Johnny The Piano Man

Johnny The Piano Man

Bruce Von Stiers

Johnny is a young man who's a piano player. He has a gig at an Italian restaurant. It's a one time thing that could possibly lead to a permanent gig at the restaurant. But he is unsure of being able to make it. That's the premise behind the short film Piano Man.

Johnny is somewhat uneasy about playing there, especially as this is basically an audition for a permanent position. But he's somewhat put at ease by the head hostess of the restaurant.

As the viewer sees throughout the film, Johnny is playing but doesn't seem to connect with some of the patrons of the restaurant. They are having conversations and eating, not really paying attention to Johnny and the music. His playing is somewhat unusual as he just sits down to play with no particular song in mind.

By the end of the film, it seems that Johnny is somewhat dejected. But there is a silver lining that reveals itself.

Miles Brenton stars as Johnny. Although this is his first screen credit, Brenton is a popular singer/songwriter in the St. Louis area.

Cassie Ferrick is Jessica, the head hostess that Johnny interacts with. She had a recurring role in Down The Rabbit Hole and has appeared in several short films.

Lou Cariffe plays Mr. Simmons, the boss at the restaurant who hired Johnny for the gig. He's co-starred in films such as Saving Savannah and Routines.

Piano Man was written and directed by Zack Beining. He wrote and directed the short drama film Within The Silence. He worked on shows such as The Masked Singer, The Masked Dancer and World of Dance as a script coordinator.

The film was produced by Kyle Young. He's been a production manager on shows such as Dancing With The Stars.

The director of photography was Brandon Haskell. He was the cinematographer for Rebel//Rebel, Honeymoon Missouri and few other short films.

Music composed for the film was from Jeanne-Peri Foucault and Allison Pham. Foucault has composed music for other films such as Secret Space, Rebel//Rebel and Un Weekend.

Piano Man was filmed at the Trattoria Toscana restaurant in St. Louis.

Beining has stated that the film is a “story of finding self-worth and recognition.” And that is a “story that shows a character trying to reach a creative goal and following a dream.” This film was also supposed to have been inspired by the film La La Land. I have to admit, I'm one of the few people who've never seen La La Land. So I wouldn't have anything to compare the two films with. But I will say that the message that Beining is trying to convey comes across very well. Brenton and Ferrick seem comfortable in their roles. And the piano music was excellent.

Piano Man was featured at this year's Golden State Film Festival in February. It is currently under consideration for the upcoming Santa Clarita International Film Festival.

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