The Break-Up

Lauren Olson

Medium: Short Film

Lauren Olson: Writer, Director, Producer

Trailer

Trailer Duration: (0:45)

Logline

A devoted ex-girlfriend kidnaps the love of her life and stuffs him in the trunk of her car to live happily ever after.

Project Description/Behind the Production:

The concept of the main character, Lizzy from the Break-Up was born out of curiosity through exploring acting as another passion of mine, and trying to write something I would love to act in. The process of this concept was about a year incubating the concept and inspired by romcoms I consumed as a tween/teenager, mixed with more Hollywood acclaimed Quinton Tarantino, (Kill Bill V1) styled narratives.  Though the look and vibe of the film was something that I could compare to other exterior media pieces, the inspiration and meaning behind the character and the work comes from a personal place that is then extracted from lived moments and expanded into the characters’ world. Writing, directing and producing this short film has been the biggest learning experience in my career so far, and I am looking forward to taking all the learning opportunities The Break-Up gave me to the next film project. 

Behind The Scenes on set photo of The Break Up production.

Artist Statement

Invoking narrative through my artistic practice started first in the medium of photography involving themes belonging and identity, that has developed into a film practice focused on exploring genre. I take inspiration from genre-media and apply layers of new forms, experimenting to find new ways of creating and engaging new stories and perspectives. I am currently focusing on implementing real experiences into completely narrative stories while working through forms of trauma and grief. 

Project Stills

Credits

  • Cast: Rianne Delahunt, Alan Ward, Alina Mirzaee
  • Director: Lauren Olson
  • Written by: Lauren Olson & Maxime Labreque
  • Comedy Writer: Ethan Rhodes
  • Story Editor: Kaia Barth-Lessard
  • Producers: Lauren Olson, Tali Berlin, Kaia Barth-Lessard, Ben Nghiem
  • 1st Assistant to the Director: Maxime Labreque
  • Directory of Photography: Tamas McGillvray
  • Camera Operator: Brian Cheung, Judah Vaughan
  • 1st Camera Assistant: Emil Vargas
  • 2nd Camera Assistant: Kaia Barth-Lessard
  • Gaffer: Hwa Pyung Lim
  • Grip: Dayton Wallfouts, Connor Miller, Kibi O’Reilly 
  • Editors: Nina Wolf
  • Production: Designer: Valeria Alcaron
  • Art Assistant: Elly Stern
  • Graphics: Alvaro Ivan
  • Props Master: Nicole Hayashi
  • Costumes: Rylan Hornall
  • Make Up: Cassandra Marie, Daniela Rojas Vizcaíno 
  •  Sound Composer: Eva Pekárová
  • Location and Post Sound: Nancy Yan
  • Recording Mixer: Matt Stephanson
  • Stunt Coordinator: Bruce Fontaine, Amit Dhuga
  • Location Manager: Amit Dhuga
  • Behind The Scenes Photographer: Alvaro Ivan
  • Production Assistance: Mandy Huynh, Evan Saumier, Liao Y, Evan Saumier, Josh Chaicomdee
  • StoryBoard Illustrator: Odeya Yeoman
  • Extras: Scott Walker, Ashley Victoria, Mandy Huynh, Valeria Alcaron, Tali Berlin, Matisse Filotto

Special Thanks

  • Stephen Wright
  • Kaia Barth-Lessard
  • Amit Dhuga
  • Shelley Olson
  • Shanelle Connell
  • Lindsay McIntyre
  • Harry Killas
  • Lucas Hoggler
  • Miranda Mancini
  • Dhara Wright
  • Troy Derrick
  • Five Corner Cafe
  • Zoltan Barabas

The Break Up Poster

Poster Design by: Ruby Pang

Lauren Olson

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Lauren Olson (she/they) gratefully resides as a filmmaker, on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples– the Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam) Nations. Her practice originated in photography and has emerged into working within the film industry space. Lauren loves to collaborate with artists and filmmakers in front and behind the camera after working on both documentary and narrative genre work. Having received a Bachelor’s in Media Arts from Emily Carr University of Art + Design, majoring in Film + Screen Arts, she is focusing her career on working within the local industry to direct, produce, and write visually engaging and conceptually entertaining stories.

Profile image of Lauren Olson