Award-winning director Michael Beets will present the UK premiere of his latest film experience In The Shadow It Waits on Saturday 25th July as part of the Electric Dreams Festival.
But this is no ordinary film experience.
In The Shadow It Waits is a horror film performed live and edited in real-time with actors performing from their own homes in different states across Australia at 6.00am so that UK Audiences can watch live at 9.00pm BST. The audience is witnessing a film being made as they watch. 61 Scenes, 58 Camera Setups, and everything LIVE – this is definitely not a zoom call.
The film tells the story of four twenty-something co-workers, bored with their day jobs and sick of being locked up in isolation, who play a silly online game and unwittingly prove the truth of an urban legend. However, whilst they may not be able to get out, that doesn’t mean that something can’t get in.
Orson Wells once declared that “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations”. The COVID 19 lockdown has provided limitations in spades and this was something that Creator and Director Michael Beets was interested to explore.
“I’ve always tried to push the boundaries of technology and performance and this was a chance to combine film and live performance in a way that hasn’t been done before. Performing in front of a live audience is such a thrill. Now we are bringing all the excitement and energy of live performance with the techniques and skills of filmmaking.” – Michael Beets
Unconventionally, neither the actors nor the director has met each other in real life. And with each performance being a new film, it’s an exciting challenge for the actors who are performing in different Australian states.
In The Shadow It Waits is a scripted performance live-streamed into your home. 100% of all tickets will go directly to everyone involved in the production – the actors, filmmaker and tech crew. The audience is invited to meet the artists they’re directly supporting after each performance for an online Q&A and drink.
More information and tickets can be found here