An in-depth and intense exclusive interview with director and editor DREW WALKUP discussing the making of ENDANGERED and most notably, creating and maintaining edge-of-your-seat thrills and visual interest through cinematography and editing.
SYNOPSIS: “Alison, an aspiring architect, spends her evenings trying to make ends meet as a ride-share driver. While wrapping up her shift, she decides to take on one last passenger – only to find herself in unexpected danger when she discovers the mysterious stranger is not who he appears to be. Alison is cajoled into taking the fare against her better judgment, and when she discovers blood-stained jewelry and a gun in her passenger’s bag, she begins to fear that she may not make it out of this trip alive. Through a twisted and unsettling turn of events, Alison appeals to her enigmatic passenger for help. In over her head, she fights to get through the night by covering her tracks, avoiding the police, and ultimately discovering who her inscrutable passenger truly is.”
Over the past few years, beginning even before the pandemic, rideshares like Uber and Lyft were becoming more and more popular. And with popularity or prevalence in society, so it goes in film. There has been a definite uptick in films not only set inside vehicles over the past years, but that involve rideshare themes and situations. Situational terror with rideshare has incredible potential for horror, terror, and thrills. Many that I have seen, initially at the festival level, are shot at night with wet pavement/asphalt and typically have a nice polished gloss. And while that is functional and effective, there needs to be some more creativity to keep the audience engaged. And this is where DREW WALKUP excels.
A testament to Drew and his collaboration with cinematographer Anthony Coons is how they change up camera angles, often using them to shift POV or character control. They make use of the rearview mirror and the side mirrors, shifting eyeline from driver to passenger as control within the shot shifts. And we are given moments where our characters of driver Alison and passenger Mike get to stretch their legs, but there is a purpose to these scenes and the lensing is even more purposeful, especially with ECUs, giving us little breadcrumbs of what may come down the road, keeping us visually engaged at all times. And once film is in the can, Drew edits with rapier precision, building upon ever-increasing tension while showcasing the film’s production values.
ENDANGERED isn’t just Drew’s narrative feature directorial debut. This is the first narrative feature for writers Adam Armstrong and Marcus Devivo as well as for actors Michael Olavson and Lizzie Zerebko who are beyond compelling as Mike and Alison.
In this exclusive interview, DREW WALKUP is an enjoyable open book, discussing all things ENDANGERED, from story and collaboration to casting to cinematography to editing to sound and score to fun with potential MacGuffins, to lessons learned and what the future may hold, and my favorites – soapy bubbles, blood, and working with Kathy…the alligator.
TAKE A LISTEN. . .
by debbie elias, exclusive interview 07/26/2022
