The Buried Alive Film Festival 2019: Silver Skull Award Winner "Cleaver Creek"

This month, my artistic endeavors took on a new, unprecedented medium — short film. With no experience or confidence, I took on a major challenge — and an official challenge, at that — to create a short horror film in only 13 days.

How We Got Here
In 2018, my friend and colleague Amy invited me to a short film festival. She explained, “It’s a horror film festival.” I immediately said, “That sounds terrible.” But then, she got me — “It’s a creative challenge. Everyone only has 13 days to make the film, and they don’t get to pick what the film is about. You just have to go with it.” I was immediately hooked, and we were on our way to the 2018 Buried Alive Film Festival.

While watching the films (which could only be 5:00 long), I was floored by everyone’s interpretations of their mandated topics, media, and the daunting timeline. But one thought emerged above all others — “I think I could totally do this.”

So, I dedicated myself then and there. I looked at Amy and said, “Next year, we’re doing this. And we’re going to win.”

Flash Forward to the Most Inconvenient Time of the Year
October 2019 comes, and it’s, of course, a madhouse. My job had three multi-million dollar events to execute, a spirit week celebration, a Halloween-Birthday party, and my body decided to have a double ear, double sinus, and double eye infection when it came time to enter the festival. But, I had dedicated myself (and Amy at this point) to make it happen. So, I went against doctors’ orders (and probably my own best interest) and did it anyway.

The Madness Begins
We went to the coffee shop for the festival kickoff and began the process. First, we were asked to draw a theme card — we’d draw two and could combine them or put back one. At this point, I’d guilted my best friend Chris to come in and be my director, so we reached in the pot together. We drew “French Extremity” and “Meta Horror,” to which we almost immediately put back “French Extremity.” Nearly impossible to shoot with friends, and just not our style. So, “Meta” it was. Next, we had to draw our topic.

Topic selection came in the form of Cards Against Humanity Cards, which range from strange phrases like “A windmill full of corpses” (my hopeful pick) and “A good-natured cop with nothing left to lose.” We drew, “That bitch, Stacy.” With our topic and genre in hand, we took to a corner table to begin brainstorming.

Skipping Forward
Scripts came and went, all posing their own difficulties and (as we eventually found out) impossibilities. We explored the word “bitch” as a social landmark, wondering if we make a statement or a joke. We had scripts where “Stacy” was our protagonist, antagonist, or an innocent bystander. We had stories of senseless violence and some of targeted revenge. But in the end, we decided on a meta trope — The Harbinger.

Chris, our amazing director, wrote a script with a simple premise. You know how at the beginning of all “hillbilly horror” films, there’s that person at the top of the hill or local gas shack who warns, “Turn back! Bad stuff happens to folks who go to __________.”? Well, what would happen if we focused in on that person as the protagonist, instead of just having them in a single scene?

And what if that person got so tired of warning tourists to no avail, they, say, snapped? Imagine waking up every morning, warning tourists not to venture into the woods, then spending the rest of the day cleaning up their bodies, then waking up and doing it all over again? That’s enough to turn someone into an ax murderer! Or, is it?

The Film
Here’s our finished product, “Cleaver Creek.” I figure it’s best to show it, then talk about filming and the festival experience. Enjoy!

Warning: Language is not safe for work. Apologies to family and/or friends — the genre demands a little bit of edge, so you’ll be seeing (fake) blood and hearing (real) bad words!

Filming
Filming was a two-day, breakneck challenge of scheduling and hustle. Everyone had a bit of a sniffle in their nose or a hang in their throat, but we all pushed through two 12+ hour shooting days to make the film a reality. We shot in black and white for the “Night of the Living Dead” camp effect, and also to hide the fact that I had one bloodshot eye, but only for the first shooting day. (PInk eye doesn’t really care about your continuity struggles.) Everyone pulled an inordinate amount of weight, and I was so thankful for our entire team for pitching in on a project that paid nothing but the sheer enjoyment of making a film with our friends.

We used chocolate syrup for blood, which made for a very sticky set and interesting-smelling drive home. We lived on Wisconsin cheddar burgers and Miller Lite, and our Air BnB hosts were amazing. They didn’t have to let us film and play on their property the way they did, and I give them so much credit for making this project happen.

The In-Between Time
Because of our crazy busy schedules, we had to film the first weekend of the festival timeline, which gave us lots of time to edit the film exactly how Mitchell, our main editor, saw fit. He spent so much time hand-picking the best shots Chris shot for us, which is a daunting task when you’re trying to consolidate a two-day shoot into a six-minute film. But he did an amazing job. We finished with a day to spare, as the competition rules were a bit hazy on the exact deadline. I refused to be eliminated on a technicality, so again the team rallied to make magic happen in no time. (All of us doing this with at least one full-time job, as well.)

The Festival
Days before the deadline, I received an email that more teams than ever had entered this year’s competition,. Instead of the usual 6-7 competitors, we were one of 18 films to be shown and judged. This was both exciting and daunting, but I knew we had created the best product we possibly could, and no amount of competition would deter me from my excitement to show the festival what we had created.

The other films were great. I felt the same way in 2019 I had in 2018 — “Wow. Everyone really took this to heart and put everything into it. And I love being surrounded by this passion.” We saw body-horror films, zombie films, and lots of really clever solutions to the timeline, budget, and topical issues we all faced. All in all, I had a wonderful time at the screening. Our friends and family came out in droves to help us with the audience participation vote, and I was floored. We took up an entire row in that small theater!

Here was the audience choice award from the second screening, which I loved. I wish I could find the one about a demonically-possessed pot of chili, but I haven’t found the link yet.

The Awards
We were so excited to hear who won, but knew we were against some serious competition. Since we were in the first screening block, we were eligible for our own audience vote award, which we won! No surprise with our incredible support system present, but as the film was airing, we were getting laughs and gasps in all the right places, so the audience as a whole definitely seemed to enjoy it. Just seeing our work on the screen, my heart was full. But as soon as they handed us the Silver Skull award, I thought I might burst.

The second screening was full of more amazing films. I loved Dia De Los Muertos (as seen above), which made me cackle and squeal in delight. “Lizzie” was another film (no link yet) that really moved me — it was a found-footage exploration of the relationship between two sisters after the death of their parent, and it hit home in all the right ways. It was no surprise to me at all that Lizzie, my vote for best in show, actually won the juried award, and I raced up to their all-female team to congratulate them, along with everyone else. It was stunning, and a very deserving win!

What I Learned
I learned so much during this process. First, I learned that making a film is no joke. Having worked on sets for commercials, events, and stage productions my entire life, I know this to be true. But when you’ve got a crew of 6 that’s also your cast, everyone pulls a ton of weight. And the wrap party might be low-key, but we were all swimming in excitement, relief, and cheap beer. One of my most treasured memories.

Two, it takes a village. Between our amazing crew/cast and the posse of supporters we had in the crowd, I knew from beginning to end this is not something I could have accomplished on my own. And having friends, family, and professional contacts so willing to give their talent, time, and passion for free is something I’ll never, ever forget or take for granted.

Third, I learned that there will never be a good time to take on a challenge. While October was most likely the worst time to take on a project of this magnitude, no time in the last year has been particularly convenient. That’s why you just have to do it. Maybe obey doctor’s orders (and DON’T wear old contacts), but do it — whatever it is, however scared you are, no matter how unprepared you feel, do it.

It’s so, so worth it.