The Film Student TV – Skeletons

Episode 4 of The Film Student is loosely dubbed “the horror episode” because it features pitches that revolve around rather dark concepts. In Sean Stokes’ “Foresight”, a psychic dreams of her own murder at the hands of a serial killer. When she wakes up, she realizes her foreboding dream is reality and she must figure out a way to avoid her death. The judges ruled in favor of Devin Myler’s “Skeletons” which is about a young boy who is forbidden by his older brother from opening a bedroom door.

Devin chose the title “Skeletons” in reference to the phrase “skeletons in your closet” to hint that there is something hidden behind the door at the top of the stairs. The concept of the film is quite dark, and Devin chose to shoot on 16mm with a low saturation/high contrast look in order to match the dark atmosphere. Every frame was pre-flashed to get that look, and Devin made sure to schedule time for that tedious process.

Lighting was integral for Devin to achieve the look he wanted, and he took great care into making sure each scene was lit properly and dramatically.

Aside from the film’s look, Devin’s dark story also presented the obstacle of casting a child actor for the lead. The film revolved around properly casting the role of the young boy, but four casting agencies replied back and told Devin his film was too dark, and they would not send any children to the casting. Luckily, Hart Massey was able to find the perfect lead for Devin’s film, and the production was saved from postponement. Aris Jeffers stars as Danny, and he is actually the son of one of Toronto Film School’s Dean of Academics. You will see that Aris is a natural in front of the camera.

Devin Myler has been doing great film work ever since he was a freshman at Toronto Film School. Be sure to watch the development of “Skeletons” and the film itself at the link below!

Don’t forget to catch the newest episode of The Film Student every Monday on Rogers TV (channel 10 or 63) at 7:30pm. Each episode will provide an insider look into the trials and tribulations film students face during production, and will include a full screening of the resulting short-film.

Watch Episode 4 right here!