Tied Up

He’s hot, British, and Jewish. And because of it, she’s tied up.

Project type: Fiction Short
Project status: Development
Writer/Director/Producer: Elana Rubin
Producer/First AD: Elena Weinberg
Producer/Casting Director: Chip Kass
Producer: Frankie Maclaughlin

Email: elanazrubin@gmail.com
Website: elanarubin.com
Instagram: @tiedupfilm

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Logline

He’s hot, British, and Jewish. And because of it, she’s tied up.

Synopsis

Elana recalls her most recent hookup with Shane to her friend Rachel in synagogue. Elana describes how Shane forgot her name, and Rachel could not believe Shane stooped even lower than before. Rachel jokingly suggests that Shane misspelled Elana’s name with his thrusts. Elana justifies Shane’s behavior as a cultural difference because he’s British.

Back at the hookup memory, Elana pivots. She remembers how Shane wore something at Burning Man that she’d like to try in the bedroom. Rachel interrupts the story: “We don’t date Burning Man men!” Elana continues to excuse him as Rachel reminds Elana she has been on this merry-go-round for years.

Back to Elana and Shane, where Elana brings up a sexual desire she’d like to explore. Rachel cuts back in, wondering where it’s going. She reminisces over Elana’s former kink, vampire and coffin cosplaying, in honor of her thirst for Edward Cullen. We return to Elana and Shane, where we see what Elana wants Shane to tie her up in. He rejects the suggestion, turned off by the idea of mixing Judaism and sex.

Rachel asks: “He wrapped you in tefillin?!” Elana, annoyed, responds that he did not, and she felt like he teased it as an option by posting a “thirst trap” tied up in it. The two friends continue to bicker during services over Shane’s fuckboyisms, and we zoom out to see the end title: Tied Up in cursive tefillin.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Elana Rubin — Writer/Director/Producer
Elana Rubin (she/her) has worked as an entertainment and lifestyle journalist at Elite Daily, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Wonderland, INSIDER, Byrdie, Hearst Digital Media, and Out. After she hopped off the plane at LAX, she worked in the “Tell Me a Story” and “Younger” writers’ rooms as support staff. Elana’s reincarnation magical realism pilot Sofer Sophia is on The Red List for top-rated faith television projects. She was selected as a quarterfinalist for the Outstanding Screenplays Feature Competition for her romantic comedy Subscribed to Her and a semifinalist for the ScreenCraft Comedy Screenplay Competition for her Jewish summer camp pilot Lila Tov.

She made her directorial debut in Scalped, a horror comedy short film about fandom, ticket scalpers, and best friends. The film, executive produced by Homeland’s Howard Gordon and School of Rock’s Rivkah Reyes, has been an official selection for over 15 film festivals. She is in pre-production for a silent romantic drama, Bashert. It placed as a Quarterfinalist in the ScreenCraft Film Fund Fall 2024 and Outstanding Screenplays Shorts Competition 2024 competitions.

Chip Kass— Producer/Casting Director
Chip Kass (he/him) is a Chicago-born, LA-based producer, casting professional, and production specialist. Chip’s early production credits include the Ravinia Music Festival outside of Chicago, Family Feud, The Bachelor, and Baron Davis’ Domino: Battle of the Bones. Additionally, he worked on content for Amazon Prime Video and UPROXX media. Chip then joined Ryan Kalil at Mortal Media as a personal assistant, working with Ryan on Apple TV+’s Hello Tomorrow! and Hulu’s White Men Can’t Jump reboot. More recently, Chip has worked with Showdown Productions on three features: Break The Cure, and In Flight and a short, The Power Within.

Elena Weinberg — Producer/First AD
Elena Weinberg (she/her) is a producer who works both commercially and in independent film. She spent the last four years producing photo and video shoots on the in-house content team for goodr sunglasses and is now full-time freelancing. She co-owns TurtleDove Films with her husband, with which they have made 12 short films, a web series, and a feature film. Her work has been screened at notable film festivals such as Austin Film Festival, Cinequest, and Panic Fest. She is in development for her first feature film as a writer and regularly produces for indie film companies such as Space Pug Pics & HaChaCha Productions, among other freelance work as a Producer and AD.

Frankie MacLaughlin — Producer
Frankie (she/her) is a writer, producer and director based in Los Angeles, CA. She graduated from NYU’s experimental theatre wing in 2017, where she created the stage musical, Sugar (starring Elizabeth Conway, of course). She went on to write, produce and direct Cancelled, an encore award winning Hollywood Fringe Production, that is now in development as a comedic TV series.

Frankie made her directorial film debut with Clean Up Crew, at the Big Apple Film Festival & Marina Del Rey Film Festival. Most recently, she created and directed short film, Princess Party P.I. as well as the theatrical musical, Why The Band Broke Up. Frankie is a fundraising and budgeting machine, clocking in nearly $50,000.00 in independent film financing. Producing and meeting other dreamers in her industry are her greatest passions. She’s worked at Pocket. Watch Studios writing & producing viral YouTube content, including Hackerspy Leaks, Challenge Squad and Love Diana, the #3 YouTube show in the world with over 130 million subscribers. Frankie boasts a variety of film & music video experience, ranging from Madonna’s Frozen (REMIX) to CREED III. Currently, Frankie is the coordinator at Agency of the Performing Arts in the Physical Production department, where she enjoys managing and uplifting the careers of highly-esteemed Producers, Costume Designers, Production Designers and Cinematographers.

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Contact

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