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After failing an eye test, an elderly woman struggles to come to terms with the fact that she may never drive her beloved VW Beetle again.

June Bug

2024

13 min

The Making Of

In early 2024, we found that our client work had slowed down enough for us to spend some time thinking about our own creative projects. The story of June Bug evolved from our vision for the final scene, and grew into life very quickly. Kyle and Katie wrote the script in tandem and pitched the film to Trust, a funding and distribution company we have worked with before, and we were off.


Casting the perfect June was crucial, so we reached out to Ian Bender and Ashley Hallihan at Hallihan Casting to get our search started. When we received Ray Kennington's self tape, we knew she was June. Casting for the role of "Craig", June's adult son, brought forward several great actors, but it was Matthew Romantini's balance of tenderness and frustration in his characterization of Craig that secured him for the role.


We found June's house - a near time capsule gem of a 1960s bungalow in Cambridge, ON, where all but one scene were shot, and were fortunate to lock in an optometrist's office just down the road. We found June's 1959 VW Beetle through a local "Bug Club".


Filming took place over 3 days in March 2024, plus an additional day to get the flashback scene. The film was edited in house, coloured by Clinton Homuth (Artjail), and mixed at The Farmhouse Creative Labs.


June Bug was executive produced by Trust. Check out more of their incredible films at www.withtrust.com.

Credits

Director - Kyle Sawyer Executive Producers - Trust, Kyle Sawyer Producer - Katie Billo Writers - Kyle Sawyer & Katie Billo Director of Photography - Paul Duck Starring - Ray Kennington, Matthew Romantini Casting - Ian Bender, CDC, Ashley Hallihan, CDC Additional Music - Brandon Fehderau, Mkondo Studio First Assistant Camera - Ryan Rodrigues Camera Assistant/Swing - Hamza Mazen Gaffer - Paul Seaton Grip - Max Wentzlaff Rigging Grip - Nick Abbate Location Sound Mixer - Troy Shantz Hair & Makeup - Samantha Roy Production Assistant - Danielle Milligan Set Photographer - Ben Watson Visual Effects - Mark Capone Colour - Artjail Colourist - Clinton Homuth Colour Assistant - Austin Tang Producer - Alison Maxwell Post Audio Facility - The Farmhouse Creative Labs Re-recording Mixer - John Diemer Supervising Sound Editor - Rob Taylor



"A tender, melancholic and unexpectedly humourous journey that lingers long after its brief runtime" - MovieFest UK


"A touching exploration of familial bonds" - Film Shortage




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