- Friday, Nov. 30, 2018
Director Benjamin Howdeshell shows his mastery of the dark side in Withorwithout, his new horror film/music video about a couple who are the apparent victims of a home invasion in the Hollywood Hills. Set to the song of the same name by the Australian band Parcels, the film stars Milla Jovovich in a tale that ratchets up the tension mercilessly before delivering a deliciously conceived final twist.
Jovovich plays a woman who’s in bed watching TV with her husband (Carsten Norgaard) when they are confronted by a group of masked, weapon-wielding men, played by members of the band. The situation quickly escalates as the couple finds themselves caught in an intense struggle for the lives. Howdeshell punctuates the story with lots of inventive and violently scary moments, made all the creepier through the contrast with the sweet, soulful song by the band.
“I loved the idea of showing these disturbing images against the melancholy disco groove of the track,” says Howdeshell. “The key to making that work was to establish the tension up front, which we do in a very frightening teaser that plays before the music begins. That sets the tone of the piece.”
Howdeshell, who directs through A Common Thread, produced the short film through his self-named Howdeshell Films. The concept came from Parcels and was executive produced and starred Jovovich, a longtime friend of the director and an ardent fan of the band. The script was written by Howdeshell’s frequent collaborator, Mike Doyle.
The production location was a classic 1960s vintage home situated in the hills above Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. “Working with Milla was amazing,” Howdeshell says. “She understands how to play to the camera, how to use her body, how to create intensity. We were in awe. At the end of the night, watching the climactic scene on monitors was a true ‘Oh my god’ moment.”
Howdeshell’s previous credits include the award-winning short Project: SERA, which he further developed into a series for IGN and 20th Century Fox. He has also directed commercials for HP, Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser, Bacardi and Doritos. Currently, he’s directing an original short film for 20th Century Fox, set in the aftermath of Ridley Scott’s Alien, in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of that iconic piece of film history. This officially sanctioned, latest addition to the Alien universe will be release in 2019.
A Common Thread is located at 4081 Redwood Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90066. For more information, call 310.823.7300 or visit http://www.acommonthread.tv
Production Company: Howdeshell Films, Inc.
Director: Benjamin Howdeshell
Screenplay by: Mike Doyle
Produced by: Shawn Wallace
Executive Producer: Milla Jovovich
Director of Photography: Eric Leach
Editor: Jake Shaver
Sound Design: Brandon Kim
Creative Director: Carmen Crommelin
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Carsten Norgaard, Jules Crommelin, Patrick Hetherington, Noah Hill, Anatole Serret, Louie Swain
Lyrics and Music by: Jules Crommelin, Patrick Hetherington, Noah Hill, Anatole Serret, Louie Swain
Performed by: Parcels
Label: Kitsuné / Because Music
First Assistant Director: Jeffrey Fuller
911 Operator: Heather Foster
Line Producer: Bret Rea
Production Coordinator: Nathan Zasada
Action Designer: Anthony Nanakornpanom
B-Camera Operator: Adam Leene
1st AC A Camera: Ken Tanaka
1st AC B Camera: Daniel Cooper
2nd AC / Data Manager: Brendan Devaine
Art Director: Eric Palmer
Set Dresser: Grant Hyde
Department Head Makeup: Christina Smith
Makeup: Marina Procter and Shelby Smith
Wardrobe Stylist: Candice Brittain
Wardrobe Assistants: Meredith Ambruso and Marcella Deluna
Department Head Hair: Candice Birns
Hair: Erica Beatty
Gaffer: Gordon Hale
Best Boy Electric: Kate Eleneke
Key Grip: Micah Minor
Sound Mixer: Fletcher Allison and Josh Haycraft
Production Assistants: Eric Gilbert, Kenneth Prieto, and Derek Siegel
Colorist: Omar Inguanzo
Assistant Editor: Shannon Albrink
Color Assistant: Faby Zumaran
Audio Assistant: Dillon Cahill
BERLIN UNIT
Director of Photography: Frederick Gomoll
Assistant: Yannik Sommer
Visual Effects: Green Light
VFX Supervisors: Dmitry Tokoyakov and Lyudmila Ivanova
Producer: Valentina Zhukova
Artists: Yuliya Pavlova, Danila Godya, Alexandra Drozd, Irina Spirina, Alexander Bocharov
Media Coordinator: Andrey Fenochka
Coordinator: Nelli Mukhametshina
Art Director: Evgenia Strukova
Administrative Support: Alexandra Ershova
Post Production Facility: Therapy Studios
Visual Effects: Therapy Studios
Flame Artists: Wren Waters and Geoff Stephenson
Flame Assistant: Phil Apostol
Colorist: Omar Inguanzo
Editor: Jake Shaver
Assistant Editor: Shannon Albrink
DI Artist: Faby Zumaran
Camera: Panavision
Special Thanks To: Paul W.S. Anderson, Renee Howdeshell, Doobie White, Chloe Corbelin, Birger Luedemann, John Ramsay, Columbia Theater Berlin, Alexander Francois Oppenheimer,