{"id":12951,"date":"2026-07-19T08:31:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T12:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/?p=12951"},"modified":"2026-07-19T08:31:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T12:31:04","slug":"chicago-filmmaker-blake-martin-reaches-the-midpoint-of-an-ambitious-slate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/chicago-filmmaker-blake-martin-reaches-the-midpoint-of-an-ambitious-slate\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Filmmaker Blake Martin Reaches the Midpoint of an Ambitious Slate"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
\"Chicago<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Chicago-based writer-director Blake Martin<\/strong> has wrapped production on Alone, Now<\/em><\/strong>, the third entry in his self-produced six-shorts-in-six-months slate from his production company FROW Media Group<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The project marks the midpoint of an ambitious creative run for Martin, who has no formal film school<\/a> training and launched the slate roughly one year into his directing career. Built as a rapid-fire test of range, the six-film effort moves across drama, surrealist comedy and erotic formats, with each short produced back-to-back on an accelerated timeline.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

With Alone, Now<\/em>, Martin enters his most personal territory yet.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\u201cTo do six films in six months is insane. I know. I agree,\u201d Martin told us. \u201cBut it\u2019s been so rewarding. This isn\u2019t about making an award-winning film this time, or trying to change the game. This is about the work of doing the work \u2014 growth, learning, failing, and getting better, film by film.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Building Momentum Through Word of Mouth<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Despite the compressed production schedule, Martin\u2019s shorts have begun gaining traction through word of mouth, with festival programmers and peers taking note of his willingness to move between unconventional narrative structures and dramatic tonal shifts.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Sources close to the slate indicate early festival interest is already circling Alone, Now<\/strong> ahead of a formal submissions push.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Martin has framed the initiative as more than a personal calling card. For him, the slate is also a statement for Chicago\u2019s independent film community, a market he believes is too often overlooked when compared with the coasts.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Related Articles<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The Story Behind Alone, Now<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Alone, Now<\/em> follows Charlie, a man whose ordinary morning slowly unravels into devastating loss. Rather than leaning on exposition, Martin builds the film around silence, restraint, and minimal dialogue.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The story carries additional emotional weight behind the camera. Martin confirmed the film was shot during the week of the 10-year anniversary of his mother\u2019s death.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\u201cThis was my most personal story,\u201d Martin said. \u201cIt was filmed the week of my mother\u2019s ten-year death anniversary. A lot of people thought it would break me. But filming it was actually the most healing thing I\u2019ve done in the ten years since she\u2019s been gone.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Casting by Instinct<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Martin bypassed the traditional audition process for both lead roles, choosing instead to cast through direct outreach and instinct.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

For the role of Charlie, Martin wrote the script and called actor Taijun Waters directly, simply telling him, \u201cI have something for you.<\/em>\u201d No formal audition followed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The role asked Waters<\/strong>, who Martin describes as a man of faith, to inhabit a character whose grief turns into open anger at God. Martin said the emotional and spiritual demands of the part required a level of openness that Waters fully embraced.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\u201cThere was so much vulnerability that this role required \u2014 mentally, spiritually, physically,\u201d Martin said. \u201cI was so moved by his performance.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Taijun Waters on Becoming Charlie<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\"\"<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Waters<\/strong>, in a statement provided alongside the first-look images, described an interior-first approach to the role.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\u201cI aim to always live my characters from my inner thoughts and out. So creating a conducive thought life for Charlie, and thus his motivations, was my primary prep, so my body could serve it truthfully.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The assignment became more complex because the production ran out of sequence, requiring Waters to tap into Charlie\u2019s deepest emotional lows before filming earlier scenes of joy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\u201cI just had to be intentional and remember the audience\u2019s journey in every scene, to assure my body communicated a declining crescendo,\u201d Waters said.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

One extended sequence, a pivotal set piece shot continuously for roughly three hours, became the production\u2019s most demanding stretch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\u201cI was definitely emotionally and physically drained,\u201d Waters said, \u201cuntil lunch.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Working with Martin for the first time, Waters pointed to the director\u2019s attention to detail as one of the defining qualities of the experience.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\u201cEvery detail of a garment or artwork builds toward the ultimate meaning,\u201d he said. \u201cThe level of detail he put into every layer of the story, wardrobe, and script was impressive \u2014 exactly what I sign up for in the films that I love.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Shenice Danyel Joins the Cast<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\"\"<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Rounding out the cast is Shenice Danyel<\/strong> as Charlie\u2019s cousin, Kiesha.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Martin discovered Danyel during a local Chicago stage production and cast her, like Waters, without a formal audition.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\u201cThe moment she stepped on stage, I just knew I wanted to work with her,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In Alone, Now<\/em>, Kiesha serves as Charlie\u2019s emotional counterweight. She is present and restrained, unable to fix what has been broken but unwilling to leave him alone in it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A Message About Grief and Community<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Asked what he hopes audiences take from the film, Waters pointed to its broader message<\/strong> on grief and connection.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\u201cI hope they understand that they are not alone. Grief does not have an expiration \u2014 and that is real. But it does have a community. And loving another well, in community, is essential for the love we all will one day lose to time.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

What Comes Next<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Alone, Now<\/em> is the third of six planned shorts in Martin\u2019s self-produced slate, with a premiere targeted for October 2026. The remaining three entries are currently in development.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Alone, Now was written and directed by Blake Martin<\/strong> and stars Taijun Waters<\/strong> and Shenice Danyel<\/strong>. The film is currently in festival submission.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Photo Credit: Dane Thomas<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

This article first appeared here<\/a><\/em><\/h6>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chicago-based writer-director Blake Martin has wrapped production on Alone, Now, the third entry in his self-produced six-shorts-in-six-months slate from his production company FROW Media Group. The project marks the midpoint of an ambitious creative run for Martin, who has no formal film school training and launched the slate roughly one year into his directing career. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":13052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[1634,956,307,30,271],"class_list":["post-12951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film-tv","tag-blake-martin","tag-chicago","tag-drama","tag-film","tag-inspiration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12951"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12951\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13067,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12951\/revisions\/13067"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}