An explosive tale of romance, fear and bravado, writer/director Peter Novosel’s TELLER NUMBER FOUR is all about pushing buttons, and it’s as zany and funny as it is unlikely. For one thing, the short film – which recently added a New York Indie Shorts Best Editing trophy for Union Editor/Partner Graham Turner to its mantle – is set primarily in a bank, one of those brick and mortar edifices one might visit in the days before mobile banking. For another, it’s narrated by Seth Rogen, whose quirky everyman tone is perfectly suited to the role – within the modest context of a project that might seek “a Seth Rogen type.” Finally, it manages to slide multiple characters into a 14-minute narrative that clicks together with the precision of…well, let’s not give too much away. The filmmaking team – which, in addition to Turner and Novosel, included Union’s Carolyn Woods on Flame, and assistant editor Roman Petrov – worked too hard on the timing for that.
“I’ve known Pete for years and it was great to have the opportunity to collaborate with him on this project. It’s a great script that translated into a great film,” said Turner, whose longform PSA assignments like “The World’s Biggest Asshole” for Donate Life (via The Martin Agency, directed by Speck and Gordon, and winner of 10 Cannes Lions, among other honors) helped prepare him for TELLER NUMBER FOUR. “One of the fun challenges was with Kevin (played by Ricky Mabe). We’re on this wild ride with him and we wanted to be considerate with his rollercoaster of emotions,” Turner explained. “He’s one of those guys that feels like, ‘Of course this would happen to Kevin,’ which gave us leeway with comedic moments in his tragedy.”
Adding to the film's effectiveness were the performances of Stacy Kaney as ‘Maddie’ and Sonny Valicenti as ‘Big Dave,’ whom Turner described as “a great character actor who says a lot with one look. He gave us multiple choices to go with every time. And Stacey as the teller was wonderful.” Of Rogen, Turner said, “Pete has a history and shorthand with Seth and he could not have been more generous with his time. He has an immediately recognizable and endearing voice that we were lucky to have bring extra weight to the project.”
Turner’s recent credits include the star-studded 75-second-long NFL kickoff spot titled “It Feels Good to Football.” created via 72AndSunny LA, and directed by The Malloys of production company Superprime. Turner cut back-to-back projects helmed by The Malloys, turning next to the Big Noon Saturday college football kickoff spot for FOX Sports. Projects for Nike, Apple, HP, Motorola, Hyundai, Toyota, and more round out his commercial filmography.
Project Credits
“Teller Number Four” Written & Directed by Peter Novosel
Ricky Mabe as Kevin, Stacy Kaney as Maddie, Sonny Valicenti as Big Dave, Rich Armstead as Plank, Lucy Davis as Chatterbox In Line, Sherri L. Walker as Bank Manager, Seth Rogen as The Narrator
Line Producer | Christina Villaflor, Director of Photography | Andrew Wheeler, Editor | Graham Turner, Drum Score | Paul Novosel, Production Designer | Caitlin Walsh, Make Up Artist | Erin Walters, Hair Stylist | Becca Guzman, Wardrobe Stylist | Jardine Hammond, Colorist | Sofie Friis Borup, Storyboard Artist | Mike Jasorka, Visual Effects | Mike Dillinger, 1st AC | Javier Santos Audera, 2nd AC | Aaron Brener, Swing | Hannah Getz, Grip | Mitch Ebert, Gaffer | Blake Farmer, Steadicam | Luke Rochelle, Assistant Editor | Roman Petrov, Flame Artist | Carolyn Woods, Audio Recordist | Gray Thomas-Sowers, Boom Operators | Masao Maehara, Mehmet ‘Memo’ Adli, Sound Mixer | Matt Miller @mattatlime, Set Dresser | Brian Selke, Production Assistants | Alton Henry, Jay Rannow, Covid Compliance Officer | Jack Jesse, Executive Producers | Adrianne McCurrach, Joanna Shaw, Sun Komen, Associate Producers | Fyza Griggs, Alyson Leckrone,
About Union
Union Editorial has offices located in Los Angeles, New York, Austin, and London, where it maintains an alliance with Marshall Street Editors. The company also develops and produces original content. Other Union companies include Hunter, which provides finishing services, vfx, graphics and mix for commercials, features and gaming. Union is presided over by Partner/Managing Director Michael Raimondi alongside Executive Producer Joe Ross and Head of Production Dani DuHadway in LA, Partner/Managing Director Caryn Maclean alongside Executive Producer Melissa Lubin in NY, Executive Producer Vicki Russell in Austin, and Logan Aries, Executive Producer of Hunter. The Union roster is comprised of Partner/Editors Jim Haygood, Einar Thorsteinsson, Jay Friedkin, Sloane Klevin, Marco Perez, Merritt Duff, Graham Turner, and Chris Huth, editors Daniel Luna, Laura Milstein, Jason Lucas, Karen Kourtessis, Kevin Ray, Nicholas Wayman-Harris, Rachael Connelly, Zach Kashkett, Andrea MacArthur, Amanda Perry, Justin “Q” Quagliata, Vinnie Hobbs, and Rick Lawley, as well as select projects with Guicho Flores, Teddy Gersten, Tim Thornton-Allan, Matt Chesse, John Mayes, Spencer Ferszt, Paul Plew and the Marshall Street roster.
