Extra, extra: Tae Weiss made a film halfway through college

Tae Weiss, a 2023 alumn of ARHS—and also my sister—recently wrote, co-starred, and directed her first short film. This project has been brought to the screen with the help of Northampton High School and Wesleyan University alumnus Jasper Fletcher, who served as director of photography. 

The quietly powerful film, “Us, All Along,” examines a mother and daughter’s relationship and how they navigate their parallel transitions of identity and change. Naomi, a mother entering menopause, and her daughter Isa, on the cusp of womanhood, find themselves entangled in a shared journey of growth.

The film unfolds as an intimate portrait of three generations of women, where the presence of Naomi’s mother allows unresolved trauma to resurface. “Us, All Along” shows how the past and present shape how we love, hurt, and heal.  

The film features co-star Hillary Baack, who previously worked on the Oscar Award-winning film “Sound of Metal” (2020), and co-starred with Oscar-nominee Elliot Page in “Close to You” (2024). 

Weiss began writing “Us, All Along” in the winter of her sophomore year at Wesleyan University. She made the independent decision to defer the next year at school in order to bring her script to life.

Weiss stated that “script writing is such an interior process; however, it was such a wild and wonderful experience to actualize this internal vision with collaborators, all of whom had so much integrity and heart and were all talented artists in their own right.” She now recognises this film as a collective effort of the crew, rather than solely her own. 

Weiss had reasons for choosing a short film instead of a feature-length one. “This was my first film project I’ve ever attempted, and shorts are a great medium to explore, experiment, and adventure into the craft for the first time,” she said.

Weiss has just embarked on the second chapter of her project: post-production.  She said that the editing process is like “slowly and carefully chipping away at a large block.”

“It’s about looking into those moments of truth, love, and movement. I have really been paying close attention to composition,” she said. “Being present on the set is one thing, but witnessing the art you created is an entirely different feeling. It’s definitely daunting but also super exhilarating.” 

Weiss has always been into creating things and trying out different art forms and ways of expression. “I have always valued collaboration, I think it’s a beautiful thing,” Weiss said.

She said her high school journalism teacher, Sara Barber-Just, was also an inspiration. “She taught me about the courage it takes to seek the truth, the truth of both stories and people. This lesson has been a large asset to the journey this project has taken me on,” she said. 

This project, of course, was not possible without her cinephotographer, Jasper Fletcher. 

Fletcher first gained his passion for filmmaking while attending Northampton High School. Since then, he has worked on several projects, including his debut short documentary “When We Move,” created in collaboration with his twin brother Lukas Fletcher. 

The film went on to win Best Documentary and an audience award twice at NFFTY (National Film Festival for Talented Youth) in Seattle, and TRIFEST (Triplex International Youth Film Festival) in Great Barrington, MA. Now, Fletcher is shooting his follow-up feature film to “When We Move” and working on the campaign for Jeremie Whalen, the democratic candidate for Congress in Massachusetts. 

Whalen, a former teacher of Fletcher’s at Northampton High, has long been one of his most influential mentors. “That’s an invaluable thing that Northampton High School provided me with,” Fletcher reflected. 

Fletcher said working on the set with Weiss was a great experience. “I’m used to working in a scrappy low budget way, and this was hugely elevated from that,” he said. “There was a nice level of professionalism and flow, and I was extremely grateful for the team.”

He believes Weiss maintained “a healthy, productive, inspiring, and professional flow” while on set. “The most important thing is that we did it, and it’s gonna be great,” he said.

When asked if he had any advice for an aspiring filmmaker, Fletcher said he did. “The only way to learn about movies is by making them,” he said. “Film school only gets you so far. You must take more initiative than you are told to. The most important thing about taking on a passion such as film is to put your all into it.”