Naturally blending reality and fiction in cinema is a captivating way for filmmakers to connect with audiences as they authentically tell their relatable stories. Actor Andy Reid is one such filmmaker who’s delving into meta exploration in his new short film, ‘Brief Somebodies.’

Reid wrote and directed the Canadian drama, in which he also played the supporting character of Benny. The movie also stars Aldrin Bundoc, Matt O’Connor and Noor Dhanda.

‘Brief Somebodies’ follows twenty-something actor-filmmaker Joel (Bundoc), who’s making a semi-autobiographical feature. He’s reviewing self-tape submissions for an unusually personal role he is casting – he’s looking for an actor to play opposite him in a scene that will recreate a sexual assault based on his own life.

Joel ultimately casts the physically imposing Calvin (O’Connor), a handsome and sensitive performer. The duo then begins working with intimacy coordinator Ria (Dhanda), who helps them craft the choreography between their characters.

When the two men then spend time alone on their lunch break, a tender connection begins to form between them. Their real-life bond is in sharp contrast to the dynamic between the characters they’re portraying on screen. They’ll be forced to reconfigure their organic real-life chemistry once filming begins as they contemplate the spaces artists create between artificial and reality – and what it’s like to briefly live within them.

‘Brief Somebodies’ had its World Premiere in the Narrative Short Program 3 block as part of the Narrative Short Competition of last month’s SXSW. Redbreast Irish Whiskey chose the film to be one of the selections at its Redbreast Unhidden Showcase at the Austin-based festival.

In honor of ‘Brief Somebodies’ premiere at SXSW, Reid generously took the time the morning of the project’s second screening to sit down for an exclusive interview at the Driskill Hotel to talk about making the project. Among other things, the filmmaker delved into why he was inspired to pen and helm the drama, and what it means to him that the project screened at the festival.

Film Factual (FF): You wrote the script for the new short, ‘Brief Somebodies.’ What was the inspiration in penning the screenplay? What was the process of scribing and crafting the story for the film?

Andy Reid (AR): I was in the middle of writing a feature when I came up wit the idea for the short. I’m an actor myself, and I was writing a role for myself that involved the character experiencing sexual assault.

I was very curious about how that was going to affect me as a performer. I’ve never worked with intimacy as an actor or a director, so that whole process is very foreign to me.

So I had a lot of questions. As an actor, you have to be really in the moment. As someone who has experienced sexual assault, I wondered if recreating that situation was going to feel like another assault, or if it was going to feel really cathartic.

I was also curious about how the connection with the other performer was going to feel because I also have to respect them as I work with them. But at the same time, I also have to believe that there could be someone who could do this awful thing to me.

But I couldn’t really find answers about what that was going to be like. So in creating this film, I was asking those questions, and seeing if the work offered the answers for me.

FF: Besides writing the script, you also directed the drama. What was your overall approach to helming the movie?

AR: It was a really interesting experience. I took a very fluid approach because I knew that the film we were making was essentially about the process of making it. So it had to be very responsive to the work.

It was a very foreign thing to me and I didn’t have a lot of foresight, so a lot of our rehearsal process made it into the film itself. There were many things that came up in the rehearsal that made us say, “This needs to be here.”

The energy in the room, especially during the rehearsal, unlocked the blocking for the film. We used the mattress as this place that represented the work, and the space away from the mattress as a retreat for the characters.

I worked very closely with our intimacy coordinator to not only make sure the set was safe, but to also make sure we were accurate. We also worked together on the collaboration with the actors.

FF: Speaking of also being an actor and also working with the cast on ‘Brief Somebodies,’ you also play Benny in the project. Why did you decide to also star in the film?

AR: I make a very brief appearance in the film. It was mainly because I’m the cheapest actor I know – I cost no money to myself – and I’m also the most available. (Reid laughs.) So that was a bit of a convenience.

A couple of people have pointed out to me that it’s an interesting wrinkle in that I’m auditioning to be a part of this piece while also creating this work. So in many different ways, I‘m in dialogue with the piece.

FF: The drama also stars Aldrin Bundoc in the lead role of Joel. What was the casting process like for the main actors in the movie?

AR: I have a background in casting; I work mainly in commercial casting as my day job. So I’m familiar with many actors. I had seen Aldrin Bundoc, who playsthe lead, Joel, in a play called ‘The Inheritance.’ I saw him in the play’s Canadian premiere, and I thought he was fantastic. So we brought him in to read for the part.

It was a pretty traditional casting process besides Aldrin. As soon as we saw them, I could see the characters, including the chemistry and tension between them, based on how they naturally were. We knew their energies were going to be complementary.

FF: How did you work with ‘Brief Somebodies’ Director of Photography,Colin Cameron, to determine how you would visually shoot the project?

AR: Colin and I have worked together for many years. He’s shot every film I’ve made, so we have a very good shorthand with each other. We also really understand each other’s taste, and they’ve kind of blended over the years. It’s a very friendly and fun process for us together.

We’re really interested in creating contradictions in the tone and visual approach. With this film, it pivots between different realities and states of the medium, but we didn’t want those changes to be so jarring. But we also wanted them to be distinct.

Our real world in the film is quite cold. It’s in quite contrast to the film within in the film, which is warm and full of life. We were shooting on digital, but wanted to make it look like film. We wanted to create this visual tension between what is artifice and what is reality. It was really fun to find all of those moments, in terms of the framing and color grade.

FF: How did you also work with the short’s production designer, Candice Silver, to further create the visual aesthetic of the project?

AR: It was quite challenging to find locations in Toronto, especially since we didn’t have money and we needed a big space. But Candice was absolutely incredible. It was our first time working together, and she knocked it out of the park.

We found a church that very generously let us shoot in their basement for almost no money. The space was already so rich, so that was a wonderful find.

For the house that we shot in, Candice created that entire bedroom. That was a formal dining room, and within two hours, she had it dressed to the way we needed it. We didn’t have any time to pre-dress the space, and she completely transformed it so quickly.

She worked closely with Colin, our DP. They found these contradictions of what is and what isn’t, and the tension of what is real and what is fake.

FF: How did you work with ‘Brief Somebodies’ editor, Arielle Skolnik, to create the final version of the film?

AR: The edit was challenging. We had to balance this darkly comedic tone with a very serious subject matter, so it took quite a while.

Arielle was very patient with me, as I find writing and editing to be the painful parts of filmmaking, as that’s when you’re crafting the film. The edit is the final script of the film in the final writing stage.

So we tried many things, including cutting scenes and putting them back in. It was really about navigating the layers of meta. Throughout all of that, we made sure we were still connected to the characters that we know and their emotions.

Luckily, the performances that we got from Aldrin, Matt and Noor were so strong that there were many moments that led us back into the humanity. It was a process of slowly carving into their inner soul into we felt we were in the right place.

FF: ‘Brief Someodies’ (had) its World Premiere in the Narrative Short Competition at SXSW. What (was) the experience like of bringing the drama to the festival?

AR: It (was) really special. It(was) my first time at SXSW, and I (loved) being (there) at the festival. SXSW was our goal from the beginning, so it was very special to be selected to be a part of the festival. We (were) very grateful to be (there). I think it’s a festival that’s a very respected in the industry, so it’s very humbling to have been selected, and that distinction is an honor.

It (was) also incredible to meet all of the other filmmakers. There (was) a great group of filmmakers who created shorts this year who all came together to build a community.

To also be able to share our film with audiences (was) really special. The goal is to have it be seen, so being at the festival (fulfilled) that objective for us.

FF: Redbreast Irish Whiskey chose ‘Brief Somebodies’ to be one of the selections at its Redbreast Unhidden Showcase at SXSW. What (was) the experience like to partner with Redbreast at the festival?

AR: Redbreast Irish Whiskey (had) a selection of shorts at the festival. It‘s a program called Redbreast Unhidden, in collaboration with Andrew Scott, the actor from ‘Fleabag’ and ‘All of Us Strangers.’

He handpicked six short films from the festival’s official selection to be a part of the program. The program’s goal (was) to spotlight emerging filmmakers and stories that he thinks need to be heard.

Being a part of the program (was) such an honor, as I really admire Andrew Scott’s work. ‘Fleabag’ is my all-time favorite TV show, so the fact that he watched our film and liked it is such an honor.

We (were) really honored to be included in the six shorts. To be honored and elevated, and to be given a platform, by a brand like Redbreast and a performer like Andrew Scott, is really great.

I love that they’re taking an interest in short films. When people think about cinema, they usually think about feature films, but there are some stories that fit the medium of short films so much better. I think this story in particular is told so much better as a short than it would as a feature. So we need champions like them to support short films.