SPECTACLE, 13min., USA, Drama/Thriller
Directed by Keldon Duane-McGlashan
Three young people confront their relationship to violence after aggressions boil over on one fateful night

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/spectacle-short-film#/

Get to know Producer Cody Duane-McGlashan & Director Keldon Duane-McGlashan

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I grew up practicing Martial Arts - first Tae Kwon Do and later Muay Thai and a bit of MMA. During the pandemic I became obsessed with watching UFC, and when writing this film, I wanted to explore our cultural (and my personal) interest in violence. From video games to movies to street fight videos on Youtube, there's something undeniably captivating about two people in physical contest. To quote Quentin Tarantino when asked why he includes so much violence in his movies: "Because it's so much fun Jan, get it!" I was interested in telling a story that tried to capture violence from different angles rather than one moral stance. - Keldon (Director)

It is also abundantly clear that the intrigue with violence is far from unique. From the bestselling Call of Duty videogames churned out every Veterans Day to the endlessly replayed Will Smith slap of Chris Rock at The Oscars, physical violence is deeply entrenched in our collective psyche. I was really interested in Keldon's idea to make a film exploring that phenomenon. - Cody (Producer)

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

I had the initial idea in the fall of 2021 and began writing and pre-production and we completed the final cut in August of 2022, then had a few months of waiting to get copyright approval for music. So about a year in total. - Keldon

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Visceral and stimulated - Cody

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Figuring out how to actually shoot a lot of these scenes in just one or two shots was a challenge and required a lot of coordination with the actors and crew. For example the opening boxing scene took a ton of work to get the punches to look real without cutting to different angles, and then have the extras come out of the party to watch the fight all in the same shot. Our assistant director Natalie was instrumental to it looking real. - Keldon

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

It was very enjoyable to watch the audience reacting to our film as there were new perspectives and everyone's interpretation was different. When I finish a project, I've usually watched it so many times while editing that I'm ready to move on to the next one. It's easy to forget that art is intended to be viewed and experienced by others. While musicians have performances and actors have the stage, filmmakers in the digital age often miss the experience of a live viewing - seeing how an audience reacts. That's why the feedback videos were so great to see, and are a bit of extra motivation to produce as much work as possible. - Keldon

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

When I was around 8 years old I began making short action movies with my brother, Cody, and best friend, Lucas. Ever since then I've loved the process of filmmaking and eventually decided to pursue directing. - Keldon

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

The social network. - Keldon

The Big Lebowski - Cody

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

Feedback is so key which your festival has done a really good job of providing. I think that meeting other filmmakers and people in the industry is also something most young filmmakers would welcome. - Cody

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

It's been very straightforward and easy to submit. - Cody

10. What is your favorite meal?

Chinese food. - Keldon

11. What is next for you? A new film?

We are currently in the post production process of another short film, "Good Fortune" which we filmed in New York City. - Keldon