A new film from the mind of alumnus John Rokosz (B.M. Music Technology, 2004), Grandpa and Shorty, had an exclusive premiere at the Oaks Theater in Oakmont, PA on July 20 to a standing-room only crowd.
Grandpa and Shorty is a family-oriented 51-minute drama about a 70-year-old grizzled army veteran fighting to reconnect with the civilian world and his estranged soldier son when he unexpectedly has to babysit his 7-year-old granddaughter for the day. The goal of this film is to highlight the emotions and drama that military families struggle with every day.
John Rokosz is a Pittsburgh native who began studying piano at the age of 6. While at the MPSOM, John took composition lessons with David Stock and Lynn Purse, and he studied piano with Sr. Carole Riley. John currently works at the Bank of New York Mellon and serves as the Music Director for the Traditional Latin Mass at Most Precious Blood of Jesus Parish in Brighton Heights. He is also the co-founder and owner of White Ball Productions, a multimedia production company he created with fellow Duquesne alumnus Jeff Balmer (B.A. Multimedia Technology, 2004), who served as the director of Grandpa and Shorty.
After finishing the first draft of the screenplay in 2017, John began work on the next monumental task—composing the film’s score. Written for piano, flute, horn, and string quartet, Grandpa & Shorty’s soundtrack was recorded exclusively here at the Mary Pappert School of Music. John served as pianist and conductor, with musicians from Pittsburgh’s Academy String Quartet and other local musicians rounding out the remaining parts. Two current music technology students served as interns on the project: Seth Toops (Composition for Media) orchestrated the score and performed the double bass parts on the recording and Matthew Sterbenz (Sound Recording) served as the lead recording engineer.
John spoke highly of these students saying, “Seth and Matthew’s work was invaluable for orchestrating parts for each instrument, running the recording session, and providing a finished mixdown for insertion into the film’s final audio mix. Many thanks to these students for their professional demeanor, focused engagement, attention to detail, and energetic contributions to the project.”
The film is already garnering international attention thanks to its acceptance at six film festivals:
- Independent Film Institute
- Military Story Showcase
- Austin Lift-Off Film Festival: Finalist
- Toronto Lift-Off Film Festival
- New York Lift-Off Film Festival
- Freedom Festival International: Semi-Finalist
The first of a proposed series of screenings for the military and first responder community is planned for September, and work is underway to make the film available for digital distribution in the next year.
To learn more about the film, visit the Grandpa and Shorty website or follow White Ball Productions on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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John Rokosz (right) with Director Jeff Balmer (left) at the exclusive Grandpa and Shorty premiere.
John records the piano parts for the film's score.
John conducts a string quartet as they record music for the film's score.
Matthew Sterbenz (left) and Seth Toops (right) at the exclusive premiere of Grandpa and Shorty.
John and Jeff Balmer (Director) pose with the cast of Grandpa and Shorty at the film's premiere.