Today's the big day: the 87th annual Academy Awards. Perfect timing to share this Oscars® "For Your Consideration" video for Christian Bale's latest historical epic Slavery. According to Brooklyn-based sketch comedy troupe The Shorts Show, nobody but the mighty Welshman could properly tell the story of this tragic period in American history. Spoiler Alert: Bale is a slave.

The Art of Brooklyn asked The Shorts Show's creator Corey Scott Rutledge and director/writer/editor Nick Snow about making comedy videos, working as a team and why whitewashing in movies needs to be called out and mocked whenever possible. Read on for the interview and video!

It all started with a series of real voicemails left for Coney-Island-born filmmaker William D. Caballero by his grandfather. They congratulate, scold, and offer words of wisdom across a variety of topics ranging from birthdays to trips to Puerto Rico. 

Will decided to turn these voicemails into a short film, and the beloved character of "Gran'pa" was born. We interviewed Will about his award-winning film, turning that film into a web series and his experiences at the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival.