Directed by Bradford Baruh & Meghan Leon, Night Drive is now available in select theaters and on Digital/VOD and we have an exclusive clip just for Daily Dead viewers! The clip below features co-stars AJ Bowen and Sophie Dalah, and we were fortunate to have co-director Bradford Baruh provide us with some backstory on both the making of the film and the scene you're about to watch:
When Meghan Leon (co-director, writer and editor) and I were developing Night Drive, we discussed the positives and negatives of shooting a car-based feature. The simplicity of set-ups and the small scale were great in terms of showcasing these two wonderful actors and keeping our budget where it needed to be, but it also creates a visual challenge. Small car interiors are always hard to shoot as it can threaten to make things repetitive and really restrict the ability to keep the visuals dynamic; after all it’s a motion picture so any camera “motion” is always a help and encouraged when it serves the story. So, as Meghan worked on her amazing script, she very well knew we had to get them out of the car for key moments.
The hardware store is a practical location in Studio City, just north of Hollywood. It’s a small shop with a ton of character and we felt we really lucked out - we knew this location could afford us the movement and visual dynamics we needed to inject into the project.
We used a Red Gemini to shoot the film and paired it with some Zeis Super Speed lenses - they were vintage lenses from the 80’s. Pairing new cinema cameras with old glass is always a welcome combo. You get the amazing resolution and dynamic range from the modern camera and the cinematic quality from older lenses really enhances the visuals, adding a more filmic quality to what you’re capturing. We decided to use a steadicam with our actors to highlight both their paths through the store and then bring them back together at the counter. The widest lens we had, 18mm, really seemed to enhance the camera moves and open up the store aisles to give us a unique contrast to how the previous scenes were shot. Working out the pathway with the actors, it was AJ Bowen (Russell) who came up with the idea that Russell would frantically pass in the deep background, having found his shovels, while Charlotte discovers what see’s been looking for - a hammer. It’s a nice, little touch that really re-enforces Russell’s idea of covering things up quietly, where Charlotte, for reasons soon to be revealed, is much more content using the blunt force of a hammer to get the job done.
Also watch for the giant, rubber rat cameo. That thing was just hanging out in the store, on the shelf, but not for sale. It seemed like it was just waiting for us, waiting for the big break, waiting for its close up! It was a welcome bonus casting for us and its rate was more than agreeable. Once we saw that rat, we instantly knew we needed AJ to take a beat and just stare at it…while it stared back. A moment of reflection, realization and a tease of what’s to come, all wrapped up in those beady, little eyes. The rat in the Santa hat has a lot to say, and I bet he’s still sitting on that hardware store rack, deep in thought.
When the scene culminates at the counter, we once again brought out the 18mm to give us some character. Shooting close-ups with a wide lens like that bends and distorts just enough to perfectly convey both Russell’s sense of sheer panic and the store clerk Iris’ suspicion (even if that’s just Russell’s nerves playing tricks on him)."
Official Synopsis: "Russell (AJ Bowen - You're Next, The Signal) is a driver in Los Angeles who’s reeling from a series of bad decisions. While his life seems to be caught in a downward spiral, a business proposition from an alluring but enigmatic passenger named Charlotte (Sophie Dalah - Unbroken, Dead Night) proves too good to turn down. A simple ride turns deadly, catapulting Russell into an even darker place, but Charlotte may be the key to a second chance he thought he’d never have… if he can make it through the night.
Surprising at every turn and with a wickedly dark sense of humor, directors Meghan Leon’s and Bradford Baruh’s Night Drive is an unforgettably shocking ride-along with a seemingly normal man and the most abnormal of passengers."
Pulls in to Theaters + Digital/VOD August 6th
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