RATS
Short Film
Tom and Lucy fight off the infestation of rats in their new, ‘fixer-uper’ property. Tom takes on the challange, trying everything he can to rid the house of pests all this whilst working at home and trying to make Lucy, his long term partner happy and comfortable. But the lack of progress starts to wear down Lucy and begin to rock the foundations of their relationship. The two become more and more isolated from each other until Tom is offered an ultimatum.
Drama
Director of Photography
Red Scarlet-W + Cooke S4i’s
Dir.Matthew Summer
Prod.Greyhound
CastMax Easton & bibi Lucille
LocationsUK
Thanks toOwen Whitehead, Adam Shaikh, Ellie Devereux, Leo Green
Notes
From the start, it felt like Rats was a deeply personal, perhaps almost auto-biographical script from Matt (writer/director). It read like a slow boil horror, and I enjoyed walking the line between the drama, thriller and even horror genres. In Matt's typical style, the payoff is reality - a bleak, sad and crushing realisation which is scarier than any fictitious foe. After shooting Matt's first film, I realised that his style is so authentic that the cinematography of his story had to be dramatic, at times beautiful but always thoughtful. With the bigger budget, I brought in more crew, lighting, and grip to craft an attractive image that compliments the story and hooks in the audience. It was a balance between reality and beauty - most setups ended with Owen (gaffer) and myself asking, "is this too pretty?".
At times we depart from that beauty - an argument in the kitchen was purposefully lit with harsh overhead green fluorescent lighting and shot with hand-held camera work to heighten the tension.
Audaciously for such a low-budget project, we tried a few one-shot sequences. For the most part, my operating felt deliberate and collected - a window of clarity into our characters' small, chaotic and unravelling drama.
