Jozlyn Baumann & Sophia Casey, Until Your Last Breath, MTFF

Mike Smith sits down with University of Montana filmmaking graduates Jozlyn Baumann and Sophia Casey to talk about their short zombie film, Until Your Last Breath, featured at the Montana Film Festival. Jozlyn, the film’s writer and director, and Sophia, its assistant director and co-producer, share how they got their start in filmmaking, the creative process behind bringing their story to life, and the original score and zombie makeup that helped shape the film.

The conversation also explores the sense of community among Montana filmmakers and the excitement of seeing local work on the big screen. Catch Until Your Last Breath at the Roxy Theater on October 24 at 2:45 p.m. or October 25 at 5 p.m., with Q&A panels following the screenings. Find festival details at MontanaFilmFestival.org.

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Mike Smith: It’s nice to finally have some company in the Trail Studio today. I’m Mike Smith, and you’re tuned in to Trail 103.3, KDTR-FM, Florence, Missoula. Welcome in, Jozlyn.

Jozlyn Baumann: Jozlyn.

Mike Smith: Jozlyn—I love that. How do you spell it?

Jozlyn Baumann: J-O-Z-Z-Y.

Mike Smith: Perfect spelling, Jozlyn. And Sophia, how are you?

Sophia Casey: I’m good. How are you?

Mike Smith: Great. Nice to have you in. It’s certainly just getting started with your day. Is this your first stop?

Sophia Casey: Yeah.

Mike Smith: Are you both filmmakers, or can you tell us a little bit about yourselves? We’re going to be talking about the Montana Film Festival. Jozlyn, let’s start with you.

Jozlyn Baumann: My name is Jozlyn, and I’m the writer-director of our zombie movie. It’s called *Until Your Last Breath*.

Mike Smith: And Sophia?

Jozlyn Baumann: Sophia is my assistant director, as well as co-producer.

Sophia Casey: Yes.

Mike Smith: Did you both get a formal education in filmmaking, or are you self-taught, or a little of both?

Jozlyn Baumann: We both went to the University of Montana and got our Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees, with a focus in filmmaking.

Mike Smith: Cool. Were you always interested in filmmaking, Jozlyn?

Jozlyn Baumann: I was. This was the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do.

Mike Smith: When I was a kid, it would have been a video camera, maybe even a Super 8. Did you start with a phone or a little digital camera? Is that how you got started?

Jozlyn Baumann: My 2014 iPad Mini.

Mike Smith: Cool. It’s amazing how great the lenses and technology are. How about you, Sophia? Did you start at a young age thinking, “Hey, I want to make movies”?

Sophia Casey: I’ve always enjoyed watching movies in my free time, and writing was also a huge part of that. I started out in screenwriting and figured out from there that I wanted to be in the art department, making stuff and being more behind the scenes.

Mike Smith: Is this a work of fiction?

Jozlyn Baumann: It is.

Mike Smith: And you wrote it?

Jozlyn Baumann: I did.

Mike Smith: How long is the film?

Jozlyn Baumann: It’s just under 15 minutes, including the credits sequence.

Mike Smith: That might sound easy—you might think a film isn’t that long—but it’s not easy to tell a story in such a short amount of time. Did you end up leaving a lot on the digital editing-room floor? Did you have to cut it down more than you wanted to?

Jozlyn Baumann: Honestly, not too much. I was really adamant about staying right under 15 minutes. I think it’s 14:41.

Mike Smith: Okay, cool.

Jozlyn Baumann: I was like, “No arbitrary numbers!” But now it’s, “Oh, we’re getting it right under 15.”

Mike Smith: How many characters are in the film?

Jozlyn Baumann: There are our core three, and then we have a good number of side characters.

Mike Smith: What about music?

Jozlyn Baumann: There’s an original score composed by my dear friend Hudson Laird.

Mike Smith: Cool. Shout-out to Hudson!

Jozlyn Baumann: He’s great. He composed it all in under six hours, and I think the soundtrack is one of my favorite parts of the film.

Mike Smith: That’s really neat. Are there special effects in the film?

Jozlyn Baumann: There are. We had two makeup artists, my friend Josie Argenbright and Sean. They had never done makeup before, but Josie is an artist. I saw a piece she did of mold, and that’s kind of how we wanted the zombies to look. It was their first test zombie.

Mike Smith: Can you speak to some of the other films that will be part of the Montana Film Festival? Do you know much about the lineup, or is that something we should have other festival representatives talk about? What does this festival mean to you, and what’s behind it?

Sophia Casey: I feel like there’s a huge sense of community and connection within the film industry in Montana. You get to go out and see what everyone’s been working on. I’m personally looking forward to seeing *Baby Love*, which a bunch of our film friends worked on. I’m finally able to see it.

Mike Smith: How about you, Jozlyn?

Jozlyn Baumann: I’m super stoked to meet everyone and hear what people have to say.

Mike Smith: Does it feel like you’ve arrived at another level by being part of this, with the Montana Arts Council, the Montana Department of Commerce, and everybody involved? You don’t need somebody to sign off on your art, but it must feel nice to be selected.

Jozlyn Baumann: We were so stoked, especially because so many of the other films are really incredible. I’ve seen a few, so it’s great to be up to that standard. My film is in with these other films that are really great, too.

Mike Smith: I imagine it’s fun meeting like-minded people—directors and other filmmakers. The festival gets underway 10 days from now, on Thursday, October 22, and runs through the 25th. You can find details at MontanaFilmFestival.org. What else do we need to run down for people this morning? Go see some movies, go see some films?

Jozlyn Baumann: You can see *Until Your Last Breath*, our zombie film, on October 24 at 2:45 p.m. and October 25 at 5 p.m. There will be Q&A panels afterward.

Mike Smith: Nice. Jozlyn, what can you say about seeing it on a big screen rather than a small screen? It’s probably an obvious question, but—

Jozlyn Baumann: The Roxy has a new sound system, so you’re going to want to hear that loud.

Mike Smith: And the popcorn, the people, and the vibe, of course.

Jozlyn Baumann: Getting to see all the beautiful faces we put on the screen, just on the big screen, is so crazy. I’m so grateful for it.

Mike Smith: Nice. Sophia, any parting thoughts?

Sophia Casey: Watch this movie! Making it was a huge moment for me mentally, because this story means a lot to the two of us. Why not go see it? See your friends and what they’ve made, or even people you don’t know. This is happening right here in little Missoula. We filmed here, so you might as well.

Mike Smith: This radio station keeps highlighting and spotlighting things happening in Missoula, and we keep coming back to that theme you were talking about: things happening in little Missoula. Whether it’s filmmakers and events at the Roxy Theater, the Missoula Symphony, dance, theater, live music, or public art, there’s a lot more creativity here than you might expect from a town this size. I really appreciate you coming in.

Jozlyn, any final thoughts on this foggy Monday? I know you’re getting over a cold, just like I was. I had one all last week.

Jozlyn Baumann: So many talented artists, filmmakers, and friends were involved in this movie. If you like zombies, and if you like awesome rock ballads, come see our film.

Mike Smith: Sounds great. Again, more details are at MontanaFilmFestival.org. Your film will be showing on the 24th—

Jozlyn Baumann: And the 25th.

Mike Smith: And the 25th. I dug out a song about zombies—or at least with zombies in the title—and that’s how we’re going out with this band. You might not remember them; they’re an ’80s band called The Hooters. I might be hearing this one for the first time, while some other folks might remember it. Thank you both so much for coming in today.

Jozlyn Baumann and Sophia Casey: Thank you for having us.

Mike Smith: Have a great week!