I know it's a real stretch, but the inspiration for Toothbrush Charlie was... a set of toothbrushes. Several months previous to making this thing, I had begun a tentative new relationship. Around the same time, a couple that I'm friends with ended up spending a night or two in my guest room (with their infant son, if I remember correctly). I'm a practical person, so I figured I'd solve a lot of my assorted guests' problems if I invested in the means to clean their teeth for these overnight stays.

At the same time, I wanted to make a short movie. So the idea crept into my brain: what if there were a Bachelor Guy just like me who kept a set of toothbrushes... but for an entirely different purpose? Aha, there we go. I now had a story.

The raw filming for Toothbrush Charlie took three days. As advertised, most of it was done in my apartment. Hey, no location permits or fees, right? Just a real shame about the electric bill. The non-apartment scenes were nearly all shot in various rooms in the film school I went to. One outdoor shoot took place in front of a shopping mall.

The lead actors (Ryan and Anne) did their jobs beautifully and were great to work with. And that's not me spouting the standard Hollywood-style ass kissing; they really were. They did everything I asked them to, which included reading my lines verbatim. There are a few stiff moments and technical hiccups in the movie, but these are mostly the fault of the director (hello!), not the crew or the actors.

Toothbrush Charlie fun facts n' trivia:

• Outside of the two lead actors, everyone in the movie was either a friend or a classmate of mine.
• Or something more; my then-girlfriend, now-wife Marija is the shell-shocked girl at the tram stop.
• The school's secretary, Františka, plays the moaning student in the classroom.
• The movie's one special effect - the tears cried by "weeping woman" (Carron Miller) - were achieved by chopping onions. Carron's good idea, not mine.
• Necessity is the mother, etc. etc. etc. - I made Charlie a musician because the instruments I had at home were good props.
• Since filming, the apartment has been extensively renovated. We still have the bed, though :)