Behind the Scenes: Where he last stood

Where He Last Stood. Behind the Scenes: A Film Close to My Heart

This film is incredibly special to me in so many ways. It has challenged and inspired me as an entrepreneur and an artist, and it has given me lessons I hope to reflect on in a future blog post.

But today, I’m excited to share some of my favorite behind-the-scenes moments. A huge thank-you to Jazmin Corona Ledezma for beautifully capturing the energy, focus, laughter, and magic of our days on set. Her eye for candid moments is amazing. You can find her at @Spydrproductions.

Day one was filmed at Tiger Studio Glendale, an awesome space and a wonderful place to bring our vision to life. This photo includes most of our incredible cast and crew, though our gaffer and grip, Benjamin Minkler and Kyle Einar Larson, along with our art assistant, L. J. Gomez, are missing from the frame. Our talented cast members Andreass Berryman and Parker Llewellyn had also wrapped and headed out by then. Thank you all for your hard work, creativity, and energy!

Our second shoot day took us to the home of our actor Dhruv Bairavarasu, who played the second young Daniel. We are deeply grateful to Lakshmi Suma Gollamudi and Kalyan Bairavarasu for generously opening their home to our production.

For an indie filmmaker, this kind of support means more than words can say. It truly takes a community to make a film.

What a shot! Parker was fantastic throughout the process. Keep an eye on him. He is a focused, thoughtful actor with a strong presence.

As an artist, it is always such a gift to work opposite someone who understands the seriousness of a scene and is willing to explore its emotional depth with you.

Alright, here’s a little behind-the-scenes secret: we had a minor incident on set. Andreass and I were fully immersed in our characters during a scene where he had to push me against a wall. The moment landed with so much intensity that… we broke the drywall! Thankfully, no one was hurt. We immediately let Dan, the owner of Tiger Studio Glendale, know what happened. He was incredibly gracious and did not charge us for the damage. Dan, thank you so much; you have no idea how much mental math I was doing until you shared that news!

Benjamin Minkler, our grip, has been someone whose lighting work I’ve admired since our college days at Scottsdale Community College. It was such a joy to have his talent and creative eye on this project.

That’s Jeff blocking the scene. I was genuinely amazed to discover just how tech-savvy he is always thoughtful, prepared, and ready to help bring the scene together.

That’s Dev, Dhruv, and Nirvan to my right. These kids are incredibly talented, and it was an absolute pleasure working with them. Their enthusiasm and skill brought so much heart to the set. I’m wishing each of them every success ahead.

Jazmin did an amazing job documenting these behind-the-scenes memories, and I’m so grateful for her work. I’ve shared many more photos and moments on Instagram—please take a look at https://www.instagram.com/swatinghorpade/.