I recently released a new short film titled Siren, via my Monson Filmworks YouTube. Clocking in at a tidy 3:41, it's one of my shortest films and does not feature a single word of spoken dialogue, a rare feature in my work. To be put simply, Siren is different.
The idea for Siren came about after I watched an experimental French film from the 1920s at the end of a dismal fall season of anti-inspiration. The film (which name I forget) depicts a woman running along a beach, and then away into a bush which leads to a feast. The woman crawls through the feast and things get stranger from there. The sepia tones, grey whites, and grain of the historical footage spoke to me and I realized I wanted to make something strange seen through that kind of lens. I sat down and typed out a rough outline. Three drafts later it turned into the three-page script I brandished as my four person crew set out to make it a reality.
That crew and I stormed the cold and rainy shores of Ruby Beach Washington six months after my initial inspiration. By my side I had my two main actors, Liam Hurley and Elissa Lorentz, and our impromptu PA, Brooke Cole. The two main challenges of the shoot lay in, first, shooting on a touristy beach, and secondly, keeping Elissa out of the frigid waves for as long as possible. The weather helped us with the first goal, the wind and rain kept most people off the beach. But it also complicated the second challenge.
Elissa, on top of looking forward to getting soaked by the ocean, was in a summer dress on a stormy beach. I can't thank her enough for her commitment to this uncomfortable role. We had a shot where she was laying in the surf, and a wave actually came up to her face and she waited until the last second to move. That's dedication people.
Liam actually spend a lot of time perfecting his character, a bitter fisherman with years of experience on a rocky coast. This is actually only the second time I have worked with Liam and I haven't seen an actor yet who spends this amount of time diving into their role. He's had minimal training and the last time I worked with him was on a short of mine called Betrayer's Fate, his first time acting.
Brooke, as PA, also acted as a continuity manager. The reason this film comes off so smoothly is because of her keen observations. I can't tell you how many times I almost hit the record button and she would say "Okay, but what about this?" Brooke was a godsend. On top of creating some fantastic polaroids for some epic BTS photos.
These people (and many more, check out the credits) made this film work. I am used to working solo, and in the last year my group of collaborators have grown into a crowd of possibilities. Siren was different, and better than anything else I have spearheaded, because of the commitment and dedication of those involved. I can't help but thank you guys. From the bottom of my heart. I couldn't make it without you.
Don't do it alone.
Maximilian Monson
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