From Concept to Chaos: Behind the Scenes of Angotango’s "Operation"

So a few years back, I worked on this short film called Operation with Angotango Pictures, directed by the very patient Anthony Ngo. The idea? A comedy inspired by the board game Operation. Did we land the joke? Honestly... I’m still not sure. But I had a blast making it.

These behind-the-scenes photos—shot by the incredibly talented Marla Keown—capture all the chaos and charm from that shoot. I was about 23 years old, just starting to figure out what it meant to wear multiple hats on a project. I helped develop the concept, acted in the sketch, and had the crucial job of making us look like real surgical pros.

Spoiler: I absolutely failed at that.

At one point, Anthony and I were wandering the aisles of Home Depot, trying to cobble together something that looked remotely medical. He had a different vision for the piece, and in retrospect, I don’t think I fully captured it. But that disconnect was part of the learning—how to collaborate, how to compromise, and how to not completely panic when you realize your costume budget needs to stretch into the painting section. Megan Elisabeth Kelly was still in high school and thankfully she was so on board to do something like this. Not many actors are willing to cover their face and act in something nobody is profiting off of.

It’s scrappy. It’s weird. It’s far from perfect. But it’s honest work from a bunch of creatives figuring it out in real time.

👉 Watch the full sketch below, then scroll through the photos to see what it looked like from the trenches (or the Home Depot parking lot).

Big thanks to Anthony, Marla, and Megan.