Lightform Film Delivers Powerful and Emotional Short Film ‘Project Overlook’

For the past 5 going on 6 years, the Fan Fest Team has been a gigantic supporter of our DC-Verse TV Shows. We have grown incredibly attached to all the characters and have ‘supported’ them through their triumphs and victories. Lately, one show in particular has been doing exceeding well; The Flash.

The TV Series draws viewers in with their impressive story-writing and twisted suspense, which creates a sort of paradox as to whether or not these alternate Earths truly exist and if we will one day discover time travel. The world of the sci-fi is incredibly vast, and probably one of the hardest genres of film to capture. Filmmakers, writers and actors have to truly apply their creative mindset to create an alluring storyline and a brilliant visual.

During the recent Seattle 48 Hour Film Festival, there was one team in particular that mastered all of the above. For those of you who are unsure of how a 48-hour film project works, I can briefly touch on it. Filmmakers are given 48 hours to receive a genre, write their script, shoot the film, edit the project and return it back to those running the festival. Their films typically have to range between 7-10 minutes, and it is an extremely tiring and daunting task. This festival stresses the importance of teamwork, and creating something truly beautiful within the short amount of time.

One team that stood out in particular, was Lightform Film in their short film titled Project Overlook. The film was directed by Note and Nuk Suwanchote, who are certainly making a name for themselves  by mastering the art of film in the Northwest. In the past, they have won ‘Best Cinematography’ for their projects and all those who have seen the amazing work that they do can certainly tell you why. This most recent film has me completely blown away. It is visually breathtaking and has a storyline that will absolutely pull on your heartstrings.

Project Overlook is about a man who takes an opportunity to turn back time after he loses his daughter only to find out it is more complicated than expected.

Ray Hopper (Chased, Snow Falls) stars as the lead character, and I have to say – his performance is incredibly impressive. Ray’s dedication to capturing the perfect character never ceases to amaze me, and I have truly enjoyed watching his continual growth as an actor. He completely blows me away every single time I see him perform, and he is absolutely someone the DC-verse should keep on their radar. When I asked Ray about the importance of getting into the mindset of each of the characters he plays, he responded:

 

“To me there is nothing more important than getting the audience to feel what my character is enduring, whether it’s rage, sadness, love, vengeance etc. To me, lack of an established emotional connection is an injustice to the viewer.”

 

Well, Ray has certainly done an incredible job throughout the years of showing us exactly what his character is enduring. Ray has a supreme dedication to each and every single character that he plays, which I have seen first hand. It is no surprise that not only did Ray win ‘Best Overall Actor’ for the Seattle 48, but also ‘Best Actor- Drama’; both awards very well deserved. You have heard me say it before and I will say it again, Ray is an extremely driven and inspirational actor and absolutely someone for young, rising stars to look up to. His unwavered kindness to help others, dedication and devotion to both filmmaking and acting along with his motivation to succeed makes him not only an inspiration; but a true role model to all who cross paths with him.

His performance in this short film was incredible, and the fact that he was able to capture those emotions and characteristics in a short amount of time is beyond impressive.

Speaking of filmmaking, the masters behind the camera, Note and Nuk Swanchote have conquered some amazing works and I am looking forward to seeing them continue to grow and develop through their filmmaking careers. The two filmmakers are self-taught professionals, and their picture always comes out amazing. As I’ve stated in the past, it is up to the Director and the Director of Photography (DP) to paint the picture for the world to see.

Not only do they do their own filming, but their own editing as well. Editing a film is a heavy task, and takes a lot of time and dedication; which proves there is absolutely nothing this pair cannot accomplish. If Stephen Spielberg or Joss Whedon are looking for some enthusiastic and talented filmmakers, he need not look any further; this pair has already arrived.

I asked Director Note Swanchote about his experience on the 48-hour set, and his answer just proves to me that both he and his brothers work needs to be seen by world with how truly passionate they are about filmmaking as a whole:

 

“We had a spectacular experience on set. Everyone, from Production Assistant to the lead actors stepped up in order to make this short happen on time. This was a positive benefit given unique challenges we faced during pre and post production. The team we had this year was comprised of very few professionals in the industry. Rather, we jokingly nickname ourselves the rebels, misfits and outcasts. But in reality, the cast and crew was made up of people coming from various fields and that greatly contributed quality and dynamic as a whole.”

 

In addition to the best acting awards, Project Overlook also took home ‘Best Trailer’, ‘Best Sound’ and ‘Best Original Score’ – bringing them a total of 5 awards. All of these awards are incredibly well deserved, and I personally feel that Project Overlook needs to be seen by the world. I am beyond amazed with the work the entire team put into this project, and the ending result is absolutely… phenomenal. The Swanchote brothers have certainly outdone themselves with this one. If they can create something this beautiful in 48 hours, imagine what they can do with a year long feature film.

Hey Russo Brothers, I think I found your dream team!

 

Check out the film, Project Overlook, below… especially all of my fellow fans of The Flash. You will absolutely love this!

 

 

Starring: Ray Hopper, John Legas, Thom Delahunt, Isaac Gutierrez, Eugene Hu, Peyton Pierce and Mehra Namiranian