HollyShorts FilmMaker Interviews: OMG! WRONG PARTY!

An interview with Lauren Marie Pena, director of the short film, “OMG! Wrong Party!”

What is your short film about?

My film is about.. what happens when a bunch of different types of people… from the drunk girls, the classy LA girl, the party deuschbag boy, the nerd, etc etc… all attend one party, accidentally?

What was it about this particular project that made you want to make it?

The diversity of cast I had available to me. They are all so different in their own “stereotypical, L.A. way” - and I wanted to see what happened when each of the characters we created ended up at a party together.

How did you cast your film?

They are all really good actor friends of mine that I keep in my back pocket. I wanted to see how they all work together and examine their chemistry for future projects.

How did you go about raising the funding for the film?

We had a production company who had all the equipment and crew who produced it for us. It takes place in a house, which since one of the actresses lives in - we took full advantage of and that is how we came up with the idea of a party since the location was easily available to us.

What were some of the challenges you faced in making the film?

Well, it was a larger cast…. So getting everyone together and working around everyone’s schedule. But other than that, once everyone was in the same location, it was all smooth from there!  We originally shot this as a web series and planned to shoot the first 5 episodes in one day.. then it turned out so great that we made it a short !!! So it was a challenge editing it as a webseries, but once I thought of it as a short it was way easier.

What do you hope your short film achieves?

Recognition and roles for my actors.. I did this for them because I think they are all so talented, and I just wanted to get together a good group of people and see what we come up with.

What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers?

Do it !!! Pick up a camera and practice your craft as much as you can. Read scripts, watch films, and attempt to make them! read and do your research, knowledge is free!

Which filmmakers inspire you?
French ones: Jean Pierre Jeunet, Michel Gondry. Also, David Lynch and Wes Anderson.