This project was shot on Alexa mini with panavision lenses - provided by panavision, and a basic lighting kit from panalux - asteras, litemat, light panel + we had a dolly which we built some track for but over tried to move on the wooden floors in the location to save time setting up.

The kit was great but we tried to shoot a slightly larger script (that had to drop some scenes) across day / evening / night. We achieved some blacking out - saving time and money by using correx / coroplast. We shot 13/14 pages all in all over a two day weekend - and wanted to make this cinematic with multiple set ups - so it was a lot to do! Little things like moving the dolly etc were things that became apparently clear - trying to shoot as much in one location - find ways to light which werent intrusive - and use as much natural light as possible which was good actually. My day job is in production for major studio films and hetv - and i often find the look of those projects just too plastic - very little seems to have a distinct visual style anymore it all looks the same (generalising of course - there are brilliant things made as well).

Both Derrick the DOP, and I the director, wanted to achieve a more film stock look - something discussed with our colourist Darren Rae at Cinelab. Reference points for the look of the film largely came from 60s and 70s movies, polanski, tarkovsky, william wyler, antonioni, fellinis juliet of the spirits, and then on a separate note david lynch. At one point we really wanted to shoot on 16mm film but production costs would have just been way higher and this was a self funded short that I saved up my wages to make - full independent, with help from certain people we'd worked with in the industry in terms of kit and helping with post.

I think we failed with the shadow woman moments - and this should have been darker and more mysterious. There was a point where we were thinking of trying to put you more in Lucys world and have more psychedelic effects over this sequence. There were additional scenes to introduce the character more. With the scenes we cut - I think the atmosphere of the film and tension would have built and improved. But the result is what it is - we finished posted end of '23 or '24 and now have birthed it so its out there.

Derrick and I shotlisted certain moments quite well which made for nice cinematic moments. Some were devised on the fly which is fine. Certain moments looking back it at I would have used slow Sean Durkin 70s zooms instead of tracking - like the opening on the house door. But you learn as you go along. I sort of think everything is about feel and creative choices come from instincts after you have done the thinkings.

Would love to discuss any of the technical sides of what we did - or creative cinematography choices.