Unless mentioned otherwise, all of the following films were written, produced, and directed by Mark Tapio Kines. For more shorts, including some ancient films I did back in college, feel free to peruse my Vimeo page.
Words to Live by
A young woman heading out to a bar encounters a young man who asks her to talk him out of committing suicide. Starring Angie Kim, Armando Torres, Leandro Cano, Tricia Fukuhara, Ruby Park, Merrick McCartha, Cathy D. Tomlin, William Christian, Stacy Arnell. Producer: Jane Petrov. Director of Photography: Andie Ximenes. Editor: Cheryl Campsmith. Costume Designer: Stephen Boyd-Morales. Music: Hatem Elgenedy. Casting: Michael LaPolla.
20 Matches
A young woman (Nina Rausch), her face illuminated only by match light, tells the story of an Austrian serial killer who murdered 20 immigrant women – one per year. Here is a more expansive page on the film.
A Trophy
This is a dark drama - call it a "travelogue noir" - about a lonely filmmaker (Dom Zook) whose obsessions with the dark side of Hollywood history come to consume him when he happens across a mysterious woman (Virginia Welch) and the wealthy studio executive she appears to be involved with. Music composed by Christopher Farrell.
Ron and Nancy
This is a comedy about a bored husband and wife who decide to spice up their fantasy life, with mixed results. It was shot in October 2009. It stars Erika Godwin and Tyler Rhoades, a real-life married couple who should be familiar faces for those who have watched my two previous shorts. Sound: Brent McClain and Michael A. Crosby.
Double Feature
NOTE: Produced by GadZook Films.
I directed this in the 2009 48 Hour Film Project, an international competition where each team attempts to make an original short film - from conception to completion - in just one weekend. For the 2009 Los Angeles version, every team's film had to include a character named Alex or Alexis Filbert, the vocation of "champion", junk mail as a prop, and the dialogue "How was I supposed to know?" My team also randomly selected the genre of science fiction. We were ambitious and made two shorts that weekend, hence the title. Producer: Dom Zook. Writer: Tyler Rhoades.
Party Pooper
This is a comedy about a young man (Dom Zook) who decides to attend a small party even though his bowels are telling him that diarrhea is on its way. Despite the subject matter, it's actually a rather tasteful comedy of manners. It was shot in September 2008. It also stars Benjamin Dunn, Elaine Elizabeth Reid, Erika Godwin, Tyler Rhoades, and Niki Moore. Editor: Shelli Ryan. Sound: Brent McClain and John C. Grant. Music: Christopher Farrell (recycled from his score for Foreign Correspondents).
Portrait of a Pensive Lady
This seriocomic film is about the thoughts that float through a middle class Dutch housewife's head as she sits for her portrait in 1662 Holland. It was shot in March 2008 and stars Elaine Elizabeth Reid. Producer: Dom Zook. Editor: Marc Wade. Cinematographer: Jamal Green. Costume designer: A. Jeffrey Schoenberg. Clavichordist: Bradley P. Lehman. Sound recordist: Christopher Farrell.
The Closest Thing to Time Travel
This is my Grand Prize-winning entry in the 2006 Getty Images competition The Next Big Idea. According to the rules, each film had to consist of at least 50% stock footage from the Getty Images library and reflect the competition's titular theme. My film is 100% Getty Images material, with just a few composited shots. Editor: Marc Wade. Composer: Christopher Farrell. Voiceover: B. Jane Doe.