About Us.
YellowHouse Films was founded in 2009 by filmmaking and life partners, Vince O’Connell and Kathy Swanson.
Since then, YellowHouse has produced over twenty short films. The films have had some success on the festival circuit but have mostly entertained and educated audiences in rural community art houses, libraries, village parks and town halls of Washington state, British Columbia, Ohio, Vermont and Massachusetts, exposing indie film to people that didn’t know it existed.
The yellow house behind YellowHouse.
Vince and Kathy bought the 200 year old house partly because everyone else wanted it but mostly because it sat fifty feet from the groomed cross-country ski trail on which they’d met years before. It was what most people call a ‘tear down’ but, as with their films, they found energy they didn’t know they had to make the project all it could be.
Vince O’Connell. Born in Rio de Janeiro and raised in a lot of other places, Noel O’Connell, aka Vince to the few friends he still has, became obsessed with the storytelling possibilities of film 7 years ago. After selling a successful business he and his business partner and wife, Kathy Swanson, attended a one-year film production program at Selkirk College in Nelson, BC where their filmmaking passion was fanned. With several shorts under his belt Vince now just wants to know how to convey “deadpan” on film.
Kathy Swanson. Born on a dairy farm in Minnesota and surrounded by a huge extended family as a child. Despite leaving the farm after college, Kathy’s spirit and outlook have never strayed far from her prairie roots. A writer with a voice directed by intuition rather than intellectual intention, Kathy obsesses about creating compelling character-driven narratives that convey deceptively simple and intimate stories, often with a strong female protagonist.
YellowHouse is a lot of things.
It’s a production company dedicated to producing thought provoking, character-driven narratives and documentaries, of varied genres, that are always engaging and at least a little funny.
It’s a classroom providing youth workshops in select rural communities at no cost.
It’s a website where Kathy and Vince can store more than anyone would probably want to know about their past, present and future projects.
And it’s the name their tiny community has endearingly attached to their sunny Vermont farmhouse.
Our Projects.
Over the years we’ve written, directed, produced, catered, shot, argued about, and lost sleep over all of our films. From that first experiment with a camcorder to our latest ambitious feature film project. Sign up on our email list to receive updates including links to our short films every now and then.
Snowbird
(formerly ‘Good Life’)
The kids are grown, the flowers are plastic and haircuts are eight dollars.
For three years Kathy followed her Dad, Howard, an eighty year old Minnesota farmer, around with a camera in his concrete winter surroundings at Good Life RV Park in Mesa Arizona. It’s here he spends his winter’s along with a thousand other northern seniors having the time of their life, playing poker for dimes, dancing in the afternoon and wearing shorts in December.
A documentary by Kathy Swanson. Shot in Mesa Arizona.
Summertime
‘Summertime’ tells the story of how three young lemonade stand entrepreneurs stumble upon what it takes to run a successful business despite the accidental best efforts of older ruffians.
Created as the teaching tool and final product of a summer youth film camp (ages 6-13) in Metaline Falls, Washington. A script was written and adapted to the class then shot under the direction of Vince O’Connell and Kathy Swanson. Each student acted and observed the technical, behind the scenes aspects of film making.
Gideon Blood, PI
What do you do when you think your girlfriend is cheating on you? Hire your favorite imaginary private detective of course.
A short film by Vince O’Connell starring Russ Crowley and Kaiden Scott. Shot in Athens, Ohio.
Dog Heaven
Does running a dogsledding business sound exciting and romantic? Think again. Or maybe not. Jim Blair has 32 sled dogs for a family. And an unruly family it is. Like any small business it’s lots of work, long hours and “why am I doing this”? In the end, Jim loves his dogs, his customers and, though he might deny it, his employees.
A documentary by Vince O’Connell. Shot in Eden, Vermont.
Reservation For Hinkle
All she wanted was a room.
A short film by Kathy Swanson starring Tom Olson and Nancy Gasper. Shot in Metaline Falls, Washington.
The Journey of Maggie Monroe
A goofy, spunky, easily distracted bridesmaid takes a road trip to deliver an heirloom wedding ring to her overbearing brother’s wedding and doesn’t allow quite enough time.
A short film by Kathy Swanson starring Lisa Bol, James Euto, Kristina Kopf, Emilio Tirri, Abe Adams. Shot in Athens, Ohio.
Staying On Track
A rural county in northeast Washington takes over a short line railroad company to try and save some of the few remaining businesses. They encounter many obstacles, adapt and continue to struggle with an evolving economy.
Vince’s first video. This was the first semester project for the one year intensive film program at Selkirk College in Nelson, BC.
I Love Bagels
A man in search of the perfect breakfast.
A short film by Kathy Swanson starring Vince O’Connell. Shot in Athens, Ohio.
Sleepyhead
Short exercise with a fun premise by Kathy and Vince to demonstrate ability to acquire “clean” and accurate sound. No post processing.
Being Billy
Billy doesn’t speak, is hounded by bullies and wants a dog. His mother doesn’t so Billy has to get creative.
A short film by Vince O’Connell starring Xav Miller. Craftsbury Common, Vermont.
Hundred Mile Diet
What happens when someone interprets a benign idea too conveniently and literally?
A short film by Vince O’Connell starring Martin DeGues and Christopher Colt. Shot in Craftsbury Common, Vermont.
This is the first use of a drone for one of our films.
Gas Money
If he lost his wallet…well, that’s his problem.
A short film by Vince O’Connell. Shot on black and white reversal film without sound on a vintage 1957 ARRI S, it was an exercise in maintaining good exposure. Starring Heidi Wilhelm and Tess Wilhelm. Shot in Athens, Ohio.
Milk Run
It started out as a trip to the grocery store.
A short film by Vince O’Connell starring Jake Washburn. Shot in Athens, Ohio.
You’re Not Cindy
Brian brings Kathy home for Christmas to meet his family. They are expecting his girlfriend of 6 years that they like a lot. She thinks he told them.
A film by Kathy Swanson and Vince O’Connell. This is what happens when your first film has a cast of sixteen with kids and animals. Shot in Colville, Washington and Ymir, British Columbia.
Contact Us.
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