PARANOIA, 5min,. USA, Sci-Fi
Directed by Igor Volkov
Oxygen leak on the spacecraft put the crew in a dangerous position
Get to know the filmmaker:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
I’m really big fan of Sci-fi and horror genres, and unfortunately there is not a lot of movies combining this genres together. And I always wanted to be a part of it and try to make a something in these genre.
And One day I was watching a YouTube video about making of one of the sci-fi horror movies that I love a lot called “Paranoia”. And looking at its process made me feel that it’s not that unreachable goal that I thought before to make dark sci-fi story.
And only one thing that I need to figure out is a story that I could afford and don’t jump over my head with ambitions
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
The actual period from idea to script s and filming process East as long. I wrote an idea and overall story in a day and sanded It to my friend who is screenwriter, to help me to shape it in proper script form, from there I think I took him a month to write it down, because he was doing it in his spare time between his work.
While while the process of screenwriting was going I was looking for actors and location for the shoot.
When s creepy was done it took like half a month for prep and we shot a film, then I edited the movie in following week using temp score from other movies soundtrack to get over all pacing and atmosphere, and then I worked on sound design and sound effects. But it needed its original score. License music was actually fitting the movie extremely good. But I wanted this shots to be it’s own I depended project, and I needed it to have original score.
And the part of looking for music producer to make a score for it took 3 years.
So from idea to almost done project it took 2 month but to complete final product 3 years
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Incense claustrophobia
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
So the biggest obstacle for me was to find right composer to original score. I originally start working with a guy from my home country (Russia) to produce the score. It took him a year to deliver music, also because we were on opposite sides of the globe it was difficult to keep consistent contact with him. And when I received his work it was a really high quality work but it missed every note or bullet point that was given to him.
I tried to work on it editing it around the action in the movie and cutting out the parts but it was not fitting the short in my opinion.
And then pandemic started my attention moved to different stuff.
Then I met and start working with a producer (Sam Harmonix) and I showed him my short and asked if he would be interested to do a music for it.
We schedule the date and wrote the music in one night together
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
This feedback gave me a lot of confidence in my work. Even I liked my own short. And it was seen buy my friends. I was a bit nervous about reaction of the people that I don’t know, because I have this feeling that friends and people that know you give additional points to their opinion because.
But people that don’t know you gonna have more honest opinion on something that you done.
Watch the Audience Feedback Video:
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I always was a fan of movies and I could rewatch a movie for 100 times and slowly when phones started have camera me and my school friends started to do our own videos “Jackass” style. And then it went further. I got a camera then started working as videographer and no I’m here
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
As I said before I can rewatch movies a lot. And I’m not really sure which one gonna be the most rewatched one but in last 10 years I was consistently re watching a movie called “Drive” the visuals and atmosphere there is so captivating to me, also I really love that this movie have almost silent protagonist
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
Don’t really know at the moment. This is my first experience with festivals and also my first short film. So I don’t have anything to say on that
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
In general it pretty easy and convenient to have one page for the project that you can send to every festival from there.
Only one thing, the search of the festivals by the genes of a website is not showing all the options and I found some of the festivals trough googling them then finding them straight in Film freeway
10. What is your favorite meal?
The first thing that’s pop up in my head is Pizza
11. What is next for you? A new film?
Right now I’m continue working as Videographer and music video and commercials director. I have several short stories scripts in different form of completion laying down. I’m looking for what’s going to be with this short. What other feedback I’m gonna receive and go from there.
Matthew Toffolo's Summary 