Lady Filmmakers Festival / FirstGlance Film Festival Philadelphia 2019 – Hide and Seek
Two girls on a long road trip try to leave a small, nameless town. Ignoring a warning, they take a risky detour and quickly become lost. Frustration turns to terror as they’re abducted by a figure from the darkness. The film rapidly accelerates, culminating in a climactic showdown on a dark road where nothing appears to be as it seems.
Interview with Writer/Director/Editor Emily Brubaker
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Well, thank you! Hide and Seek was made with a lot of blood, sweat, tears (many tears), and energy drinks (many many energy drinks). What prompted me to start writing Hide and Seek was actually a Halloween themed project that I had assigned to my college's film club. I started looking for inspiration via the scariest place I could think of; the internet. I stumbled across an anonymous post about the idea of someone taking the game of hide and seek a little too far. Then upon further research, I discovered there is an actual community of people who play adult hide and seek. I knew I wanted the script to be something mysterious, exciting, and I wanted there to be one hell of a twist at the end. My process as a writer is to essentially just start writing and see what ends up on the page and so that's what I did.
It actually wasn't until I showed the first draft of the script to my professor (Anthony Collamati) that I realized the metaphor/parallels relating to the topic of rape within the story. Those were things that had flowed out into my writing subconsciously, and once I recognized them I knew I had to make this film and I had to do it well. The symbolism and the way the film is able to portray what a victim of rape goes through without ever using the act of rape in the plot is what really elevates the film beyond just a really entertaining thriller. Having a personal connection to the topic as well as being a student in college at the time, I thought it was a very important film that might be able to start a lot of conversations by approaching the topic in a way that I personally hadn't seen done before. All of this together is how Hide and Seek came to be, and I couldn't be prouder of how it all turned out.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time, and I can guarantee a surprise at the end that no one thus far has seen coming. Beyond it just being an entertaining way to spend 13 minutes, the twist at the end as well as the symbolism throughout will hit you when you least expect it. My film gets straight to the issue at hand and provokes people to talk about sexual assault in a new light, one with hopefully more empathy and understanding.
Aside from the deeper meaning, the film has some great performances, some haunting imagery, and you will be thoroughly entertained from start to finish.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Well, the theme of rape is unique because it's extremely personal, but because there are so many different situations and because it's unfortunately so prevalent across the world, that also makes it universal. My film tries to boil it down to what are the two most common motives behind it, and just how traumatic going through it can be on a number of levels, from loss of control to blaming yourself, to feeling completely reduced to an object to be played with.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
It has evolved tremendously as all films do. Having done the writing, the directing, and all of the post-production I saw every single stage of the film up close and personal. The main thing that I had to do that was crucial to the success of the film, was distance myself. It was hard to be the voice in my head that said "Cut, cut, cut!" but I think that had I not been as ruthless with the storytelling at every stage in the process, that the film wouldn't have turned out nearly as good.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We've received wonderful feedback in terms of getting into some really great festivals as well as being awarded several prestigious awards, my favorite being "Best Film by a Female Director" at Cape Fear International Film Festival, which was only our 2nd official screening! I think my favorite two pieces of audience feedback were "It scared the shit out of me!" and "Wow....you're dark."
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I wouldn't say it's surprised or challenged my point of view, but it has been super cool to hear all of the little things people noticed that might have even slipped by me. I'm not gonna sit here and pretend that I meant for the blade of grass that was bent a certain way to have any relation to the message in the film, but if an audience member had an interesting reason why they think it does, then I think that's just as valid and interesting as anything I intentionally put in the film. I love hearing what people take away from something that is so important to me because it means that it's now become important to someone else, which is what every filmmaker hopes for at the end of the day.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I'm hoping that some woman out there who is too nervous to make her film, whether it's because someone may have told her "she doesn't look like she'd do horror" or "try costume design instead," sees this and the other articles about strong women filmmakers and decides to make her film anyways.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Ultimately I would love for this to lead to more press exposure, articles, etc. just to spread the word about the film. And I would also hope that people who read this/see the film would reach out and connect because I'm always looking to connect to other passionate filmmakers as well as hear how the film resonated with different people!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would hope that at its core it is received as being a commercially entertaining film with a message that people love to watch. I hope it leads to more opportunities to share my work as a filmmaker, as well as giving everyone who worked on it a killer piece for their demo reels. I would also hope it leads to me being able to do more of what I love, which is telling stories.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Why do you think the brothers consistently get away with doing this, even with being as bold as they are? What does each of the brothers represent?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am currently working on developing two feature film concepts/scripts, one being more supernatural and one is more of an action/drama.
Interview: October 2019
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
Hide and Seek
Two girls on a long road trip try to leave a small, nameless town. Ignoring a warning, they take a risky detour and quickly become lost. Frustration turns to terror as they’re abducted by a figure from the darkness. The film rapidly accelerates, culminating in a climactic showdown on a dark road where nothing appears to be as it seems.
Length: 12:58
Director: Emily Brubaker
Producer: Emma Wood
Writer: Emily Brubaker
About the writer, director and producer:
EMILY BRUBAKER is an award-winning filmmaker who recently wrote/directed/edited the short thriller Hide and Seek. She recently graduated from Alma College (2019) where she majored in New Media Studies. Emily was the first female president and vice president of the school’s film club, where she worked hard to make it a more diverse space for filmmakers of all backgrounds. Her first film ever made, an award-winning short called The Spark, truly “sparked” her love for film, and more specifically, writing and directing.
EMMA WOOD is a senior at Alma College where she majors in New Media Studies. She is the VP of the Alma College Film Club where she is passionate about the need for diverse storytellers and hopes to be able to have her voice heard all while helping other women do so as well. She has an interest in post-production but ultimately loves all aspects of filmmaking. She hopes to move into a digital-media focused career path in her future.
Key cast: Andrew Martyn (Cop), Mackenzie Possage (Becca), Shannon Cody (Maddie), Ryan Trombley (Brother)
Looking for: journalists
Instagram: @emilybrubaker
Hashtags used: #hideandseekfilm #womenmadefilm #womandirector #womanwriter #womancinematographer #womaneditor #womanproducer
Website: eabrubaker.wixsite.com/hideandseek
Made in association with: Alma College New Media Studies Department
Funders: Self-funded/College-Funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Lady Filmmakers Festival/Beverly Hills, CA - September 25-29, 2019; FirstGlance Film Festival Philadelphia/Philadelphia, PA - November 1-3, 2019