Ridgewood’s Creative Community Comes Together For a Short Film

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

RIDGEWOOD, N.J. — A group of Ridgewood residents came together to produce a short film exploring loss, grief, and resilience — all within a matter of weeks and under challenging circumstances.

The five-minute short, Some Things Change, was written, produced, and directed by Julie Korogodon, a Ridgewood resident completing her USC directing certificate. Casting was completed just after Christmas, filming was postponed due to illness, then shot a week later on January 25th. Julie and her cast and crew spent ten epic hours shooting several scenes, including one in her backyard in the record snowfall that day.

Ten days later, with editing and scoring completed, the film was submitted for consideration to the Tribeca Film Festival.

Every person involved in the filming hailed from the Village of Ridgewood. Jeff Muhlstock, longtime resident and seasoned cinematographer, served as Director of Photography and Associate Producer. His son, Spencer Muhlstock, was the Camera Operator, Gaffer and Editor. The four-person cast — Jessica Pollert Smith, Adam Kaster, Stephanie Stearns Dulli, and Huck Dulli — are all Ridgewood residents. Rounding out the Ridgewood crew were residents Rosie McCooe as Assistant Director, Sean McCooe as Associate Producer, Grace Saltalamacchia as production assistant, and Everett Wong on sound. Julie’s husband Andre was co-Executive Producer with her, and their son Kevin served as P.A. Intern. It was a true family affair, with neighbors becoming artistic family.

Post-production incorporated the talents of collaborators outside the village, including composer Joe Chris and visual effects artist Nico Johnson, ensuring the final film was festival-ready to meet Tribeca’s fast-approaching Feb. 4th submission deadline.“This experience transcended filmmaking,” said Julie. “It became a testament to the power of community — despite obstacles of health, weather, and deadlines. Everyone came together believing, and putting our trust in one another to accomplish something truly meaningful.”

Most of the cast and crew are members of the Ridgewood CineShowphiles, a local film and television networking group that Julie started in the fall, meeting monthly, and fostering connection among seasoned and emerging creatives alike. And the group has grown rapidly.

The enthusiasm in those early meetups led her to invite actors in the group to be involved in the film, but the engine kicked into high gear when she turned to Jeff Muhlstock in the meetup for advice.

“The moment Jeff came on board,” she recalls, “knowing his work, I knew this catapulted to something of utmost quality that would be festival-worthy.” Soon after, Jeff brought in his son Spencer as editor and camera operator, and Everett Wong on sound. Spencer brought in his friend and VFX expert Nico Johnson for visual effects, and Julie brought in Joe Chris from the meetup network for the film’s scoring.

“I felt like a cross between Dorothy in Oz and Alice in Wonderland with all these wonderful new connections and revelations.”

As Some Things Change continues its festival journey, it carries a message behind the scenes of how people like the community in Ridgewood can tangibly demonstrate perseverance, collaboration and mutual support to put something beautiful into the world.