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Title: My Last Respects
Runtime: 10 min
Country: USA
Director: Eva Merz
Placement: Honorable Mention
Synopsis: ‘My last respects’ is a true story about a girl who receives a phone call with tragic news that turns out to be a last chance to say goodbye.
OR: What was the inspiration for your film?
EM: MY LAST RESPECTS is based on a true story of my own experience. I got a fateful phone call from a friend that made me rethink how to live my life and reminded me to cherish the people around me that I love. I had to make a film about this experience, because I thought it was important to carry this unusual story about the impact of cancer on family and friends out to the world.
OR: When did you conceive the idea for your film and how long did it take before it was realized?
EM: Ironically, I got the fateful call on Valentine’s Day in 2013. Immediately after the phone conversation I had that tug at my heart that made me want to make a film. It took me a while to process what I had heard and the tragic repercussions of that message. But one night in April, it just all washed over me again and so I wrote down everything I remembered of the conversation in one night. The following month, I molded it into a script, together with Andrew Hu, a writer friend who had a more objective view on the story points. I took another month for finding my team and pre-production, before it was shot and finished in July 2013.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of working in a short film format?
EM: With a story like mine that is a ‘slice of life’, just 10 minutes of real time in somebody’s life – it is hard to set up a lot of character backstory. Because it is a phone conversation, it is already very expositional, so we tried to hint at the person’s backstory with production design, camera movement, costume and lighting.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of your production?
EM: MY LAST RESPECTS was shot in one single take to highlight the claustrophobic nature of an unpleasant conversation. It required a lot of practice and focus from all the team members, The steadycam operator and focus puller in particular did an amazing job in following our actress Katja Herbers on every move, which was never exactly the same, so we could give her some room for improvisation and realism. It was also challenging to find a room that was bright enough, so we did not have to use artificial lighting. With natural lighting, the actress was more flexible to move around in the space for the entire take without us having to worry about shadows or light stands in the frame.
OR: Do you have any advice for first-time filmmakers?
EM: The most important thing about filmmaking is hands-on practice. Don’t just read books, watch films and observe other people making movies. Go out yourself and practice with your own camera. Get a feeling for what your style and voice is by shooting and experimenting as much as you can. Film school is a great way to get complimentary information, but without practice, it is useless.