with such complex characters, and their struggle to cope with the past. She hopes you will see the magic in this story, just as she has.
Addy Cahill
Hair & Makeup Artist
- 15 Years experience as a makeup artist
- Graduated NYU Tisch School of the Arts
- Works in LA, Boston and New York
Following in the footsteps of her grandfather, Golden-Era makeup artist John C. Hall, Addy began doing makeup for community theaters at the age of thirteen, working with her mother, an award-winning makeup and hair designer in the New England regional theatre scene. Addy has designed multiple films and music videos, working in New York City and Boston before moving to Los Angeles. When she first read the script for “Lemons”, she was immediately drawn to the characters, and is very excited she was able to join the team in Nashville to bring this story to life.
Gabriel Sarango
Sound Designer
- 10 years experience in music production and song-writing
- Studied Audio and Media Technology at the New England Institute of Art
- Audio engineer for local musical artists for over 8 years
Over the last 10 years, Gabriel has made it his career to paint pictures using sound. With song-writing and music production he learned the value in getting ideas across between the lines, using sound to suggest emotion, color, and tone. Seeing “Lemons” come together visually quickly proved to be an opportunity to use sound to push this complex story of the characters’ personal struggles with their past to express more than what the eye can capture.
PROD.
Producer’s Assistant
Bobby Marko
Associate Producer
Jonathan Schaade
Key PA / Grip
Dalila Ferrer
PA
Lucas Hames
ART DEPT.
Music Supervisor
Kyle J Baker
Assistant Makeup Artist
Grace Young
Illustrator
Stephanie Slater
Lead Man
Daniel Dones
Art PA
Austin Klausman
CAMERA
1st AC
Paul Williams
2nd AC
Rand Smith
Camera PA
Mark Gonzalez
Second Unit 1st AC
Nick Ingram
GRIP
Gaffer
Benjamin Liden
Key Grip
Justin Sulham
Grip
Grant Carpenter
Grip
Rory White
Grip
Kyle Copeland
POST
Editor
Simon Werdmüller von Elgg
Visual Effects
Eleonor Lindvall
Digital Colorist
Peter Swartz
Online Editor
Ricky Hayner
SOUND
Audio Mixer
Matt Hamilton
Boom Operator
Max Hibler
Sound Mix & Master
Ric Schnupp
Behind The Scenes Stills
