Matthew Eli Judd is the writer, director and star of After Life Crisis, a mockumentary about life after death that he sometimes compares to The Office meets Monsters, Inc. In this production diary, he details how the film, which MovieMaker very proudly assisted via MovieMaker Production Services, came to be.—M.M. 

July 23, 2022 – Filming Day 1

Our schedule is ambitious. We aim to film 111 pages of script in 11 days. I feel a vortex of excitement and nerves, despite the overwhelming gratitude for our amazing cast and crew. 

Our first shots are a simple outdoor scene, but our mistake is immediately evident. New Orleans….in the dead of summer. Even at 7 a.m., the actors are soaked in sweat. The lighting is flat, the staging is terrible. The first scene simply isn’t working.
We ask ourselves questions like:

“Are we terrible at this?”

“Are we cursed?”

The sensation of being haunted descends. 

The Spirits are always present. But will they help us, or not?

Summer 2021

A lifetime ago. 

I was teaching at an acting/modeling academy in New Orleans when I got a text from my boss on my day off. It said, basically, that because I didn’t have any on-set experience, I couldn’t teach anymore. My job would dramatically change if I stayed. 

I felt lost, betrayed, and confused, so I quit. But the timing couldn’t have been worse.

Ironically, I had just been planning to get some on-set experience. I had planned to take part in a film competition, the New Orleans’ 48 Hour Film Project, with a new friend, Carlos Jimenez. I had recruited him to lead the team with me, but after I quit my job, I called Carlos and told him I wouldn’t be participating. 

His response: Nope.

“Now,” he says, “is the exact moment when you need to make a movie.” 

We had no idea what the spirits had in store for us, but we ended up making a short film called “After Life Crisis.” It’s a mockumentary about a ghost who wants to quit.

And the idea lingered.

Bringing After Life Crisis to Life

Carlos Jimenez leans over Matthew Eli Judd to film actor Brian Egland. Ghostwright Media.

July 26, 2022 – Filming Day 4

We’re behind schedule, yet morale is high because all of the lead actors are vibing beautifully. Fayna Sanchez and Jordan Bell knock an improv scene out of the park, leaving everyone stunned. Both Fayna and Jordan had nearly quit acting before auditioning for us.

Jordan recently started a corporate job after years of auditioning in New York and felt like he wouldn’t have the time to pursue acting anymore. He had gravitated towards our casting notice about a ghost dealing with career burnout. 

Fayna had stopped auditioning for several months to mourn her late father. She was drawn by our casting notice’s description of ghosts struggling with the afterlife. She hoped the humor in the film might help her process her grief. She felt like her father was nudging her back in front of the camera. 

Thank the Spirits we found them before they quit. 

Fall 2021

In the two months after quitting my job, I drained my 401(k) and drove around the country, writinga web series based on the “After Life Crisis” short. We had an ambitious plan to film it with no budget over six days. Then I planned to move back to Atlanta.

But first we had to celebrate: Because we got word that the short version of “After Life Crisis” had won best film in the 48 Hour Film Projectcompetition. My mind was blown! It felt like momentum was on our side.

However, as we got to work on the web series, momentum quickly ran out, and we failed to get it done. 

Luckily, the Spirits had bigger plans for us. 

July 28, 2022 – Filming Day 6

Sergio Myers II and Jennifer Wilson are both on set together for the first time. They play two ghosts who develop a romance,and I was so excited about casting them: Sergio had us cracking up in the audition, and Jen felt like she’d crawled straight out of my brain.

The day I made their offers, Sergio revealed to me that they were actually dating in real life. Out of 1,300 applicants from all over the globe, I happened to find the two actors who are perfect for these roles — and they’re already in love!

Winter 2021

Following the failure of the web series, Carlos and I wanted to secure funding for our evolving plans. We needed another producer.

In another past life, I’d worked a corporate job. At this point, a brother of one of my co-workers from that job, Stephen Buchness, basically lived down the street from me. He turned out to be a part time-videographer with charisma to spare—a perfect addition to the project Carlos and I envisioned. 

Stephen’s penchant with people would ultimately result in securing us a $50,000 budget. 

July 31, 2022 – Filming Day 9

Everyone is tired. We’re on our ninth day of 10-hour-plus days. Mercifully, thanks to scheduling, today is supposed to be a half day. But Carlos —who is both shooting and editing the film — thinks we need to film an interactive short that we can use for marketing after we wrap production, and Stephen agrees.

I plead against the idea, then take some actors back to their hotels, while everyone else tries to figure out how to structure the interactive film.

Before returning, I steal my first moment alone in over two weeks: I swing by Taco Bell. While I’m there, I have a huge epiphany for the interactive film.

Returning energized,I explain the idea to our baffled team, and they trust me despite not fully understanding the vision at the time. 

They thank Taco Bell, but I know it was really the Spirits.

A Guardian Angel

The Ghostwright team throwing Ghosts at the Louisiana Film Prize. (L-R) Brandon Campbell, Stephen Buchness, Carlos Jimenez, Matthew Eli Judd and Jannet Lopez. Courtesy of Ghostwright Media.

Spring 2022 

Stephen hosted a fundraiser for the feature, and we collected some fantastic donations. We never considered the possibility of Angel Investors, but suddenly, at this fundraiser, we met Angel Gray.

Seriously? Angel? Sometimes the Spirits are a little on the nose, but Angel and her husband, John Gray, are good friends of Stephen’s who soon joined our team. 

What started as a simple investment in After Life Crisis eventually evolved into a partnership that changed all of our lives.

August 2, 2022 – Filming Day 11 

Everyone else is wrapped. The last shots are interviews for my character, Ben. It’s an emotional gauntlet we’ve saved for last. 

Ben’s journey is, in many ways, my own. We both found success in roles doing what others wanted of us. We both followed rules that others wanted us to follow. 

Now we realize that it’s never too late to live the life you want.

As I deliver my last line, Carlos and I wordlessly confer — with a tear-filled glance.

And then: “That’s a wrap!” 

Also Read: Learn More About MovieMaker Production Services

Summer 2022

Pre-production was almost finished. One of the actors we cast was a buddy from grad school, Brandon Campbell. He had offered to help with casting as a reader, too, and his helpfulness didn’t go unnoticed.

We were living in Atlanta at this point, and everything in Brandon’s life steered him toward helping even more with our film. So when it came time to head to Louisiana to shoot, Stephen and I kidnapped him for what ended up being four weeks. 

Without him, After Life Crisis would never succeed. Brandon shifted from actor to grip to boom operator to production assistant to set decorator to craft services — daily. 

Finally, we have Carlos, Stephen, Angel and John Gray, and, now, Brandon.

Ghostwright Media, our production company, is whole.

April 19, 2023 – Reshoots Day 3

Money is tight, schedules are tricky, and we almost lose our location, but these reshoots are essential. Among other things, we need to re-film the very first scene that gave us hell back in July. At this point, we call it the Cursed Scene. 

I rewrote it, swapped the location, tweaked the tone… and we finally exorcize the demon!

Now, we are truly wrapped. There’s nothing left to film for After Life Crisis, yet the Spirits aren’t done with us.

Carlos Jiménez, left, and Matthew Eli Judd prepare for the final shot of the “After Life Crisis” short film. Ghostwright Media

After packing up, we chat with a neighbor who asks about the documentary we’re making. We explain its a fictional feature — a mockumentary.Then she asks about the actual ghost.

That’s right: There’s an actual ghost haunting the house. The neighbor used to be the location’s property manager, and the ghost is a well-known fact. A couple of groups that tried to stay in the house got scared off. One group didn’t even last an hour. 

We all agree: If there really is a ghost, they must have been amused by our antics. We know, better than most, that hauntings can be beautiful.

Especially when the Spirits are on your side.

After Life Crisis, from Ghostwright Media, is currently seeking distribution.

Main image: (L-R) Stephen Buchness, Carlos Jimenez and Matthew Eli Judd wrapping After Life Crisis… before reshoots. Photos courtesy of Ghostwright Media