The Rock Collection
a film by Mayer Adelberg • released May 2023

In the summer of 2019, a friend experienced the unexpected loss of her mother. During the prayer service that immediately followed, I saw for the first time the visceral complexity of death. Shortly after, I recognized that as a filmmaker, the goal I want to set for myself is to tell stories that make emotions tangible. Around the same time, I realized I no longer wanted to be a location sound mixer, but to focus on writing and directing.

At the time, I hadn't made a short film in a few years, and in all honesty, I considered my previous work unwatchable, lacking depth, thought, and care. Because of this, I challenged myself to return the basics of filmmaking: story and character. This limitation turned out to be a freedom, one in which I ignored visual and special effects, multiple characters, and even dialogue. I simply wanted to see moving pictures on a screen and for emotion to come directly from these images. 

I first knew that this film felt right because writing it was effortless. The first screenplay draft was penned in the wee hours of the morning on a sleepless night in January of 2020. I connected with a Jewish director of photography whom I had worked on a project with the year prior. She immediately made the project incredible by pointing me in the direction of a beautiful location in Santa Cruz and offering to use her personal Super 16mm AATON A-Minima.

I was incredibly fortunate to meet a young actress via a virtual casting call whose performance astounded me. Even after delaying the project by more than a year, she stayed committed to the part. Her ability to harness the emotional depth of the character created an additional layer of intimacy through which the audience could connect with the film.

We shot the film in a single and beautiful day in Northern California. A line with the theme of returning to filmmaking basics, we had a barebones crew of incredibly skilled technicians. Despite the chaotic day, we completed the project before sunset.

When finishing up the film, I sent it to my friend. I sent it to my siblings. My best friends. My actress and crew. The input of those that truly care is one of the best gifts of life. I am confident in saying that the film is the best it will ever be, and that's because of the power of the feedback I received. 

I am now incredibly proud to have a film that I consider wholly complete. The Rock Collection has been accepted to film festivals in San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Boston, Toronto, and more. In this public forum, I wish to give immense thanks to those that made it a reality. I could not have imagined a greater experience at what I consider to my true and fresh start as a writer and director.