Filming on location in Hawaii can be very expensive. The trick is to find a way to use the lushness of the state while not having to break the Bank of Honolulu to pay for it. The husband-wife team of Bryden Lando and Stephanie Lynn were determined to make their romantic drama “Aloha Also Means Goodbye” in Hawaii because of the beautiful locations that Lando called home while growing up. They accomplished their goal, and the film is now available on streaming services from Tubi to Amazon Prime Video. “ ‘Aloha Also Means Goodbye’ is not just a film to me. It's a heartfelt tribute to Hawaii and the majestic island of Maui that shaped my very essence. Having grown up on the island, I was often disillusioned by films that failed to capture its authentic spirit and vibrant culture, so I wanted to craft a story that mirrors my deep connection with Maui,” Lando says. Keeping the budget tight started with being able to call on friends and family for locations to shoot. Approximately one-third of the cast and crew were locals. It also helped that the director’s wife played the central figure in this story looking at an overworked, stressed-out mother who finds her marriage has reached a rocky spot. Her commitment is tested during a business trip to Hawaii where she runs into her free-spirited ex. The time they spend together forces both to face monumental decisions in their lives. Not only does Lynn star in the film but she also serves as a producer. The script was written by her and her husband after watching loads of romantic movies. “I was always looking for a slightly different angle,” Lynn says. “We knew we wanted to make a film that we could make independently. So, we had budgetary constraints. We had to keep the cast small. “With my husband as the director, it would make it easier for us to work together.” Their approach was to have the main character be married and deal with what happens when there is the potential for being reunited with the one that got away. The marriage angle meant that the process of falling in love would move far slower because of the conflicts she was feeling. Lynn came to “Aloha Also Means Goodbye” after co-writing and starring in “Soulmate(s)” and making guest appearances on such productions as “How I Met Your Mother” and “Castle.” She has had a parallel career in music where she wrote songs and performed with her “Aloha” co-star Evan Gamble. The casting of Gamble was a very easy casting decision. Gamble says, “There was a shorthand. We felt very comfortable with each other. We spent so much time together writing songs. And when you write songs with somebody, you collaborate intimately with someone. It's like a routine so it was really great to work with her in that respect.” Casting Gamble went against the normal roles he tends to land as his resume is filled with projects that lean more toward action than romance. During his nearly two decades in TV and film his credits include the likes of “Fear the Walking Dead,” “Vampire Diaries,” “FBI,” “Criminal Minds” and “NCIS.” Gamble enjoys playing different kinds of roles and that made the offer by the Landos to be in “Aloha” a no-brainer for him. His only criteria for taking on a role is that there must be a good story, and he found that with this film. “ ‘Garden State’ is one of my favorite movies, and I felt like this is sort of in line with the tone of ‘Garden State’ as far as it's romantic. Sort of a slice of life movie,” Gamble says. “And so, I jumped at the chance to work with them on it.” “Aloha” is the directing debut for Lando. He not only had all of the concerns of keeping the film under budget, making sure the writing was solid and getting the most out of his actors but also faced the task of directing his own wife. The way he dealt with all those situations was to keep in mind it was all just business. “You really click into that mindset,” Lando says. “Steph was wearing her producer hat the whole time, so she had to go back and forth between the acting and the performing and then producing. When we were driving to another location, she’s line producing in the car and trying to memorize her lines at the same time.” The multiple hats that Lynn wore during the shooting meant there would be times when the actor in her might want another take with a scene but the producer side had to keep things tight. She smiles and says in those cases, the producer always won.