♪♪
(bell rings)
Smith: Outed is a
story about two high
school seniors who
desperately love each
other but because of life
circumstances struggle
to be together.
It's a web series.
Each episode is about
7 to 11 minutes long.
I wrote and created the
series and then I also
decided to act in the
show as well mainly just
because I was very
connected with the
storyline and it was
something that was
inspired by a situation
I went through.
So I decided to
write about it.
What's the matter?
Everyone's staring.
What?
No they're not.
I'm sure it's nothing.
What happened last night?
What are you
talking about?
What's going on?
I was hoping you
guys could tell me.
Okay, can you please just
tell us what's going on?
(bell rings)
Smith: This
is pretty much my first
soiree into film.
I've done a lot of
theatre, done a lot of
acting and writing.
As far as film if I really
wanted an experience there
was no better place
than to do it in Iowa.
My goal was to surround
myself with pretty remarkable
talent and people who knew what
they were doing.
Pace-Tuomi: First as a
producer I set out to
develop the shooting
schedule that would
maximize our locations and
also allow us to shoot in
a short period of time
without killing ourselves. We
actually ended up shooting
four episodes basically
over a week.
So we were
shooting very fast.
At one point we shot
three different setups on
different sides of town in
one day, starting in the
morning, moving in the
afternoon to a different
location and finishing on
the totally other side of
town for our last
location of the night.
It's not something I
recommend but sometimes it
becomes a necessity when
you're shooting
independent film.
Ridley: They knew that we'd have
to be here at one and then
all the way across town at
1:30 with the exact same
crew, with all the
equipment ready to go.
It's very rare on sets
where you're working very
long hours with very
little time you'll have
fun at every turn.
We did have fun at every turn.
Smith: I didn't really
know what to expect the
first day and I
was so excited.
I walked on and saw all
these people getting
organized and getting
everything put together
for the actors to come
in and it's like, oh my
goodness, this
is my baby.
Things are going to be
seen. And it was a very, very
surreal and humbling
experience.
♪♪
Hey, are you okay?
Do you need help?
Oh, easy, easy, easy.
How's your head?
Fine I think.
Thanks.
No sweat.
Did you want some
ice for that?
I'll be good.
Name's Connor.
Max.
Nice to meet you.
Yeah, same.
Ridley: When you get to
know characters like Max
he's first introduced
after having weathered so
many storms, he has kind
of developed this sense of
self that is unflinching
and he's not compromising
of anything.
When you first get to know
Tyler he's very weak in
that respect.
He has a very poisonous
idea of how much people's
opinions of him matter
and how much his status
matters.
So to watch him take back
his identity and find a
way eventually to stand up
and say this is who I am
and this is who I've
decided to be, that's huge
I think.
Adams: We help ourselves
through fictional stories
that relate to our
personal endeavors and I
believe that there's going
to be someone who is going
to be able to make that
connection and say, this
is how he dealt with it,
and maybe deal with their
personal circumstance
in a better manner.
I believe that the
openness of Outed is going
to be able to help
some people out.
Smith: The writing process
was certainly cathartic.
It gave me the opportunity
to say a lot of things
that I didn't initially
have the opportunity to
say then also spin it so
it could be crafted out of
love, to be a source of
inspiration rather than of
fear.
Do you honestly think
I took that photo?
Didn't you?
No, absolutely not.
Why would I?
You and I both know how
badly you want to be out
of the closet.
Here's your chance.
Do you still
want to be out?
I wouldn't do that
to you, I couldn't.
Smith: I want this series
to inspire people to be
who they are,
unapologetically
themselves and really just
love themselves before
they start loving other
people because that's the
first step.
♪♪
