Behind the Scenes

Mistaken Identity was Daryl’s 16mm project for Cine 1 at the Academy of Art University, taught by Rich Cascio. The group had to operate within an actual structure, with real film stock, real limitations, and at least the appearance of a plan. The most lasting lesson from the class had nothing to do with storytelling. It was how to wrap a cable. Years later, Daryl would run into Cascio at House of Shields and thank him for it, a small moment of closure that probably meant more than the assignment itself.

The film itself came together quickly, and not under ideal conditions. It was shot late at night after finishing work on another project for classmate PJ Vericat. Everyone was already tired, which shaped the tone more than anything intentional.

Props were gathered on the spot. Don Rickles tickets, a crowbar, whatever was nearby, and the film was rushed into existence. The structure reflects that.

Ray leans hard into performance, pushing things further than necessary, while Brian settles into a role that didn’t exist until it did. “Apparently, I got the nickname Wild Card,” he notes, with the kind of shrug that suggests it stuck whether he wanted it to or not.

The film was shot without sound by design, which was then recorded later in an awkward foreign dub kind of way. The workaround becomes the style.

Mistaken Identity isn’t a major entry in the catalog, and it doesn’t try to be. It’s a class project shot at the end of a long day, held together with whatever was available and just enough energy to finish it. But it captures something useful. The ability to keep going when things aren’t ideal, to adapt when something doesn’t work, and to accept that sometimes the best version of a scene is the one you already got.

And, more importantly, to wrap the cable when you’re done.