BEHIND THE SCENES with John Musto

What's your background? How do you spend most of your days?

My background is in working with my hands. I am developing a woodworking shop in my parents basement. My first job out of college was in cabinetry. I spend most of my days working for the electricians union and moonlighting in some other job. Carpentry, electrical, drywall, furniture, upholstery etc.

How did you hear about the ShortDocs Challenge?

I heard the short docs challenge as it was announced on Re:Sound during the Saturday broadcast.

Please explain how each rule manifests in your SD?

Neighbors: The two neighbors I highlight are Caterpillar Inc. and the College of DuPage. I was unable to get Caterpillar on board for the project after many emails back and forth with their marketing so I just faked it. And COD was delighted to be involved.

Color: Bruised to indicate having survived a fall/beating. Red White and Blue as a red-blooded American. When Don pricks his hand on a hidden staple and starts to bleed he says something like "Goddamned Communist".

Silence: The silence adds gravity when Kay asks Don why he didn't let her know that he was having a heart attack. When I asked him the same question it took him awhile to answer (rare) and he coughed up some lame excuse about not wanting to worry her.

Did the rules help or hinder your experience producing your SD? Which rule was hardest to follow?

I thought the rule were an excellent mold in which the story began to take shape. Especially the color which I thought of right away. The neighbors rule was so open-ended because of how outgoing Don is... I contacted his heart surgeon, spoke with his actual neighbors and finally settled on his only other employers.

What's your next story about? (whether it's in the works or not, yet...

My next story (I just asked Brian if he wanted to team up again and he agreed) is about a woman named June who lives at the highest point in Cook County.