Episode 1: I Didn't Get It
How does Elliott share his news with Monica? This episode of Front Seat Chronicles deals with unemployment and how to move forward after getting bad news.
Writer/Director: Allen Sowelle
“Monica”: Elle Travis
“Elliott”: Josh Feinman
Read an interview with Front Seat Chronicle Producer and Director.
Resources for people out of work
Getting There (PDF) is a curriculum made for adult students who are trying to transition from government assistance to work or further education. Basic and underlying skills are learned in the curriculum including: reading, writing, math, communication, critical thinking, self-awareness, self-confidence, assertiveness, organizational skills, goal setting and planning skills, team work, and problem solving in both personal and public situations. Other helpful resources include:
- Career Coach
- Discover a career
- Get more education
- Apply for a job
- Work your way up
- Learn to write a resume. You can create one online with Resume Builder
- Know what to do in an interview (skip to page two)
- What is unemployment?
- What do you need to apply?
- If you need help getting unemployment…
- Online Job Search
- Job search on your phone
- Career fairs
- Get job assistance with workforce development programs
- Explore the top 20 home based businesses
- Get your business ready
- Get the word out about your small business
- Take your small business mainstream
very good i really enjoyed this thank you 🙂
That was phenomenal. I feel like you both had the vibe and the connection for each other. Great acting, keep it up!
That was very well done, and so true to the times we’re living in. Great acting and the music was so beautiful!
Great piece! A very cool concept, Congrats!
Excellent…DOCUMENTO-ACTING meaning REAL…:) Not Acting great job.
Great acting. Very powerful piece. Such emotion from both actors.
Great acting I could feel their pain! Very well done!
Awesome job guys! Really enjoyed it. Great concept, sweet execution. looking forward to seeing more.
Great work!
D
Beautiful job you two! I loved everything about it… simple, moving, and lovely acting. I can’t wait to catch each and every episode!
Beautiful job you two! Very touching and very real. Loved everything about it… can’t wait to catch each and every episode!
Very emotional episode. I’m always impressed by actors who can communicate as much by their facial expressions as they can through the written dialogue. These actors do that from start to finish. I’m looking forward to the next episodes. I think the “front seat” idea is great — brings an already too familiar situation even closer to home.
Nice stuff — a lot of content in a small space. Quite well acted, and he camera work really captures the emotions and reactions. Realism!
A personal conversation millions can relate to.
In the bag, huh! I’ve heard that recently myself. Raw and touching, a little close to home for me, but left me feeling like I’m not alone. Both actors nailed it!
Very moving, like a page out of anyone’s life circa 2008-2012
A superb job by the actors. They made me feel like I was sitting in that car feeling their pain. In our everyday lives we tend to take things for granted. In this short episode, it made me realize how lucky I am to have the job I have. Well done guys, keep the front seat chronicles coming!!
Great job guys. Such a life altering topic that many are suffering through now.Looking forward to the rest.
Wow, that was great, Powerful acting! I want MORE with you two. I FEEL the tension in that car. And, trust me, I can relate.
Lots of substance in this episode! The emotion captured by both actors is amazing. Watching her go from such a high/celebration to one of having to comfort him was incredible…and his rawness, the thought of having to let her down, yet again. Bravo to both for nailing it.
This episode really touched me. All of us can relate to those deep conversations we all have had in the front seat of a car. It makes sense as a car is often a place of hellos and goodbyes and often there is a time pressure to express your true emotions before your loved one gets out of the vehicle. It is also such a small and enclosed space and you can feel the emotions swirling between these characters in this web series. It also touched on a theme pervasive and important in our society right now. The pressure, disappointment, and sometimes shame associated with finding work in such a tough economy and how that affects an idividual’s sense of self and their relationships with others. Bravo to the actors for creating this glimpse of truth.
Good concept well executed by all concerned. Truthful, simple, and with unlimited potential for continued development.
Great episode. I felt their pain. I think everyone has lost a gig or job they thought they were a shoe in for. Actors were resplendid! How can you not me moved by their performance. Great camera work as shooting a scene in the Front Seat is very difficult. Well done!
I was emotional drawn into these characters and the story instantly. It was amazing how well these actors were able to draw me in so quickly and powerfully. This story line hit such a cord with me. I really cared about what was happening in their lives and wanted to know what happened next, how did they resolve their issues, did he get another better job, where did she get support from to support her supporting him, etc. ?!
Being in the front seat’s prospective reminding me that I have had some of the best, most powerful and sometimes difficult conversation of my life, particularly with my mother, in the front seat of a car. She told me years later it was intentional, to take some of the confrontation out of it.
Other subjects I’d be interested in seeing tackled or conversations to gain insight from;
* anger in traffic,
* professional drivers’ dilemmas; for example truck drivers, police/ detectives on a stake out, ambulance drivers, package or food delivery service drivers.
*parents picking up a drunk teenager, families on vacation trying to connect to each other,
*gang bangers sitting in an alley.
I am looking forward to more topics and using the episodes as possible starting points for conversations and problem solving in my own life.
The acting in this piece is brilliant! The production quality is excellent. The subject was quite topical to today’s economy. All of us can relate in some way to the emotions that were presented. I think this format could lend itself to all kinds of subjects. And it seems particularly relevant because we spend so much time in the front seat of our cars. Perhaps some future story lines could incorporate features of a specific automobile to encourage sponsorship. I applaud the tough topics you are willing to take on and I would like to see some lighter real life situations mixed in.
most excellent! acting superb!
doing exactly what we are suppose to be doing, “hold the mirror up to nature”
Well done! It is thought and conversation provoking. So much said with so few words.
I love the way it presents a real life situation and leaves the issue open for interpretation and discussion.
It reminds me of a show I really enjoyed watching in grade school – “Inside/Out”. It was a chance for us to share our opinions and thoughts without being “right” or “wrong”. It left some space for creative thinking.
This is valuable programming. Keep it going.
Superb! Well done acting!! Great choice for first episode. Congratulations to all involved – music was amazing.
Really powerful… Great performances. Definitely a timely subject in today’s turbulent economy and job market. Many people are going through the same thing right now. Puts a real face and story to it. Great job by everyone involved! Look forward to checking out the rest of the series!
So true to life – amazing episode to start the series with! Thanks for launching such a powerful space to deal with these kinds of topics.
Great work Josh and Elle! It didn’t look like acting – I believed every moment was real. My favorite was the way you tried so hard NOT to cry, Josh — as most men would, holding it in — instead of doing what actors are so tempted to do when they let it all hang out to prove they can act. Kudos to you both!
Very understated, not over-dramatized, and very effective. Just enough to make a strong impression that leaves you thinking afterwards.
Amazing how much emotion can be packed into 2 minutes 30 seconds. Well done. I’ll keep watching.
Great work! Great to see this coming to life and see meaningful content.
Really, really well done. I honestly wanted to hug Josh and tell him everything was going to work out. The emotion on her face when she saw his tears was so realistic. The music was a great choice, Tamara’s voice is beautiful and really suited the scene. Loved it!
Great job guys – beautifully shot and acted, kudos to art direction for car seat in the back, nice touch! Allen, great to see your work too.
Looking forward to more eps,
A
Nice work! Great, timely story, well told by great acting! Looking forward to watching future episodes!
This is some raw-honest acting here, offering beauty in the pain.
Nice going…you two!
wow…… really well done.
The emotions expressed in this episode (from both actors)are incredibly realistic and ones in which I can relate to personally. For our self-worth to be linked so directly to our ability to gain and hold onto employment is an unfair burden. Similarly to Wendy’s comment, we are so much more than that, and should be recognized for such.
agreed! way to push it! excellent acting.
I am currently unemployed and have been on multiple interviews. It is disheartening that not only are the jobs limited but the compensation is now at the whim of employers who know they can get someone in for less out of desperation-shame on employers.
Additionally our culture so deeply values “what”we do rather than “who” we are. Our identities are defined by our jobs especially for men. This recession has given all of us an opporunity to reassess who we truly are and how important our supports are. We are all winners all the time, job or not!
Been there. I’ve been told a job was “in the bag” before only to find out that the bag was made of paper which was soaking wet and the job offer had fallen through.
In those times it was always encouraging to see that I wasn’t alone. This episode helps put a face to recent bleak numbers but, hopefully, reminds those who are facing tough times that you’re not alone.
Great Acting. You gave another face to unemployment for when you hear the stats about unemployed folks thinks unemployed minorities. In this economic climate it hits everyone…EveryOne!
Good Job.