Written and Directed by Connor Chute Marsley
Jordan's 23rd Birthday Video was the sequel to John's 50th(+2) Birthday Video. It begins two years in the future, focused on Connor. From a production perspective, it was an experiment into non-linear storytelling. And of course, was a surprise for Jordan's 23rd Birthday.
Ride or Die was a result of the goal of two films released in the summer of 2024. David Hart wrote the film for Connor as a birthday present. The film is about two best friends reconnecting over an attempted carjacking. The picture car was totaled less than three days after the shoot.
Harmony's House was produced for the 2024 New Haven 48 Hour Film Project. The required elements were the genre of Musical Drama, Jaden Starboard the Treasurer, an avocado, and the line "She left you a message." The film is about three siblings who inherit their grandmother's house but disagree on its fate.
Spring Cling was Connor's self-defined university capstone. The feature-length film follows Becca, a soon-to-be college graduate, struggling with her future-changing decisions in love and her career. Spring Cling was written and filmed all in Connor's last semester, and was edited and released two years later. Production was not supported by the university and entirely self-funded with a budget of $2,000.
Fanta Clown was Jordan's 22nd birthday video. From idea to upload in less than 8 hours, there are compromises on quality, though none on humor. It was produced solely by Connor and Rebecca Ristow.
John's 50th Birthday Video was written and directed by Jordan Madaus, his first experience in having final cut privilege on a film. Filmed and edited by Connor, the duo created the film while the rest of the typical crew was in quarantine with Covid-19. The film was created to celebrate the 50th birthday of John Madaus, his father, in an improvised Avengers: Endgame parody.
Bad to Bratwurst was produced for the 2022 ECSU 48 Hour Film Festival, Connor's last. The film was made with the largest team of 8 people. The silly nature is controversial, but elicited a humorous reaction from many. Bad to Bratwurst won best editing and best overall.
Later, Maybe was the first longer form, dialogue-heavy film Connor had made. With the help of Kathryn Walsh-Scott and Rebecca Ristow, the film had changed massively since its initial plan of being a stage play. The script had been written as filming occurred, with many life and logistic obstacles along the way.
A Killer Hand was a warm-up project for a few more films to be made. It is a parody of Casino Royale. There was no script, and the film has many technical flaws as well. The final product is amusing and was a fun experience for all involved.
Happier Home was Connor's final project for his only filmmaking class, produced almost entirely alone. The prompt was a character attempting to make a change in their life without any dialogue. Production was done over a weekend and the script was written in a day.
Slim Jim was produced for a class assignment with the prompt 'locked out' and had to include a variety of shot types. This film took only 4 hours and contains no production sound, replaced entirely by foley.
Quilkshake was produced for the ECSU Film and Media Club Spring 2021 48 Hour Film Festival. It is an idiot comedy that was completed in a day. The competition required the usage of a plumber character and the line "I drink your milkshake."
The Little Red Prey was created as part of ECSU Drama Society's Crunch Time 48 film festival. It was produced with a team of five people in 48 hours and was not written by Connor, and was co-directed with Rebecca Ristow. The prompt for this film was 'keeping secrets'.
Spotted Red Suits is a short scene Connor put together after finally watching The Godfather. Filmed without a camera operator, Connor finds pride in the single-day turnaround time it was produced in.
Matrimony & Keys is a silly film that was written and produced from start to finish all in 48 hours. It was for Eastern's first annual 48 Hour Film Festival, which required that it used the prop of an umbrella, the character of a gym junkie, and the line "It takes two to tango." Matrimony & Keys won Best Film Overall.
Atsumori is a historical piece representing a modern adaptation of the Japanese Samurai legend of Taira Atsumori and Kumagai Noazane. Atsumori was produced for a final class project with a crew of only four and recorded mostly in three hours.
BUSTED is Connor's high school senior capstone. It depicts two high school boys getting lost in the woods on the run from the law. It had the largest budget of all films up to this point. BUSTED was entered in the annual HK spring film festival in 2019, in which it won 3rd place.
One Step at a Time was produced in Seattle, Washington as part of The Student Television Network Convention's Crazy 8 Short Film challenge. This was produced with a crew of about 12 members in less than 8 hours. The biggest takeaway from this project was to have less walking and more plot!
Watergate is a collaboration between two teams that had not previously worked together. This Connor-directed, group-written film was given the prompt of using "What If?", and includes a cameo with the high school principal.
Second Chance is one of the most creative films on this list. Produced for a midterm project, the film was rushed to be completed in the final stages. Risks were taken in this film and it is clearly imperfect, but looking past some of the faults results in an interesting take on the afterlife.
The Doodler is Connor's first large film project. This film tests usage of visual effects and basic CG, standing it out from others. The Doodler was not a fan favorite due to slow pacing and failed emotional attachment, but its ability to try something different won it 2nd place in the 2018 HK Film Festival.
Because She's Mine was produced for the Student Television Network Convention's 6 hour Silent Film competition. It is the first publicly available film Connor directed and edited. The prompt was "I walk the line", and the film is a reference to the Johnny Cash song by the same name.