House Blend
A nutty roast with a touch of fatherhood.
ABOUT
Jonathan may run a tight ship as manager at a bustling coffee shop, but his homelife is a sea of turmoil: Anne, his longterm girlfriend, just called to inform him she is packing up her son, whom they have been raising together, and moving cross-country. Unfortunately, Jonathan is forced to cut their conversation short as Barry, an eccentric regular, starts a commotion at the register. Can Jonathan restore peace to his shop and preserve his young family?
YEAR 2018
RUN TIME 11:08 Min
EMAIL djhelfer@gmail.com Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieljhelfer
CAST & CREW CREDITS
DIRECTED BY Daniel J. Helfer
SCREENPLAY BY Daniel J. Helfer
PRODUCED BY Darrée
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jonny Meyer
EDITED BY Daniel J. Helfer
MUSIC BY The Dip
PRINCIPAL CAST
Pierre Walters | Addison Switzer
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
My films are journeys in empathy. I strive to create work that is passionate and unpresumptuous by considering the themes of family, dating, class, and cultural heritage in a contemporary, socially-conscious context.
I ground my filmmaking practice on personal observation. Two strangers locking eyes on a first date, a father’s disapproving scowl, an unexpected visit from an old friend—I see each as a candid glimpse into what it means to be human. Even the wildest fiction can feel intimate when built on such visual mementos. I am constantly noting clever turns of phrase, unusual idioms, or chance snippets of jargon, with the belief that our language carries the weight of our lived experience. My best fictional characters are born from conversations overheard at the neighborhood bar or anecdotes shared over a good cup of coffee. Such was indeed the case in my MFA thesis short film House Blend, whose central father–son duo was distilled from an eavesdropped conversation jotted down on the back of a napkin.
My work, interests, and influences continue to evolve as I graduate and move to Lyon, France, where I will work as an independent filmmaker.
DIRECTOR BIO
DANIEL J. HELFER is a freelance cinematographer and video editor pursuing an MFA in Filmmaking from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland. He has worked as a cinematographer and editor on numerous films including the feature documentary Tainted Blood (2017). House Blend, Daniel’s graduate thesis and directorial debut is scheduled to screen at the Maryland Film Festival’s Parkway Theater in April 2018. Daniel holds a BA from Duke University and has worked as in-house editor at Catholic Relief Services and executive producer at Now You Know Media.
FILM AND PRODUCTION STILLS
AWARDS
FULL FILM
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
DANIEL J. HELFER is a freelance cinematographer and video editor pursuing an MFA in Filmmaking from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland. He has worked as a cinematographer and editor on numerous films including the feature documentary Tainted Blood (2017). House Blend, Daniel’s graduate thesis and directorial debut is scheduled to screen at the Maryland Film Festival’s Parkway Theater in April 2018. Daniel holds a BA from Duke University and has worked as in-house editor at Catholic Relief Services and executive producer at Now You Know Media.
(Update provided in May 2018)