Messages
The project was produced as part of a collaboration between Evening Cat Productions and Shepherd Creative.
Plot Summary
Messages is a micro short that follows a woman as she makes her way through the woods and begins to receive a series of mysterious communications.
Cast
Natalie Yates as Woman
Crew
Director & Editor: Joseph Shepherd
Writer: Benjamin Peel
Cinematographer: Lewis Hart
Composer / Original Score: Jay Shute
Marketing Materials: Evening Cat Productions
Director Thoughts
"For me, Messages was a fresh start. When I first got my hands on the project, I knew the main thing I had to do was establish a sense of unease, which was present throughout. There are numerous ways of doing this, including music and post production. In regard to the score, I knew Jay [Shute]'s style of ambient music would really help establish tone.
I'm really keen on collaboration and very quickly Natalie [Yates], Jay and I found a winning formula. Regarding VFX, I found the use of the warp stabiliser tool in Premiere Pro helped create this sense of unease. Normally this tool is used to smooth footage, but when used in this context it creates a good amount of distortion and warping. Combined with the score, it achieved a real sense of discomfort."
- Joseph Shepherd, 2024
Awards and Selections