A vacuum cleaner, a gun, a van and a tombstone.

Four symbols inspired this short film produced by K48 in association with Eppich Films to promote the shortology.it project by H-57: A vacuum cleaner, a gun, a van and a tombstone. Directed by Francesco Calabrese, who keeps these terrific shorts coming one after the other, as Death sets the table to a very specific situation.

I guess a more accurate description should come from a viewer. Anyway to me it is a story about women who despite being very alike they have to go against each other in order to save what’s left of their lives. No good guy or bad guy here. Just people that find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time and have to take action.

Turning a film around with such a confined challenge is not an easy thing, and it’s gratifying to see a talented filmmaker like Francesco, who’s brought us the structured shorts like ‘I Killer‘ and ‘The Shift‘, to use his talents to convert restrictions into an insulating experience.

The project came about as branded content for the design project called Shortology by H-57, a small Italian advertising agency I worked with before. They held a competition where people could write a very short story inspired by four random symbols generated by a computer. Then gave the best stories to filmmakers to make them into short films. I got a vacuum cleaner, a gun a van and a tombstone. It’s been a challenge making it in no time with next to no budget and fixed elements, but I wanted to try something like this in the narrative space nonetheless.

In its vague concept, ‘Death’ leaves us with lots to ponder about. With its electrifying 80’s soundtrack it sets the tense cheeky mood amplified by the courageous lighting, and the unrounded situation.

K48.it • H-57.com
francescocalabrese.tv
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