Assault on the Senses

Short Film, 2015

In the midst of fighting, a soldier contemplates the aftermath of battle. Where once there was respite from the chaos of war, now there are a million small things that wear away at morale.

Synopsis

In the midst of fighting in the pacific, a US Second World War soldier contemplates the aftermath of battle. Where once there was respite from the chaos of war, now there are a million small things that wear away at morale; the ringing in his ears, the crackling of his mess tin on the fire and the relentless rain that pats on his tin helmet. Assault on the Senses explores the mental war that follows a battle.

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Making Of

The poem featured in Assault on the Senses was written by Zander back in 2012, having been inspired by the cinematic music of Keith Kenniff and in particular the track Threnody. The plan to set the poem to music and shoot a short film to match was loosely inspired by our first short; The Price of Freedom, which we started making back in 2004. And we wondered how differently we’d tackle a similar project after almost 10 years.

We enlisted the talent and professionalism (and patience!) of our trusty actor/best friend Marc Baylis in yet another short film. Having starred in The Price of Freedom, Encounter (short) and The Mysterious Disappearance of M.M.Bayliss, this would be our fourth film together. Every project has a tale or two to tell and this time was no exception.

The short was shot in some bushes in our garden over 4 different night shoots (3-4 hours each), mainly thanks to the inhibiting conditions created by the cold spring weather and the heavy rain effects.

We were so heavily inspired by Threnody by Keith Kenniff, having written the poem and even rough-cut to his music, we decided to contact him directly and purchase a license. We did try a few other tracks in the edit, but they just weren’t hitting the mark for us. We’d really like thank Keith Kenniff for his swift and courteous correspondence, his help with the licensing process and his overall support for our little project. We’re incredibly grateful for your stirring music.

To read a more detailed “making of” article, please follow the link below:
reeldealfilmschool.wordpress.com/assault-on-the-senses-bmpcc-short-film/

Credits

Directed & Produced by:
Elliot Weaver & Zander Weaver

Written by:
Zander Weaver

Starring:
Marc Maclaren Baylis

Music by:
Keith Kenniff – Unseen-Music

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