By Judy Shields
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 04/02/2026
It was a pleasure speaking to Michael Tove about his new short “Yard Saleing”, which I had the honor of watching and thought it was an excellent short film with a great ending. Michael’s short film “Yard Saleing” is the type of movie to keep you entertained with those twist you don’t expect. The short film had a successful festival run as well.
The short film has been compared to Hitchcock’s work. Michael said that the film’s plot, including a dream sequence was the purpose of leaving viewers with questions. Michael mentioned that his wife and daughter had roles in the film.
i asked Michael to explain the film’s title. He said it comes from the verb form of “yard sale” used by his wife, and described his storytelling approach which follows in the tradition of Alfred Hitchcock, Rod Serling, and O’Henry by creating unexpected plot twists. He clarified that while he wrote the script, director Tom Logan handled the casting and on-set direction, with actors like Georgia Van Kylenberg and Liam Bradford contributing to the film’s development through collaborative discussions with the director.
Michael discussed his approach to screenwriting, explaining that he focuses on developing characters rather than casting specific actors. He shared his experience working on a film set in San Diego, where he maintained a hands-off approach to directing and allowed the director Tom Logan to lead the production. Michael described the strong friendships that formed between cast and crew members during filming, including ongoing relationships with actors Eric and Eliza Roberts and Australian lead actress Georgia.
Michael discussed his journey from writing a script 30 years ago to finally bringing it to film, mentioning the influence of casting director Sherry Rhodes, who encouraged him to tell the story. He also shared details about his current project, a 3-minute CG animation short with a Hitchcockian theme, which is currently in development with collaborators he met at a film festival. The film is available to watch on Michael’s website and is currently going through the festival circuit with plans to seek distribution on platforms like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon.
https://www.emeraldoakproductions.com/film
See full list of Cast HERE
Michael discussed his film’s success at various film festivals, noting it has received 271 Laurels and is within the top 10 most awarded short films in history. He expressed a preference for attending festivals where he can learn from other filmmakers rather than being the center of attention. Michael mentioned challenges with attending the Cannes World Film Festival due to lodging issues, and shared his experience attending the Hollywood Real Independent Film Festival in early March. The conversation also touched on the Oscars ceremony, including Michael’s past experience being a plus-one invitee and the Dolby Theater’s seating capacity limitations.
Academic to Film Career Transition
Michael shared his journey from academia to film, explaining how he transitioned from a PhD in biology to acting after being bitten by the “film bug” during a cattle call for extras. He discussed his current work in financial planning while pursuing film projects on the side, including a new 3-minute animated short film with 12 scenes. Michael emphasized the importance of collaboration in film production and mentioned having a dozen scripts ready, with production partners working on securing funding for feature films.
Enjoy the full conversation here:
About Emerald Oak Productions
Emerald Oak Productions was founded by Michael Tove in 2017 as a vehicle to create and produce films that both entertain and connect to the human condition.
A story-teller at heart, Michael entered the film industry in 1989 in the feature film “The Handmaid’s Tale.” That led to four years of acting in film, television, commercials and industrials before economic realities of the industry forced a career shift.
Fifteen years later, he befriended Thom Mount, past president of Universal Pictures. With Thom’s encouragement, he trained in screenwriting and production. He was a 2013 quarterfinalist in the PAGE International Screenwriting competition and a 2014 quarterfinalist in the Creative Writing Awards competition. In 2015, he was invited to attend the Nicholl Fellowship Awards presentation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
