"You're fierce. You're going on a date, you don't know if you're gonna kill him or not." - Kayla Cunningham
Kayla Cunningham, a junior and cinema & media studies major, produces a short film for her cinematic communication course (CTPR-290) at USC. The title "Serving Face" encapsulates what the story is all about; a female murderer who skins her victims and wears their faces as masks of her own.
Cunningham states that this is her third short film that she has directed, and she has experienced a wide range of different on-set conditions. Her first film was four minutes long and she was the sole crew member. Once edited, "Serving Face" will be around ten minutes in length, and the production involved five other crew members working on site. Additionally, this was Cunningham's first time doing the camerawork as well as the direction, which she stated to be a great learning experience for her.
In total, the shoot was around 20 hours long over a two-day period. However, Cunningham recalls that the pre-production was an even longer process. After writing the script and creating shot lists and mood boards, additional prep was extensive. Necessary steps included finding a crew, getting permits to shoot, and obtaining props.
If all goes well, Cunningham hopes to be a successful director in her future. Although the process of creating a film is rewarding for her, it does not come without difficulties. Cunningham says that the hardest part of this shoot was the time crunch. She was given the assignment on Tuesday and had a few days to script and go through pre-production. After two days of filming over the weekend, she now has a week and half to edit and complete the project. There are many details to consider in the production of a short film, and keeping it all organized in a timely manner becomes a laborious task.
This short film not only tells a deranged and gory story, but is also a depiction of female rage. In this scene, Watson-Canning's character, Rowan, walks into the room feeling empowered and high off of adrenaline from killing a victim. As "girl punk" music plays on the speaker, Rowan is dancing with a chaotic and hysterical demeanor. When directing, Cunningham says, "This is your murder-happy girl music." Watson-Canning, a sophomore working towards a BA in theatre, says Rowan is not the first murderer she has played at USC; although she is the creepiest.
Being in charge of any project, especially a creative work of art such as a film, is a meticulous task. It is easy to get wrapped up in the minute details and want to shoot a particular scene multiple times over. However, the time restraint attached to production does not allow for that. When asked how Cunningham deals with the issue of perfectionism, she says, "I deal with it by making Portia deal with it." Along with many roles as an assistant director, Portia Sockel allots times on the shot list, telling the director when they must move to the next scene. Sockel said that throughout the process, she has learned that every crew member plays an important role, and the behind the scenes of a film is more complicated than it lets on.