Three-way with Shelly
By Laurie Smith

Remember as a kid, reading comic books with voracity, and then being sorry that you did so because you had to wait for what seemed like an eternity for the next installment? Accolade award-winning, live action short, Three-way with Shelly, evokes that same sort of feeling, leaving the viewer yearning for more of Shelly McIntyre, and her quirky world as she deals with multiple telemarketers on her three-way phone.

Director Todd Komarnicki, president and founder of production/management company Guy Walks Into A Bar, created the offbeat, yet lovable character. No stranger to the industry, Komarnicki is a prolific writer, producer and director of film and television as well as an acclaimed novelist. He has amassed an impressive list of credits of television scripts and film screenplays, and his company produced such major films as Meet Dave with Eddie Murphy, and the Christmas blockbuster Elf starring Will Ferrell.

Komarnicki created the Shelly character with actor Jane Bradbury in mind, and credits her for making Shelly real.

“Long live Shelly,” he declared. “Jane Bradbury wrote a beautiful script, and executed it on camera; she’s a really good actress. We have known each other for many years, and worked together on multiple projects.”

Q: Why make a short film at this point?

A: Shelly is purely for our joy. It takes about seven years to make a feature film; so it’s great to be able to complete a project so fast. Another reason to make shorts is the digital revolution. If you have an idea, and want to have a few laughs, you make a short film.

Q: What is it about Shelly that makes the audience love her so much?

A: When I created the character, I wanted to have someone who was pure light. Light always beats the darkness in the end; she is sort of bulletproof because of her innocence, and, she always gets the guy.

‘Three-way,’ is actually the third in a series with this character. The thing that happens for her in every one, is that she does everything wrong, but everything beautiful happens as a result. She has no idea really how to do anything, but she’s so oblivious to that and she has such a pure heart, that things just go her way.

The short recently screened at The Phoenix Film Festival, held at the Harkins 101 theater complex in Scottsdale. The theater, standing room only for the Live Action Shorts screenings, was filled with industry people, aficionados and film fans. Extremely well received, Three-way with Shelly garnered many additional Shelly devotees.

One of those new fans, Susan Santilena of Phoenix, commented that, “Shelly pulled me in right away. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of her at first, but I couldn’t help wanting to know more about her. Of all the shorts I saw, this film was one that I kept thinking about later.

“My Dad worked at one of the major studios, so I grew up around films. Now, I attend as many festivals as I can in order to see such films, that I otherwise wouldn’t be exposed to. I think maybe they make shorts to practice something or toss an idea around? It’s pretty amazing, when they’re done right, to tell an entire story in a matter of a few minutes. Maybe sometimes it’s just a fun project.

Q: [To Komarnicki] Of all the festivals to choose from, why did you submit to Phoenix?

A: It’s so damn hot there; people love to go to a large, air-conditioned theater! Seriously though, Phoenix loves films. We submitted to a small handful of festivals that we thought were strong, and interesting to us (Accolade; Phoenix; World of Comedy International Film Festival; Glasgow Film Festival; Vail Film Festival; Smogdance Film Festival). I know in that part of the world there’s a lot of film-going. Attendance is really high. Wherever people are interested in visual storytelling, it’s a good place to get your stuff in. Phoenix being a highly regarded festival was certainly a factor, but it also seemed like a great fit for our project, a well-respected festival where we stood a good chance of a positive reception.

A festival spokesperson confirmed Komarnicki’s reasoning saying, “With over 20,000 attendees, this was among the best events in the Phoenix Film Festival's 10-year history. Despite a lagging economy, the festival was able to produce strong attendance, surpassing our projections.”

Regarding some of the many differences between making a studio film versus independent, Komarnicki said, “The stuff we develop through the studio, we have to convince them that our script is the one they should green-light. It’s a different game because the chance for payoff is much more real. You can make a great indie film, a beautiful feature film now, and have it never come out.”

Noting the distribution difficulties for independent films, he added, “There’s such a stranglehold from the studios that good product is in dire straits. It seems like there are more places to show your film, like the Internet, but you can’t calculate how many people are seeing it. You don’t have the same means for sharing it with a large group of people in a theater, and all the joys that go with that.

“The rewards [of a studio film] are so random and occasional; the work itself has to be the thing that elevates your spirit. I don’t want to do anything else. I just love it.

Q: Is filmmaking a lifelong dream? Did you go to film school?

A: No, I didn’t go to school for film. It’s a funny story. A buddy came to me in senior year of college, he needed a couple more credits to graduate and decided to take a film class. He said, ‘hey, let’s do a short film; why don’t you write it, and we’ll be in it.’

‘Why am I writing the film,’ I asked. He said, well you took the poetry writing class, hilarious already. We went on to make the single worst film of all time, that I know will come back to haunt me someday. The genius thing is that it led both of us to believe we were good enough for Hollywood, and after college we moved to LA, but I left to move back to New York as soon as I could afford it.

Q: What is your advice to up-and-coming filmmakers?

A: The most important thing is writing, or getting your hands on scripts of movies you love. There is one great book I always recommend, Making a Good Screenplay Great by Linda Seger. It’s the only screenwriting book worth its salt. It describes the architecture of film and storytelling. The way you get a chance in this business is if you can tell a story with that particular architecture. And once you’re in, then you can break the rules and bring your own voice. It’s really important to know.

I liken it to playing Black Jack, it’s important to know that you need to play to 21. I’m going to try to prove it’s 22 and get thrown out of the casino. But, if you prove you can hit 21 regardless, then you’re inside, that’s when you break the rules and say, you know what? It’s now 21.

Q: After all this time, 20 plus years in the industry, what is it you find most satisfying?

A: It’s so sweet; the human moments; working with people you admire like Will Ferrell, you find out that not only is he one of the funniest people on the planet, but he’s also an awesome guy, and a real sweetheart. Working with Eddie Murphy was great; he’s an absolute pro completely present, attentive, sharp and bright. I didn’t know any of that. I get to work alongside these people that made you laugh for years.

As he waits for the arrival of his Accolade, Komarnicki smiled and said, “There’s an open spot on the shelf!”

Guy Walks Into a Bar’s website (guywalks.com) is undergoing a major overhaul; however, when completed, Komarnicki plans to have Three-way with Shelly, and the other two Shelly shorts, available to view on the site.