PLAIN AS NIGHT, 4min,. Canada
Directed by Seth Mackie
A man witnesses a murder from his dorm room.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

The initial motivation was an assignment for a digital media program I enrolled in, where I had to make a short film. The idea for the project, however, came from the really late nights I would spend in my dorm room, listening quietly to music and looking out my window, where I would often see a few running cars parked next to each other for long periods of time. I always wondered what they were up to, so I imagined a scenario where someone found out.

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

It took about a week for me to come up with a story and then write a script based on that story that I could live with. The shoot itself consisted of three two-hour shooting days and a 4th shooting day for pick-up shots of anything we missed. And finally, another two weeks of editing.

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

Visual and Tense.

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

There were two big obstacles I faced during the making of this film, the first obstacle being the rain. When we were shooting the wide shot of the car driving and revealing the body, it started raining unexpectedly. I was thrilled at first because I thought it looked great when we were filming it, but then I had to come up with a way to make it rain for all of the closer shots of the killer from the ground. I ended up using a spray bottle I purchased to create the rain and was surprised by how convincing the effect was. The second obstacle was that I had written an ending that I didn’t have the time or money to shoot so I had to essentially create a different ending in editing which ended up actually being better than what was written.

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

I was very pleasantly surprised to hear all of the positive things they had to say about the film. Hearing someone say that it was ‘masterfully done’ or that it’s ‘a great work of passion’ was hugely inspiring to hear.

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

I have had a passion for filmmaking since I was 12 years old which was sparked after seeing the films of Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson.

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

It would most likely be 2001: A Space Odyssey or Apocalypse Now. Really almost anything from Kubrick I have rewatched repeatedly. Something about his work really just resonates with me on a deep level.

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

I really loved getting the audience feedback video, the more feedback the better because it lets us see where we can improve and where we have succeeded.

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

My experience has been overall quite positive. It's easy to use the platform and easy to advertise your film to festivals on the platform.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I don’t really have one favourite meal, I like east Indian cuisine quite a bit though.

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

I have a few screenplays I’m working on currently, all of which are significantly different from ‘Plain as Night’. Hopefully it won't be too long until my next project.