Salute Your Shorts / DC Shorts 2018 - Laboratory Conditions
A physician investigating a missing patient disrupts an unlawful experiment.
Interview with Producer Joe Russell
**STOP PRESS: Laboratory Conditions awarded Best SciFi at FilmQuest!
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
With Laboratory Conditions, filmmakers Jocelyn Stamat, Terry Rossio and I set out to redefine what was possible in the short film narrative genre. It would start fast, no waiting through credits. It would have the visual style and editing pace of a studio feature. It would present an ambitious unfolding narrative, with twists, turns, sub-plots, not letting up through to the final frame. We would storyboard. We would commission a score. We would hire movie stars. We would design key roles for supporting actors. We'd use visual effects. And we would shoot it all in five days.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Sci-fi fans have really enjoyed this film. The comment we keep getting is that the film feels like a feature among shorts. The writer / director and I took inspiration from shows like The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone and did everything we could do to make a great genre film.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The film texturally explores the existential question of not knowing our fate. Whether or not there is a continued existence after the life that we know.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Laboratory Conditions was the first screenplay written by Academy Award nominated screenwriter Terry Rossio while attending college at California State University, Fullerton. He read a newspaper story citing an offer of ten thousand dollars from some rich guy, to anyone who could prove the existence of a soul. A group of graduate students in Arizona took him up on the challenge. Terry thought, wow, there's an ideal concept for a film: explore big, universal ideas of life and death in an intimate setting.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We received very positive feedback by film festival programmers and have subsequently played at 36 festivals, so far winning 15 awards. Additionally a few production companies have inquired about buying the rights and funding a feature. We are still exploring what the next best step forward is.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I love your website and want to give you the kudos that you deserve. You give voice to filmmakers who now have an opportunity to tell their individual stories of production. You are helping pull away the curtain, so to speak, so other filmmakers can learn and gain motivation by seeing how things actually get made. To whoever is reading this, go make the thing you want to make! Start with a great script, treat it like an important feature film (no matter how short it is) and make it! The technology to make high quality films is more accessible than ever.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I am the most interested in cultivating a 4 or 5 other short sci-fi films and having them all be a part of a Sci-Fi anthology film with Laboratory Conditions as the anchor.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Well, I feel like we have been pretty lucky with the film festival reception it has received so far. It would be nice to see it reach an even larger audience in the future. Either on a digital platform or as a part of an anthology film that would get a theatrical release.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What happens when we die?
Would you like to add anything else?
Every chance I get, I like to talk about the importance of making the experience of making the film as important as the finished film itself and how easy that actually is. Stories of people being mistreated on movie sets are not rare, but they absolutely baffle me. It can be a good experience! There needs to be a hierarchy of positions on set so things get accomplished, but the people at the top of that list (producers, director, 1st AD) should never look at the PA's and background artists as less than.
Making smoothies for the people at the top while giving bags of chips to the extras builds an unnecessary wall that will not exist if you just give everyone access to the same food and let everyone eat at the same time. Every human on your set deserves to be treated equally regardless of pay or prestige. Everyone's time is valuable. I wish they taught that in film school. (note, I did not go to film school.)
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We are currently in pre-production on "Dashboard Jesus and Hula Girl" written by Terry Rossio and directed by Jocelyn Stamat. Jocelyn is also adapting the game League of Legends for Riot games, I am working on a film as a vehicle for myself as an actor called "Project Blackroom" and Terry recently worked on the upcoming Godzilla vs Kong movie and has lots of projects in various stages of writing.
Interview: September 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Laboratory Conditions
A physician investigating a missing patient disrupts an unlawful experiment.
Length: 16:47
Director: Jocelyn Stamat
Producer: Joe Russell
Writer: Terry Rossio
Key cast: Marisa Tomei, Minnie Driver, Paulo Costanzo, Lisa Renee, Casey Strand
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Social media handles:
Facebook: facebook.com/laboratoryconditions
Twitter: twitter.com/joerussell1
Other: www.LaboratoryConditions.com
Hashtags you use:
Where was this filmed? Los Angeles
Funders: Angel Investors
Made in association with: Joe Russell Productions
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? After Salute Your Shorts, we are playing:
Salute Your Shorts Aug 17-19
DC Shorts! Sept 6 - 16th
Filmquest (provo utah) Sept 7 - 15
Boise Idaho film festival Sept 14-16th
Gig Harbor Film Festival Sept 13-16th
Catalina Film Festival Sept 26th - 30th
San Diego Film Festival Oct 10
Austin Film Festival Oct 25th - Nov 1st
Evolution International Film Festival -
Phenomena Festival (San Paulo) Nov 1st - 4th