Something Outside Once the Forest is Gone

Familial love, sacrifice, and fantasy, with limbs stretching beyond time and space; a folk tale, a fairy tale, and monsters.
Project type: Fiction Short
Project status: Development
Writer/Director/Composer: Taylor Joshua Rankin
Producer: Pokey Spears
Consulting Producer: Craig Blair
Director of Photography: Joe Picard
Colorist: Sean Wells
Email: info@taylorjoshuarankin.com
Website: taylorjoshuarankin.com
Instagram: @SomethingOutsideOncetheForestisGone
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Logline
A young boy’s unique relationship with an old sculpture becomes strained when it’s revealed his family has gone missing.
Synopsis
Picture a young boy, alone in an attic, his sole friend, a great, ugly, monstrous sculpture whose memories seem to traverse a millennia of time and space. They play games, and swap fantastical stories, but the boy is uneasy. Slowly but surely we start to get the feeling that perhaps all is not what it seems. What happens next is a treatise on familial love, sacrifice, fantasy, and storytelling.
Meet the Filmmakers
Taylor Joshua Rankin — Writer/Director/Composer
Taylor Joshua Rankin (b. 1991) is a filmmaker and composer of new music based in Los Angeles, CA. Taylor’s music exists within the trend of contemporary classical composers who draw upon a depth of influences such as minimalism, avant-rock, experimental, micropolyphony, and tintinnabulation, inside of and extending beyond the world of new music. Taylor’s joy in making music is to express a sort of emotional zenith with sounds of a dense and undulating world, existing in a space between gossamer and cacophony. Taylor Joshua Rankin is a 2025 Macdowell Fellowship recipient, and was recently named a finalist for the 2024 Eighth Blackbird Creative Lab and for the 2024 I-Park Composers Residency with Hub New Music. Taylor’s films have garnered a wide array of acclaim and festival praise. Taylor’s recent short film The Snow Leopard has won multiple awards for its directing and original music, and has screened at film festivals including the 24th Beverly Hills Film Festival®. It also ranked in Film Shortage’s top 10 short films of 2024. Taylor’s music has been performed by ensembles across the United States, such as Grammy award winning ensemble Third Coast Percussion, The San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, and Friction Quartet.
Pokey Spears — Producer
Pokey Spears is a seasoned DGA Unit Production Manager and Producer with expertise in film, TV, commercials, and music videos. He excels in executing complex productions efficiently and with cinematic excellence. With experience in major studios, indie films, and global campaigns, Pokey specializes in feature films, international shoots, documentaries, and high-profile collaborations. His ability to manage large-scale productions and intimate storytelling makes him a go-to producer for seamless execution and creative problem-solving. Known for delivering results that exceed expectations, Pokey ensures every project runs smoothly from start to finish.
Craig Blair — Consulting Producer
As a producer, Craig has worked in various fields, including Live Action production, both in the narrative and documentary genres, as well as commercials. His abilities extend to supervising and line producing, ensuring the seamless execution of projects. He possesses a keen eye for talent and excels in field producing and creative development, shaping engaging narratives from their inception. Additionally, Craig has honed his skills as a 1st Assistant Director and production manager, efficiently overseeing the production process. His passion is crafting exceptional content for diverse audiences, be it through captivating narratives or informative documentaries. With years of experience in TV/Film physical production, creative producing, and development, Craig Blair is dedicated to contributing his diverse skill set to collaborate on high-level projects at esteemed Studios, Production Companies, TV Networks, or Streaming services.
Joe Picard — Director of Photography
Cinematographer Joseph Picard was inspired to pursue his artistic journey very young and as such has maintained a playful spirit to his work. He pulls inspiration widely across mediums and genres, and his work is prolific both in the avant-garde and in popular culture. He has worked with artists such as Beck, Tan Dun, Donald Glover, Sam Levinson, Jennifer Lopez, Emmanuel Lubezki, John Mayer, Eric Prydz, Tycho, and Zendaya. He photographically created the Windows logo which is considered the most viewed photograph in history, and shot the Bot & Dolly film “BOX” which won best of show at SIGGRAPH. Joseph believes that art leads society to a better future.
Sean Wells — Colorist
Sean has been a full-time colorist since 2011, and his experience working with the artists at The Orphanage, Lucasfilm & ILM has turned me into a pixel purist for color and creative collaboration! He runs a micro-roaster and post-production studio in Oakland called Roast n’ Post where he has worked on the finishing touches for Disney, Netflix and HBO including over 250 episodes of Star Wars, 30+ features, music videos, and over a thousand commercial projects for world-leading brands and companies including Lucasfilm, Salesforce, Lucid Motors, Google and the Golden State Warriors.
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Contact
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