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Director Joe Talbot and screenwriter Jimmie Fails met in grade school and became close friends as teenagers. Talbot convinced Fails that his family’s story was worthy of a 90-minute-plus run time. They have a shared love of movies, skateboarding and their multigenerational connection to the city. Fails and Talbot have made their debut. Their films provide commentary on issues plaguing the Bay Area, such as gentrification, racial tensions and race relations. They join the cinematic wave of contemporary Bay Area filmmakers whose projects focus on these issues.

Cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra shared "We spent a lot of time going through references for the film as well as scouting iconic locations, but what it came down to was devoting ourselves to creating a beautiful, romanticized, modern-yet-nostalgic vision for the city. We picked impressionistic times of day to shoot our exterior set-pieces, and sought out areas that reflected the tone and energy of each scene. The locations were not just backdrops for the actors, but characters in themselves. We wanted the city to speak for itself in many ways, and we were rarely disappointed by what it had to say. I spent as much time as I could wandering the city and photographing it with a still camera. I would use my rangefinder with a single prime lens, so that I forced myself to see the city through a unique, distinct, and consistent perspective. This informed a very photographic camera language for the film and I think is part of what gives the film its iconic look."






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