“Something’s Wrong With Grandma”
Likable grandmother Lois Riess shocked her small Minnesota town when she killed her husband, David, and went on the run from the authorities. Six years later, Lois sits down to tell her story for the first time. I’m Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders examines the unorthodox killer and her well-planned crime spree — from embezzling funds to the murder of a stranger to identity theft — while chronicling the enduring effects of familial dysfunction and mental health strains on her psyche.
Produced by HBO Documentary Films and Imagine Documentaries in association with Carr Lot Productions I worked with Director Erin Lee Carr, Executive Producer (and long-time collaborator) Ted Schillinger and the post-production team to create a graphics package that would seamlessly integrate into the vérité footage captured in Minnesota, Florida and Texas. I acted as the creative director of graphics on this project and created or oversaw all elements including the production of the main title sequence which was created with a mix of practical photography (captured by Andrei Zakow) and graphics/visual effects. I had to learn how to cross-stitch for this production (a fun new skill) as we “pulled the thread” of this story about a killer grandma.