One-Minute Time Machine - The Short Film that (probably) helped Rick & Morty win an Emmy

In early 2012, Devon Avery wrote a short film about a One‑Minute Time Machine. He approached actor Brian Dietzen, who suggested TV writer Sean Crouch to revise the script. The revised screenplay attracted comedic actress Erinn Hayes. After months of scheduling, the film was shot on November 5, 2012, in eight hours with cinematographer Christos Bitsakos. Avery spent 13 months editing, refining the comedy beats, and eventually removed a key joke to improve rhythm. He collaborated with Jamie Harper on the score, overcoming distance by meeting in London. Sound design was challenging due to traffic noise; Avery learned software to clean dialogue. The film premiered at the Vail Film Festival in Spring 2014, then won awards worldwide. It was uploaded to Sploid in 2015, reaching 1 million views in 24 hours and 2 million in a week. The short has been remade in multiple languages and influenced shows like Rick & Morty. It is taught in film schools globally. By 2023, it had 12.7 million views on YouTube and 15 million on Facebook. Behind‑the‑scenes photos are available on Ko-fi. Avery invites viewers to share and watch on Amazon Prime, and mentions a forthcoming follow‑up.