TO CATCH A FISH- COMING SOON

"A struggling writer is visited by a mysterious entity and offered the chance of a lifetime: momentary sacrifice for fortune and glory. How far would you go?"

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I met James, the Writer and Director of this short thriller back in 2019. We conversed online and soon made a deal that I would shoot this brilliant little story of his. First of all, the script for this movie was like nothing I'd ever read. It held some of the most interesting dialogue I've read, which certainly got me thinking about some cool visual ideas.  

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The film focuses on the life of Noel - A young film school graduate, struggling with writers block. On a particularly dark night, he is visited by a strange entity who offers him unlimited fame and fortune. However, he's required to sacrifice something in return... 

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I knew straight away the film had to look dark. I wanted to use very little practical light sources, in order to isolate the character within his surroundings. With the shooting schedule coinciding with the longest day of the year, this could only mean one thing, night shoots.. 

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Though tiring, dark exteriors allowed me to make use of windows for both space and to imply natural moonlight. Using neon green combined with an Aputure 300d, I was able to create a neutral white light, ideal for creating subtle moonlight shades. However, I later decided that a stronger beam would allow for greater shadows, adding to the style of this script. 

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The arrival of the 'Gent' was a further opportunity to get creative with light. We used a practical light and strong exterior lighting both on dimmer switches in order to create a flicker to add tension for this part of the film, something that ended up working really well. 

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Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed working on this film and look forward to seeing how James cuts this little beast in the edit!