HOTHEADS
In the midst of a snowstorm, two hotheaded student journalists venture through backroad towns in hopes of finding a make or break story.
Writing the Script (writ. 2025)
The joys in filmmaking almost always lie in spontaneity. An actor improvising a line, a camera operator deciding to move in closer, a gaffer messing with the set shadows in his free time. Every person achieves greatness through thinking creatively, and HOTHEADS (2025) embodies that.
Writing HOTHEADS was not an easy task. The film is almost entirely improvised, meaning that, if we wanted to make a film that was impactful and had a true moral, we needed to do the same heavy lifting involved in writing a traditional script, while tying ourselves down and restricting the process to just a few simple beats.
Thus, the script for HOTHEADS is experimental to say the least. It isn’t focused on hitting marks, getting key dialogue in, or perfecting each and every concept, but instead, moving our characters through an arc. It’s an elaborate challenge on how to tell a story in the moment, flexing creative muscles, and trusting storytelling instincts.
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Directing the Film (dir. 2025)
Oh, boy. The journey of directing HOTHEADS (2025) was magical. What was meant as an over exaggerated exercise on how to “simplify” the filmmaking process (focusing more on creativity and improvisation), HOTHEADS instead quickly became a passion project, with an extreme amount of love, camaraderie, and an enjoyment for the search of a good story.
This road trip comedy was originally a 3-page script, built entirely from around 12 beat points that only vaguely told the story that these two wacky characters would go on. However, while shooting the film, the directing process was anything but vague. Each second mattered, especially given that the film was shot in just one day, with seven locations, and an extreme amount of guerilla filmmaking. This film required forethought, quick decision making, and strategic planning that essentially boiled down to writing the scene in the moment.
This film was crafted from hope and determination. Nobody had any idea if this would ever work, and yet, the classic filmset anxiety and nervous energy was never present. There was trust in the actors, in the crew, and in the story, which, serendipitously, represents what HOTHEADS is all about.
BTS photography by Preston Schnoor
Designing the Poster (desig. 2025)
For the HOTHEADS (2025) poster, the focal point was to capture real life in action.
The heart of HOTHEADS is friendship. Our two characters are almost always at each others throats, so it made complete sense to have them face opposite ways on opposite sides of the car, while still having them pointed in each others direction, hinting at their conflicting world views while still showing that sense of reliance. Yes, they’re opposites, but they still look for each other.
Additionally, the car is an integral piece, literally moving our characters around the story, and therefore, it needed to be equally integral to the poster. Our characters are in motion with the car (one walking around it while the other waits by the door), representing the constant motion they experience throughout the story, while also hinting at the films core premise; a road trip.
Finally, while everything was placed in strategic fashion to give the audience an understanding of the story, there was a specific intention to not give away too much of the story, and instead, leave the audience questioning how in the world these two goofballs got here. This poster teeters the line, giving the viewer an atmosphere to look forward to, while leaving the story up in the air.
Poster photography by Preston Schnoor