A struggle to stay away from the smartphone turns into a nightmare. A short film which depicts our inner conflict to regain control over dopamine-inducing digital machines.
Ideation & Screenplay
The journey began with the challenge I took upon myself, to tell a story that stirs emotions in the audience and communicates a feeling without the use of dialogue or facial expression. Being a smartphone addict myself, I made the decision to exaggeratedly portray my inner conflicts through visuals. The storyline seemed appropriate for my debut short as it dealt with contemporary social issue while also being very personal, and it was a perfect fit for my budget of ₹15000 (approximately $200).
Mood board
I had a specific tone and style in mind for the movie when I was writing. Mood boarding helped me put it on the screen and offered me a clear direction. I chose a dark, blue & moody tone to convey crisis and to elevate the horrific events that gradually unfolds.
Shotlist & Storyboard
As this was my debut short film, I wanted to be certain that I was well prepared and knew exactly what I needed and how I needed it. I created the visuals in Cinema 4D and made a detailed shot list with specifics, which allowed me to move forward with confidence.
Setup & Shooting
This is where the magic happened. I filmed the entire thing in my room with the help of my dad and Rowan, an actor in the film who is also a good friend of mine, using props which were available to us. We altered the source's intensity for a few shots while using a single light setup for the entire film. Since the tone of the movie was dark, and the film was shot at night, we were able to hide the unnecessary elements easily.
Editing & Color Grading
After some effort was put into choosing and organising the clips, editing went smoothly. The first cut was a little too long, clocking in at about 12 minutes. I was able to successfully shorten it to 7 minutes after a few revisions.
Color grading was something I had no prior knowledge of and had to learn on the job.I used Davinci Resolve for both editing and color grading as it was a free and user-friendly tool.
Music
I collaborated on the music with my good friend and music producer Nuthan. The entire music was created around a beat he beatboxed to me in a casual conversation. The beat was stuck in our heads and we both knew it would be ideal for the film. To reflect the mood and theme of the movie, we kept the track a bit dirty and grungy.
Poster
I wanted the poster to hint at the story and communicate the genre without revealing much. I chose the key shot from the film itself, it was the first image which had come to mind when I started writing the script.
Teaser
I decided to cut the teaser as a short version of the film but without any resolutions or climax. The goal was to induce tension so that viewers would want to see the entire film to find out how the situation plays out.
Credits
Production Studio
Esc Box
Story, Screenplay, Direction, Cinematography,
Editing, Color & VFX
Bharath KS
Editing, Color & VFX
Bharath KS
Cast
Rowan Poojary
Rowan Poojary
Music
Nuthan
Nuthan
Special Thanks
Bharath V
Puneeth V
Sathish AN
Vinayaka
Vijay MS
Vidhi
Thank You
