All is not ‘Lost’

The writers' strike gives an idled worker time to direct the short 'Alice'

In a cramped, stifling room inside an office building in Kakaako, director Dane Story offers gentle instructions to actress Tiffany Hofstetter. Something about a subtle smile after the psychiatrist swears. She nods in agreement while the makeup artist dabs moisture from her face. A skeleton crew shoots the scene, but that still leaves seven camera, light and script supervisors vying for space on the floor while the actors perform the intense exchange over and over again.

Because the writers' strike has left the "Lost" crew out of work for a while, "there are a lot of people not knowing what to do with themselves," said Story. But he's not one of them. When he found himself without his full-time job in the assistant director's department, he decided to make the film he wrote (before strike began) -- a 30-minute short called "Alice."

It's about a 17-year-old girl whose relationship with her parents falters during their acrimonious divorce. They force her to see a psychiatrist, where she begins to open up about her life and dreams. As Story explains it, the new relationship "allows her to regain her footing." Most of all, it explores the role dreams play in your waking life.

Story's goal is to garner acceptance into a variety of festivals, including the Hawaii International Film Festival and Sundance in 2009. "Alice" is the fourth endeavor for the 2001 Punahou graduate who studied film at Columbia College Chicago before returning to Hawaii. But it's the first "of this magnitude."

Story threw a fundraising party to help finance the project, and gathered the actors through agents, a notice on craigslist and his ties with "Lost." He feels grateful to have landed Hofstetter, a professional actress visiting Hawaii for "Soul Surfer," the new Bethany Hamilton movie from Sony Pictures, in which she plays Bethany's friend and mentor, Sarah Hill. "Soul Surfer" starts shooting in March, for release in September.

"I was completely enthralled with the script," Hofstetter said of her "very disturbed" character in "Alice." "It's the first professional role that's required me to do some serious internal thinking." Hofstetter grew up in Paris (with a stint on Kauai as well), and began acting, singing and dancing at age 6. For four years, the 21-year-old has pursued her career in Los Angeles.

"It's kind of a demanding part I wrote," admitted Story. "The movie is 100 percent about her, and I was fortunate to find such a dedicated and capable actress."

While searching for a caf and an art room for the few remaining scenes, Story reflected on the hidden blessings of the strike. "While it put me out of work," he said, "it enabled this project to happen."