Josie Haertzen
short films | fantasy adventures | long thoughts
Writer, Director & Editor
Shot in a single October 2023 night at Cesar Chavez Park in San Francisco, Perspectives on a Comet examines the different end-of-life perspectives of two men faced with an impending apocalypse. When writing this script I tapped into my perspectives on life to establish the oppositional views of the characters: one stuck dwelling on the past and missed opportunities, the other shocked awake from a monotonous life, now intent on enjoying the time he has left.
Producer
This December 2023 film was a labor of love for our small team. Writer and Director Sebastian Johnson-Deal and I met in a production class at the University of California Berkeley, during which we made Good Ones. Based on a, “What if?” scenario between himself and his father, Good Ones satirizes our current climate of surveillance, police brutality, and hypocrisy. During filming I managed our team’s timetables, ran odd errands, attended to our talents’ concerns, and otherwise juggled the crew’s needs so they could stay focused. I also recorded lines for police dispatch audio.
Actor
Another collaboration with Writer and Director Sebastian Johnson-Deal shot in September 2023, for Shiny Side Out I stepped in to play the role of Eliza, a conservative conspiracy theorist in crisis. Our goal for this film was to tell a story without dialogue. Playing Eliza broadened my understanding of the relationship between the actor and production crew, better enabling me to fulfill my role as a director and producer in later works.
Game Master & Host
Short Quest Long Rest is a tabletop gaming podcast following the adventures of the Deliverers, a motley crew of postal-workers-turned-heroes in the frozen territory of Icewind Dale. Since 2020 we have released 240 episodes, including the Starfinder spin-off Good Vibrations. Collectively this series has seen over 10,000 downloads.
Nominee for the*gameHERs' Top Tabletop Roleplaying Game Campaign of the Year Award (2021).
Podcasting Sample
Coordinating a team across the internet and global time zones is a struggle, but one I enjoy immensely. In this brief clip our fantasy adventure podcast, the wizard D’Zaan is accompanying the party of heroes into an icy cavern. Unable to see in the dark, he is blinded when the team’s dwarven warrior Krelik puts out the torch he’s carrying.