As the covid pandemic sweeps the world, three neighbors shelter in a makeshift bunker while struggling to maintain their sanity.
Director: RYAN MONOLOPOLOUS
Co-Writers: HAMID THOMPSON, RYAN MONOLOPOLOUS
Producers: CARLOS VELASCO, HAMID THOMPSON, PARIS SCHULMAN, CHRIS EVANS
In an amazing feat of lockdown filmmaking, the team behind 19 Covid Lane have created a wonderful satirical homage to 10 Cloverfield Lane, giving it a covid twist. Check out our interview with the filmmakers…
WE TYPICALLY ASK “WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION” BUT I THINK WITH YOUR FILM IT’S PRETTY OBVIOUS. COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT THE PROCESS OF CREATING A 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE HOMAGE AROUND COVID-19:
Interestingly while the film is inspired, on a base level, by 10 Cloverfield Lane, we did not hold to that film’s structure, plot, or devices. Instead that film served as our thematic inspiration - embodying the paranoia and hysteria of the Covid-19 pandemic. When Georgia and the rest of the world issued a shelter in place order - suddenly millions of people felt afraid, trapped, and in a void of information - making this film a perfect parallel. Using 10 Cloverfield Lane as the foundational premise, we then constructed our story upon that; with scenes that satire the menagerie of the horror / psychological thriller genre. Our end goal was to not create a spoof, but to approach 19 Covid Lane as a piece of intelligent satire that stands on its own as original, entertaining, and thoughtful.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BRING THE SCRIPT TO LIFE DURING LOCKDOWN:
People respond to crisis in a lot of ways. For Hamid and I, we try to funnel our thoughts and energy into something creative that may help progress the conversation. Bringing a project to life was a unique problem - in that we had to be very aware of safety concerns, but more importantly of creative something that spoke about the issue without mocking those affected by it. We feel we really hit that balance.
DID YOU HAVE ANY CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR CREATING QUALITY CONTENT DURING LOCKDOWN:
The biggest disruptor to our traditional production process was access to team. The solution there was to take the members of Hamid and I’s homes and turn them into our crew, to convert my basement into the bunker, and have everyone on double or triple duty (for example our producers served as crafty, camera assists, etc). In this way, we created the film in a fashion similar to film school - which was a fulfilling in that we grew to connect with and trust each other in new ways.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF THE FILMMAKING PROCESS:
RYAN: For me, my favorite part of filmmaking is the energy and tactical problem solving on set that leads to truth. And by truth here I don’t mean anything densely philosophical, I mean multiple parties working as hard as they can to create the great illusion that is a film - where characters and the story ultimately become believable and ‘real’. I am heavily involved in film technologies and immersive storytelling that are pushing filmmaking into new direction (something this pandemic will ultimately fast track) but I strongly believe nothing will ever replace the human energy of being on a set.
SCREENING RECOMENDATIONS FOR QUARANTINE:
HAMID: When it comes to gaining an audience - there are always challenges. During quarantine events and film festivals have been placed on hold, meaning short films have to work to find a new venue to reach audiences. We combined a social media push with a well planned marketing campaign that landed us with a distributer: Funny or Die where we will be releasing soon.
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