We’ve probably all experienced the feeling of mentally checking out at work. What inspired you to take that familiar experience and turn it into something much more dangerous?

I had a lot of odd jobs early on where I remember counting the seconds until my shift was over. A busboy in a cafeteria. A hot dog vendor. I also remember having some slightly condescending bosses who seemed to take their jobs a little too seriously. So when the idea for a robbery story sparked, I wanted to bring some of those lived experiences and characters into it, giving the film some familiar textures and nostalgic details.

Your film moves between everyday frustration, dark humour and genuine tension. How did you find the right balance between those tones?

I love getting performances that feel a little unpolished and familiar, where we can relate to the moment and think we know where things are going, only to have something very odd happen. This film was all about continuing to pivot back and forth tonally. Anytime there was a lull or things started to feel too familiar, I wanted to keep the audience on their toes with a very specific offbeat choice. I also just really wanted the boss character to utter the words, “Get that milk.” He had to say that.

At just four minutes, there’s very little room for unnecessary scenes. What’s the secret to telling a complete, engaging story in such a short running time?

I don’t think there’s one secret recipe. I like cutting the story down to its tightest version, then seeing which of my favourite performances and comedy beats we can bring back in. I shoot a lot of alternate takes to give myself options in the edit. In this case, we got the story nice and tight, but I felt we’d lost too many of the funniest, oddest moments. So I brought a few of those back, and that’s when it all clicked. The sweet spot ended up being the tightest, punchiest edit, with just enough extra comedy beats sprinkled back in (while leaving a few on the cutting room floor).

RIP weird shoes joke, eating almonds under a ski mask joke, and old woman stealing soup joke. You never made the edit, but you’ll be forever in our hearts.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had, and did it teach you anything unexpectedly useful?

When I was 14, I was a busboy at a ski chalet cafeteria. It was okay, but it wasn’t the position I really wanted. What I really wanted was the coveted job of ski rental shop worker. Everyone wanted that job. Rumour had it that sometimes they even let you take equipment out for a spin for free.
Then one winter, a spot opened up, and I got the job. What I learned very quickly was that it wasn’t quite as glamorous as it looked from the outside. The reality was a mix of hanging people’s sweaty boots on racks and absorbing enraged tourists’ shouting fits when they found out there were no more boots in their size.
What did I learn? Partly a cliché: that a lot of things look better from the outside. But more importantly, I discovered that the real best job at that establishment was the ice cream cart worker. Everyone loved seeing the ice cream cart guy. Lower pay, less hype, but no drama. Happy smiles. And extremely generous tips.
The lesson is simple: take the simple, less glamorous job selling ice cream and don’t look back. It’s a stepping stone.

What’s a piece of advice about creativity, filmmaking or life that’s stayed with you over the years?

Don’t be afraid of an inconveniently late idea, and don’t be afraid to share dumb ideas when brainstorming with someone else. Both can seem unappealing on the surface, but both can turn into gold. I don’t know if a specific person told me that or if I just absorbed it through years of sharing a lot of bad ideas and getting inspiration at very, very inconvenient times.

Where’s your favourite place to watch a movie? Do you have a cinema or screening experience that holds a special place in your heart?

Any slightly smaller theatre that still has those old, nostalgic 90s touches.

What’s a film that never fails to make you laugh, no matter how many times you’ve seen it?

I’d say it’s a toss-up between Bottle Rocket and The Big Lebowski. There are specific scenes in both that I’ve never not laughed at, despite having seen them an embarrassingly large number of times.

If this interview had closing credits, what song or piece of music would you choose to play over them, and why?

“I Don’t Know” by The Sheepdogs. Because I don’t know if any of these answers were any good, but here we are.