“How to Bake a Cake in the Digital Age” by Christina Catherine Martinez

"How to Bake a Cake in the Digital Age" is a half-hour comedy special set in a cooking show that may or may not ever start, starring Christina Catherine Martinez, who may or may not be playing a character that may or may not be having a real emotional breakdown.

Filmed in November 2020 at Human Resources Gallery in Los Angeles, Christina performs her jokes for an audience of no one but the small crew who is filming her, some of whom may or may not be figments of sound design. HTBCDA grinds the lens of Martinez's live stand up material for the screen, peering into the constructed nature of the filmed comedy special, and the constructed nature of the performer herself.

FROM THE DIRECTOR

"The more I learned about the conventions of filming stand up comedy, the less I wanted to make a special that hid its machinations as a film.  I developed this material over several years in front of live audiences, and to remove the audience meant we had to rethink what a special could be. This film is one snapshot of one performance—two performances actually, stitched together in post. Shit was frankly a mess because I didn't want to stop and do takes, and the two PA's were making their own choices about when to come into frame or interrupt me and I just went with it."

-CCM

Credits

Written & Performed by Christina Catherine Martinez/ @xtina_catherine

Direction & Cinematography// Christopher Richmond/ @platosbeard Additional Camera// Jeremy Franchi

Sound Design// Christina Catherine Martinez/ @xtina_catherine and Christopher Richmond

Editing// Jeremy Franchi Christopher Richmond

Re-recording Mixing & Mastering// Frank Wolf Newman Wolf/ @newmanwolfforever

Special Thanks

John Birtle/ @realityshopping

Jennifer Doyle/ @sentimentalprof

Human Resources Los Angeles/ @humanresourcesla

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