Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
An impulsive Chinese American teen and her boyfriend try to buy the morning after pill in post-Roe America.
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The Truck by Liz Rao
elizabethrao.com
"For the truck scene, we decided to keep the camera as much as possible inside the truck, to fully lean into how claustrophobic and alienated Jo is in that scene. We don’t lean on two-shots that force us to place the camera outside of the truck. For instance, we never place the camera out in front of the car, filming through the front dashboard, which would be classic car ‘coverage’. I really dislike the idea of coverage. Instead, Jo and Arash are separated in this confined space for a really long time. Up until the climax of the scene, Jo and Arash each live in their own shots. Jo only gets limited glimpses of Mason. How we visualize her view of him is really limited, to reinforce how she is struggling to figure out his intentions and what he’s capable of."
🎙️ Dive deeper into the making of The Truck with our exclusive interview with writer/director Liz Rao
directorsnotes.com/2026/04/15/liz-rao-the-truck
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// Credits //
Writer-Director LIZ RAO
Producer ELIZA SOROS
Co-Writer JONATHAN FRED SCHNEIDER
Director of Photography GIANNA BADIALI
Casting Directors KATE ANTOGNINI and CHARLOTTE ARNOUX, CSA
Production Design MARIANNE AUVINET GOULD
Co-Producer YUANLI ZHOU
Associate Producers MANYA GLASSMAN and LORA CRINER
Editor ANDREW MIGLIORI
Music by OREL TAMUZ
Colorist BENJAMIN HANDLER
Production Sound Mixer NIGAM BHANDARI
Sound Design ROTEM DROR
With Additional Sound Mix and Sound Design by HAINA ZHOU
With Additional Original Music by GILAD BARAKAN
Vocals by SHIRLEY CHEN, LIZ RAO, ANDY BRAME
Art Director REBECCA YEONG AE MZENGI COREY
Costume Designer LAUREN CARMEN
Costume Consultant JASMINE LEWIS
1st AC JASON MASELLE
2nd AC GABI AZEVEDO
Gaffer CHARLIE THEOBALD
Key Grip HUNTER STARK
1st Assistant Director MC HARVEY
Unit Production Manager TERRENCE SHU
Hair and Make-Up Artist and Wardrober RACHAEL SONNENBERG
Rigging Grip GULAB SINGH
Intimacy Coordinators BAHAR BAHARLOO and ALEXANDRA TYDINGS
Poster Design and Thumbnail Design SHIPEI WANG
Title Design CADE FEATHERSTONE
ABOUT DIRECTORS NOTES
Since 2006 Directors Notes has curated the world's best independent films alongside exclusive daily deep dive interviews which provide behind the scenes insights into the inspirations and production stories of the most talented filmmakers on the planet.
#contraception #powerimbalance #drama #shortfilm
An impulsive Chinese American teen and her boyfriend try to buy the morning after pill in post-Roe America.
🔔 Love indie films? SUBSCRIBE to Directors Notes for more trailblazing shorts: youtube.com/c/directorsnotes
🎥 Want to see your film here? Submit your work to Directors Notes: directorsnotes.com/submit
The Truck by Liz Rao
elizabethrao.com
"For the truck scene, we decided to keep the camera as much as possible inside the truck, to fully lean into how claustrophobic and alienated Jo is in that scene. We don’t lean on two-shots that force us to place the camera outside of the truck. For instance, we never place the camera out in front of the car, filming through the front dashboard, which would be classic car ‘coverage’. I really dislike the idea of coverage. Instead, Jo and Arash are separated in this confined space for a really long time. Up until the climax of the scene, Jo and Arash each live in their own shots. Jo only gets limited glimpses of Mason. How we visualize her view of him is really limited, to reinforce how she is struggling to figure out his intentions and what he’s capable of."
🎙️ Dive deeper into the making of The Truck with our exclusive interview with writer/director Liz Rao
directorsnotes.com/2026/04/15/liz-rao-the-truck
👉 Follow Us for More Short Film Greatness:
Newsletter: directorsnotes.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Instagram: instagram.com/directorsnotes
Podcast: pod.link/192507317
// Credits //
Writer-Director LIZ RAO
Producer ELIZA SOROS
Co-Writer JONATHAN FRED SCHNEIDER
Director of Photography GIANNA BADIALI
Casting Directors KATE ANTOGNINI and CHARLOTTE ARNOUX, CSA
Production Design MARIANNE AUVINET GOULD
Co-Producer YUANLI ZHOU
Associate Producers MANYA GLASSMAN and LORA CRINER
Editor ANDREW MIGLIORI
Music by OREL TAMUZ
Colorist BENJAMIN HANDLER
Production Sound Mixer NIGAM BHANDARI
Sound Design ROTEM DROR
With Additional Sound Mix and Sound Design by HAINA ZHOU
With Additional Original Music by GILAD BARAKAN
Vocals by SHIRLEY CHEN, LIZ RAO, ANDY BRAME
Art Director REBECCA YEONG AE MZENGI COREY
Costume Designer LAUREN CARMEN
Costume Consultant JASMINE LEWIS
1st AC JASON MASELLE
2nd AC GABI AZEVEDO
Gaffer CHARLIE THEOBALD
Key Grip HUNTER STARK
1st Assistant Director MC HARVEY
Unit Production Manager TERRENCE SHU
Hair and Make-Up Artist and Wardrober RACHAEL SONNENBERG
Rigging Grip GULAB SINGH
Intimacy Coordinators BAHAR BAHARLOO and ALEXANDRA TYDINGS
Poster Design and Thumbnail Design SHIPEI WANG
Title Design CADE FEATHERSTONE
ABOUT DIRECTORS NOTES
Since 2006 Directors Notes has curated the world's best independent films alongside exclusive daily deep dive interviews which provide behind the scenes insights into the inspirations and production stories of the most talented filmmakers on the planet.
#contraception #powerimbalance #drama #shortfilm
