When I graduated from college, my goal was to tell stories through my own films. However, as my career progressed, I found myself immersed in the grind of bringing other people's visions to life. In 2024, I decided to take a leap of faith and finally create my own narrative short film—after years of hesitation.
Violet Vendetta tells the story of two ambitious filmmakers who go to ridiculous lengths to finish their movie. When my co-writer, Theo Olesen, and I brainstormed the genre for the story, we landed on action-comedy.
Action-comedies have always been my favorite genre, even before I got into filmmaking. Films like Rush Hour, Bad Boys, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang were huge inspirations for me. The kinds of movies that captured my excitement and made me laugh long after I left the theater.
Within the core of my favorite action-comedies is the bond between two close friends. This brings us to our lead actors, Brandon H. Lee and Hector Melgoza. The two real life best friends brought both the characters Luke and Hunter to life and blew us away with their masterful stunt work.
Each person who worked on this film left an imprint expressed through the love of their craft. Much like the filmmakers depicted in our film, we went to ridiculous lengths to complete it. I hope you enjoy Violet Vendetta to the same degree we enjoyed making it.
-Ted Hayden
