Production

Production;

Making Of Our Short Film;

Our journey of filming, we commenced shooting at the CAMB (Center for Applied Molecular Biology) on November 9. While much of the story transpired there, we took a road trip and filmed some beautiful landscape shots in Arng Kel, Kashmir. We also filmed some comforting house scenes at my friend's house in Kasur. Sometimes you have to adapt, don't you? Our teacher Sir Faizan suggested including these extra locations in post, and actually, it kind of brought everything to life. Two days saw the final blow to CAMB and concentrated mainly on this intense murder sequence that kept looping in the head of the protagonist. Those scenes captured the brooding atmosphere that we were aiming for. But I must say, the last-minute changes in location put us on our toes, and we had to organize a few things somewhat differently.

The Acting Journey;

Almost from the beginning, auditions were held on campus, but we said to ourselves, "Why not do it ourselves?" Abdur Rehman was called upon to play the lead, and we began with him entering the storage space and that very intense stabbing picture. Then came the crazy murder scene of mine, Umar Ahsan. My first scene was quite intense while tied up in a chair. Each shot truly worked for us, especially those close-ups of utter pain and rage. Even the unconscious parts helped in tying the story together.

Director's Corner; 

Everything in the film had a meaning. The creaky door knob, the dark shots of the warehouse-those were all planned. We had some fun with the lighting too: we lit the evidence board-including all the pictures and news clippings of missing people-with a sunset lamp. Very cool! For the costume design, we decided on a black suit for our main character; it really paid tribute to his dedication and seriousness. Directing was a blast! Though there were a few times we had to think on our feet-directing is like that. When things weren't working during the shoot, we changed things on the fly. TV watching scene on the couch was out, along with one other bedroom sequence, but that proved to be a good thing instead-turned out we developed that door knob loop so much more.

Camera Work; 

Shooting an engaging thriller is not only about the storyline, but also about creating the story through the camera. Our dedicated crew member and friend Musa Alvie was key in putting that vision to execution. Scant though the equipment might have been, we made use of our iPhone 11 to shoot the maximum possible shots to have a visually engaging edit. 

From the very beginning, we focused on blocking angles and tension, and building on the immersion. We open the film with an establishing shot that introduces an abominable atmosphere of a warehouse, leading to very detailed close-ups of props that would create depth in our short. When the character reaches for the door, there is a simultaneous close-up shot of the doorknob as he opens it. The tension escalates with an extreme close-up of fingers cut into an even tighter close-up of his eye—dragging the audience into his psyche.

the storytelling descends into horror as a stabbing-murder of the picture comes into view. The jarring close-up of the knife, with blood trickling ominously down from its familiar gleam and now embedded within the picture, heightens the impact—this foreshadowing makes the elegant moment come into play: knife in hand, the silent spectator tied up in the background, subtly suggesting his doom.

Building tension arrests the action as the film cuts to a midshot of the protagonist awakening, but before he can come to grasp what is going on, everything goes black and the camera reveals a sword thrust across his throat. Just as the audience thinks this graphic moment is the end, the film jumps back into a déjà vu-mystery doorknob scenario. 

Sound Handling;

It was during editing that we found that the story did not connect strongly with the audience. We then introduced voice-overs for certain scenes, which were designed to provide a richer context and enhance the emotional gravity of those moments. These narrations clarify the mind of the protagonist, elevate the tension, and provide pathing for the audience through the unfolding events.

List of Voice Overs Used;