From the continuing series on the people who made Crossing... this week’s focus is Tanner Shaw.
Tanner was the Art Director for Crossing. It was his job to make sure the sets, props, costumes, and makeup were all camera-ready before I called action. Tanner is incredibly detail-oriented and thorough in his work. He was truly one of the biggest driving forces behind bringing the film to life!
Tanner described working on Crossing as “a very interesting experience as it was my first time being involved with the creation of a film in any capacity. Everyone was very engaged with and prepared for their roles, which made my job very easy!”
Despite it being his first production, Tanner hit the ground running, facing and overcoming countless challenges along the way. “My favorite moment from the set was the moment when we perfectly coordinated the shooting of the opening scene. Everything just seemed to fall into place, which we were very grateful for!”
Tanner’s degree of thoroughness became really apparent on Day 3 of filming: before we called action, he had us go back and review the styling of John’s hair to ensure it would match up with a scene we’d already filmed. Though Crossing, like every film, is imperfect, it owes so much of its consistency and detail to Tanner.
When not on set, Tanner works for a non-profit university and dedicates time to learning as much as he can about languages. He considers “I Am Legend” and “Good Bye Lenin!” to be his favorite films and Will Smith to be his favorite actor.
See Tanner’s work in Crossing on December 11.

Every Friday between now and the Crossing premiere event in December, I’ll be releasing a short article or announcement related to the people who made the film possible, as well as a few other interesting tidbits about the production. This week’s focus is Ryan Anastasi.
Ryan plays Jacob in Crossing. He’s a natural talent when it comes to acting, and he makes every second of his performance count. I was fortunate to have him in my corner for this film.
And luckily for Ryan, being on set was much like hanging out with his best friends. Actually, it was exactly that: Ryan, John, and I have known each other for nearly five years and are incredibly close, so this production was a very natural fit for all of us.
Ryan was only on set for a single day of filming, our last day. It was a unique experience: the production team woke up at 5am, with the intent to start production around 6am. But the weather argued with our production schedule for much of that morning, so Ryan’s first shot wasn’t filmed until 8:30. I still feel bad for waking him up so early… luckily, he forgave me! When we finally did make it to our outdoor set to start filming, it was lightly drizzling, which was no problem at all. Ryan recalls, “But then it poured... and we had to wait for the rain to pass, trying to stay dry. We laughed and just made the best of it; it all worked out in the end!”
Ryan’s favorite actor is Tom Hanks: “He's an incredible human being and a terrific actor. He is so versatile. I love Forrest Gump, Captain Phillips, and The Post, among many other movies. If I was able to emulate even a tiny fraction of his acting ability in my role in Crossing, I would be so happy.”
Ryan has been largely absent during the post-production process, telling me at every turn that he wants to see the final product for the first time at the premiere: “I can't wait to see how it all comes together. I know the story, but I am very excited to hear the original music and see how certain visual elements of the film translate from the page to the screen.”
See Ryan as Jacob in Crossing on December 11.

Whatever your movie-related plans are this weekend, whether you’re braving a movie theater to see Tenet or watching Mulan on Disney+, perhaps you’d like to prefix your movie of choice with a trailer for Crossing.
Premiering December 11.
Please feel free to share this post!