A Case Study
Narrative | Dramatic Features
Film Name: An Uninvited Guest
Genre: Thriller, Sci-Fi
Date: January 2020
Director: Richard B Pierre
Producer: Richard B Pierre
Writer: Richard B Pierre
Cinematographer: Gayle Ye
Film Length: 3 minutes 22 seconds
Production Company: Afro Flix
Budget: $28000 US
Financing: Ontario Arts Council
Shooting Format: RED Gemini in 5K
Screening Format: 2k / 4k / HD DCP/ProRes
World Premiere: San Diego Black Film Festival
Awards:
– Impact Award (CaribbeanTales International Film Festival)
– Stand Out Actor for a Short Film Award (Richard Walters) at ReelWorld Film Festival
– Best Thriller Award (HollyShorts Film Festival)
Website: http://anuninvitedguest.com/
indieactivity: What is your film about?
Richard B Pierre (RBP): An Uninvited Guest is a short film that I like to describe as a dinner in the Twilight Zone by way of racial profiling and police brutality. I came up with the idea in 2015 after watching one particular devastating video of a Black man executed by a police officer on the six o’clock news. It really impacted me and I wanted to find a way to address it through my art.
The Official Teaser Trailer for An Uninvited Guest written, and directed by Richard B. Pierre
Tell us about the festival run, marketing, and sales?
Richard B Pierre (RBP): We’ve been fortunate to screen at ten festivals already with more to come. At our second screening at CaribbeanTales International Film Festival, we picked up the Impact Award which was a great honor for a three-minute short film. After that my lead actor Richard Walters scored the Stand Out Actor for a Short Film Award at the ReelWorld Film Festival. Most recently I was over the moon excited when we won the Best Thriller Award at HollyShorts Film Festival. The program at HollyShorts was really superb so to be honored amongst so much talent is humbling. Next up, we’re off to the prestigious Whistler Film Festival and I’m excited for that one.
Give the full Official Synopsis for your film?
Richard B Pierre (RBP): When a Black man is viciously assaulted by police right outside their window, all of the guests at a dinner party seem to consider the attack unremarkable except for one.
Three White people and one Black man wordlessly enjoy dinner while in the front yard a Black man is brutally assaulted by a police officer. The sounds of his suffering seem to only momentarily distract these strange people from their meal. However, as events outside escalate, one of the guests, the Black man, grows increasingly anxious. As his demeanor changes from numb to responsive, the people around him grow uncomfortable. Moments later, in a wordless interaction, the police officer singles out the Black man for detention. He is placed in a police car but on the way to the station he senses something sinister is about to occur and he escapes but not for long…
Development & Financing?
Richard B Pierre (RBP): “An Uninvited Guest” was born out of me witnessing a Black man murdered on the six o’clock news. There are no words to describe that sensation in the pit of my stomach when I watched this man executed by the police in broad daylight. Given the pain the families experience by having their loved ones’ names published, I’ve chosen to not indicate which particular video but this was around 2015. As I watched the video replay on a seemingly endless loop, I could easily become numb to the horror and yet each time it played was as fresh and real as if it had happened right in front of me. I knew I needed to do something more than just get angry. I needed to do something that would provoke people and that is when I began writing this film. As far as financing, I applied for several grants and was rejected and then I re-applied and was lucky to receive a production grant from the Ontario Arts Council which is an agency of the Government of Ontario in Canada. In the past I’ve gone the self-financing route and was elated that I didn’t have to with this one, it took a lot of the pressure off me as a filmmaker so I could focus more on the craft.
Production?
Richard B Pierre (RBP): We filmed the piece in December of 2018 over the course of two cold nights on location in Toronto at a local park and a private residence. In terms of the filmmaking process, it was important to me that I work with a diverse crew and the team I assembled was mostly racialized, of which about 70% were women and 20% were Black.
In terms of editing, I was hoping to start cutting as soon as we wrapped but my go-to editor was unavailable. Eventually, I realized I’d need to take on that role myself so the post process took longer. Our first cut was in January but we didn’t lock until July 2019. Given the subject matter, I spent a lot of ‘me tweaking and making sure I really nailed the cut sending it out to a wide range of industry people as well as regular folks to see if the story was working.
Our sound mix began in July 2019 and again there was a lot of finessing with my talent composer/sound designer Caleb Johnston who was very patient with me. He really brought some great ideas to the table and was able to turn my thoughts into a sonic nightmare.
Festival Preparation & Strategy?
RBP: My plan for film festivals is generally try to get into Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival and then hit other big festivals like Sundance and TIFF (because you have to swing for the fences) and follow that with festivals where my films have screened in the past such as HollyShorts and ReelWorld which has screened a bunch of my films over the years. I was delighted to have An Uninvited be the fiih film of mine selected for the St. Louis International Film Festival – they’ve been a huge supporter of my work basically since the start of my career. I also knew I really wanted to target the film at Black film festivals but then I branched out and thought about social justice and human rights type and genre festivals as that might hit some key audiences as well. As far as which festival gave me the edge, I feel like my win at HollyShorts will have a huge impact on my fes’val life so I’m excited to see where that takes me. Stay tuned.
The Release?
RBP: At this point, we’re still focused on the festival circuit. I did reach out to distributors prior to all the festival accolades so I’m aiming to take another stab at that once the ‘ming is right. But failing to find a buyer, I’m aiming to try a self-release, perhaps doing a 30-day paid window and then a wide-release via Vimeo/YouTube. It would be great if we could land on Short of the Week, Director Notes, or Nowness but who knows.
Advice from the Filmmaker?
RBP: The best piece of advice is always to make movies. And don’t fixate on making the best movie ever. Just make something. Anything. Just make sure you’re passionate about it. If you’re on the fence then don’t bother. Also, try not to compare yourself to others. It’s easy to go into a downward spiral when you see someone else winning awards and going into the festivals that you wish you were a part of. And finally, trust your gut.
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