Banana Cassidy & The Sunkist Kid

Two fruity rivals face off in the Old West. Yeehaw!

written, directed, & produced by Samuel Aaberg

production design by Sasha Lindsey

original score by Jonathan Shepard

Credits

Written, directed, & produced by Samuel Aaberg

Production design by Sasha Lindsey

Original score by Jonathan Shepard

Edited by Ben Davis

Story by Samuel Aaberg, Ela Polsky, & Santiago Mata

Props by Samuel Aaberg, Ela Polsky, & Finnegan Szakats

Puppeteered by Ryan Hines, Ela Polsky, & Santiago Mata

Production Assistants . . . Erica Toepke & Vishwa Madhusudhanan

A title card in an old-timey silent film style that reads: Banana Cassidy & the Sunkist Kid.
Banana Cassidy gets a drink at Cantaloupe Dan's bar.
The Sunkist Kid enters through the saloon doors.
Banana Cassidy and the Sunkist Kid face off in front of a shocked Cantaloupe Dan.
Cantaloupe Dan marries Banana Cassidy and the Sunkist Kid on a festive Main Street.
Sam (director) operates a Canon C100 near a table full of googly-eyed bananas, oranges, and cantaloupes.
Sam (director) points a Canon C100 at a cardboard set propped up by apple boxes. Ela and Santiago (puppeteers) crouch underneath and hold their puppets.

bts photography courtesy of Ela Polsky & Sasha Lindsey

Personal Note

Banana Cassidy was the first project I ever shot at film school, and it was so fun! We were basically just goofing around, but Sasha and Jonathan really elevated the project with their elaborate cardboard diorama sets and rinky-dink piano score, respectively.

I also got to make this movie with a bunch of old friends from high school—Ryan, Vish, Erica, and Jonathan–who were visiting for the weekend, as well as some new college friends! It felt like the perfect transition from Minnesota to Chicago, and I always smile when I think about this project.