TAKE A PENNY came about from a few tough years that I faced. I lost three close friends one after the other. Two to cancer and one to a heart attack while awaiting a gall bladder removal.
Each one hit me like a ton of bricks. I questioned everything going on in my life. Most of the time when going through something difficult I lean on movies. I write, watch and escape through them and sometimes I find out more about myself and a way to cope through them.
I did just this.
I ran into another friend who is an entrepreneur and he was telling me about a site he came across where you could type in your basic medical history and it would calculate your age when you die.
I looked into it and then started writing what would be TAKE A PENNY's script.
I created a story that saw the main character attending the funerals of nine friends in one year.
This process of creating during a traumatic time has become second nature to me now. It's what I do to get through it and do something positive with my energy and time.
I hope you find the same with the film.
Written by Michael McCallum, Writer/Director/Actor/Producer/Co-Editor of Take A Penny.
Watch the official trailer: