What started as a humorous name for an aspiring filmmaker, Dark and Moody Productions is the moniker and group name for Christopher Jayawardena’s film and video work. Combining DIY indie cinema and ambitious ideas, he along with his regular collaborators have been producing independent short films and collaborating on other projects since 2009.

As a teenager, Chris put together “machinima” films made in PC games like Quake 3, Half-Life, and Counter-Strike – then jumped into live action short films with a mixture of horror and action, made during free time with friends. Then, in 2010, Dark and Moody Productions set out to make its first feature film. Though a humble effort, it got Chris involved with regular collaborators and gaining a lot of in-the-trenches moviemaking experience.

“Downcast” was shot in 2011, over a typical trial-by-fire period of rushed schedules, lacking experience, and scrambling for resources. But with that effort, lots of connections were made. The momentum had spun up. While Downcast was in post-production, Chris and his father Janaka got to work on other people’s projects to learn more about cinematography and editing on the cheap with DSLR filmmaking and a Final Cut Pro workflow. Working with various other short film directors, they carved a niche in the Portland Indie Film community.

Since the early 2010s, Dark and Moody Productions has stayed active, completing their first feature in 2014 before releasing it for free on YouTube, and trying to maintain a steady schedule of short films and developing bigger projects.

Now as the 2020s have come around, the group and its various collaborators are seeking out newer, bigger projects. Short films, a second feature, and more.