Under (short film)
| Under | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Mark Raso |
| Produced by | Jean-Marceau Secheret |
| Written by |
Mark Raso Jake Crane |
| Starring |
Zoe Winters Wayne Wilcox Michael Hogan |
| Music by | Agatha Kasprzyk |
| Cinematography | Alan Poon |
| Edited by | Mark Raso |
Production company | |
Release dates | April 27, 2011 |
Running time | 24 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Under is a short drama film directed by filmmaker Mark Raso. It was written, filmed, and edited all within a six-month period, and made its premiere at the Columbia University Film Festival in April, 2011. The film was financed mostly through grants and equipment sponsors through programs from William F. Whites and production services in Toronto.[1]
Plot
Set up as a love story about city girl Sydney, a relapsed drug addict who is convinced to journey to a country cabin by her fiancé Tom, in order to clean up. However, their plans of rehabilitation are suddenly made moot when an avalanche buries them alive. Trapped in a small pocket of air, the two soon realize that any attempt to free Sydney will bury and kill Tom. Sydney, who has slowly been killing herself with drugs, has to decide if she is finally willing to live, and at the expense of her beloved.
Production
Because it would cost too much to film in the mountains or rent a studio, Mark Raso and his crew had to get inventive. They used green screen, stop motion animation, and matching stock footage to create the avalanche and mountains seen in the film, and during the trapped-under-snow scenes, a box was built in Mark’s grandfather’s garage and filled with real snow.[2]
Release
The film made its premiere April 27, 2011, at the Columbia University Film Festival. The following year, after Raso submitted “Under” to the Student Academy Awards winning a gold medal, it continued to gain prominence. Soon it won official selections from film festivals worldwide, including the Woodstock Film Festival (USA), International Film Festival Cinematik (Slovakia), LA Shorts Film Festival (USA), Montreal World Film Festival (Canada), Brussels Short Film Festival (Belgium), Skena Up (Kosovo), and many more.[3]
Awards and Honors
- Gold Medal, Student Academy Award
- Golden ACE Award, Las Vegas International Film Festival
- CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival Audience Choice top 10
- CINE Special Jury Award (2012)
- CINE Golden Eagle Award (2011)
- Faculty Honors + Student Selects, Columbia University Film Festival (2011)
- IFP Audience Choice Award, Columbia Film Festival (2011)
- EP Best Producing Award Honorable Mention, Columbia Film Festival (2011)
Cast
- Zoe Winters as Sydney
- Wayne Wilcox as Tom
- Michael Hogan as Frank
References
- ↑ "Interview with Mark Raso – "Under" : Film School Shorts". blogs.kqed.org. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ↑ "Meet Mark Raso - Student Academy Awards". studentacademyawards.tumblr.com. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ↑ "Fidelio - Under". fideliofilms.com. Retrieved 3 August 2015.