Original Interviews

Shooting a film in an American Diner - A Week by Tony Rakshith

Tony Rakshith

Aug 18, 2025 - 01:06

Updated: 9 months ago

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Shooting a film in an American Diner - A Week by Tony Rakshith

Indie-Clips Original Interview

Tony Rakshith Ponnamalla, director of short film "A Week"

Rakshit, can you tell us more about yourself and your short film 'A Week'?

My name is Tony Rakshith, and I was born and raised in Hyderabad, India. Ever since I was a kid, I knew the only thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life was make movies. I then moved to Los Angeles to pursue my Master's in Fine Arts. A Week was my thesis film. The one thing I learned in film school and from American filmmakers in general is to make art personal. This movie was loosely based on a story I know about a toxic couple. I fictionalized it and made it a film set in a Diner. A week had its premiere in the Academy Award and BAFTA Award qualifying Los Angeles International Short Film Festival.

What are your cinematic inspirations? Any short film or feature film you'd recommend watching?

Films like Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Pulp Fiction (1994), Amores Perros (2000), and Baby Driver (2017) are my top inspirations. 3 out of 4 films are set in a Diner. I loved seeing diner scenes in Hollywood movies. It's a place where two or more characters meet to fall in love, to fight, to solve a case, or to have a Mexican standoff like in Pulp Fiction. I always wanted to make a movie in Diner, and I made it possible with A Week. Baby Driver and Pulp Fiction are popular movies, and most of you have seen them, but I highly recommend watching underrated gems like Alice in Wonderland and Amores Perros. Both of the films deal with love and the toxicity it brings.

What was the biggest challenge you faced on the production of 'A Week'?

How did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge in the production was time, we had very little budget, and we could not afford to go overtime. The only option we had was to go for one or two takes. Thanks to my actors who did a wonderful job.

What is the best memory you have from shooting your short film?

The best memory from the set was watching the actors improvise. I did not do many rehearsals as I wanted them to be fresh on set. When they came up with their style, it blew me away, and everything worked out perfectly. Special Mention: Neva Leoncini, Amir Yassami, and Cade Connor.

The question we all want to know about: can you share one piece of advice to our audience of independent filmmakers making their first short film?

I met with the actors a few days before the shoot, and we chatted a bit about the story. I made them act with minimal direction, and I shot it with my iPhone. We finished shooting, and after the actors left, I edited the iPhone footage, and there was my film, just telling me more about the story. It helped me prepare more and give better notes to the actors. One advice I would like to give fellow filmmakers is to shoot the movie with your iPhone before you go to set. This may not be possible for your feature film, but for a short film, it is definitely possible, and it will only make your film better.

Any future plans? Tell us more about your upcoming projects!

I wrote a feature called "Blood Boil". It's about a pacifist cop and his non-pacifist son. I am trying to pitch that movie and make that my first feature. Also, I have another short ready called "Double Edged". That will soon be premiered at festivals.