Film Review

The Institution (2006)

The Institution by Brad LaMar and Clayton Monical

Genre: Thriller/Suspense, Horror
Production Company: Padded Room Productions
Director(s): Brad LaMar
Producer(s): Clayton Monical
Writer(s): Brad LaMar, Clayton Monical
Running Time: 13:49 min
Release Date: 2006
Production Budget: $12,000
Recognition: Chicago Horror Festival, Thriller Chiller Festival (Muskegon, MI)
Synopsis: Three forensic college students must investigate an unsolved case for their final graduating assignment. After their professor finally approves their case that is closely related to one student, they travel to a boondocks tourist town where they interview and investigate the officials on the mainland. From there, they hire a dark drifter to transport them to Felt Island, the location of the abandoned mental hospital. Once they set foot on the island, they are submerged into the world of forensics when they find a city official mutilated inside. They realize now that their once innocent school project has now turned into a struggle between the perfect grade and surviving the assignment.

REVIEW

This well produced short film by co-writer/director Brad Lamar follows three forensic college students who must investigate an unsolved case for their final assignment. They realize that their once innocent school project has now turned into a struggle between the perfect grade and surviving the assignment.

This is one of the best independent low budget thriller/horror short films of the year! This is one filmmaker (and crew) to keep your eye on. Shot on 16mm, the film has a quality look to it that is only amplified by the great lighting, great camera movement, and shot selection.

The special effects are VERY believable. Something one doesn't expect to find in a no/low budget independent thriller/horror film. Lamar was thrilled to elicit the services of a very talented special effect artist. "We found a great sfx girl (Pamela Turnmire) from Complexions International School of Make-up Design in Toronto, ON.

The film also featured a great suspenseful soundtrack by Derek Vincent.

One of the major drawbacks of this short is that it has no conclusion or ending in and of itself and leaves the audience hanging. (You'll want to see the upcoming feature version, THE ASSIGNMENT.) Though it wasn't distracting enough to take anything away from the overall quality of the film, some of the edits could have been tighter.

When asked what he thought the biggest challenge was on the film, Lamar responded "Everything ran very smoothly up until a week before we started production. We had a fundraiser that was happening the weekend before production and while we were making the arrangements for the fundraiser we were leading rehearsals, reserving equipment and props. Then a few days prior to the production, the rental houses double booked our dollies so we lost out on dolly shots. We also lost our reserved Aaton LTR Super 16 mm camera so we had to scatter to find a camera to use. Obviously we found a camera. Once the production started, I found my schedules to be taking much longer with the lighting since we were short 2 grips. Once night we ran 16 hours into production with a not so happy crew. We pulled through the shoot with the necessary shots after cutting out about 10 shots that the director wanted. We made it up to the crew by getting them hotel rooms and a nice breakfast. Everyone was happy and made it through the next day."

There is a bright future for this filmmaker and crew. The short film has been accepted into the Chicago Horror Festival and the Thriller Chiller Festival in Muskegon, MI.

Additional Info: The short film is actually a derivitive short made completely from a section of the feature length script, THE ASSIGNMENT, which is also co-written by Director Brad LaMar and Producer Clayton Monical.

THE INSTITUTION can be purchased by contacting info@theassignmentmovie.net.


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	Film Review The Institution (2006) Genre: Thriller/Suspense, Horror Production Company: Padded Room Productions Director(s): Brad LaMar Producer(s): Clayton Monical Writer(s): Brad LaMar, Clayton Monical Running Time: 13:49 min Release Date: 2006 Production Budget: $12,000 Recognition: Chicago Horror Festival, Thriller Chiller Festival (Muskegon, MI) Synopsis: Three forensic college students must investigate an unsolved case for their final graduating assignment. After their professor finally approves their case that is closely related to one student, they travel to a boondocks tourist town where they interview and investigate the officials on the mainland. From there, they hire a dark drifter to transport them to Felt Island, the location of the abandoned mental hospital. Once they set foot on the island, they are submerged into the world of forensics when they find a city official mutilated inside. They realize now that their once innocent school project has now turned into a struggle between the perfect grade and surviving the assignment. REVIEW This well produced short film by co-writer/director Brad Lamar follows three forensic college students who must investigate an unsolved case for their final assignment. They realize that their once innocent school project has now turned into a struggle between the perfect grade and surviving the assignment. This is one of the best independent low budget thriller/horror short films of the year! This is one filmmaker (and crew) to keep your eye on. Shot on 16mm, the film has a quality look to it that is only amplified by the great lighting, great camera movement, and shot selection. The special effects are VERY believable. Something one doesn't expect to find in a no/low budget independent thriller/horror film. Lamar was thrilled to elicit the services of a very talented special effect artist. "We found a great sfx girl (Pamela Turnmire) from Complexions International School of Make-up Design in Toronto, ON. The film also featured a great suspenseful soundtrack by Derek Vincent. One of the major drawbacks of this short is that it has no conclusion or ending in and of itself and leaves the audience hanging. (You'll want to see the upcoming feature version, THE ASSIGNMENT.) Though it wasn't distracting enough to take anything away from the overall quality of the film, some of the edits could have been tighter. When asked what he thought the biggest challenge was on the film, Lamar responded "Everything ran very smoothly up until a week before we started production. We had a fundraiser that was happening the weekend before production and while we were making the arrangements for the fundraiser we were leading rehearsals, reserving equipment and props. Then a few days prior to the production, the rental houses double booked our dollies so we lost out on dolly shots. We also lost our reserved Aaton LTR Super 16 mm camera so we had to scatter to find a camera to use. Obviously we found a camera. Once the production started, I found my schedules to be taking much longer with the lighting since we were short 2 grips. Once night we ran 16 hours into production with a not so happy crew. We pulled through the shoot with the necessary shots after cutting out about 10 shots that the director wanted. We made it up to the crew by getting them hotel rooms and a nice breakfast. Everyone was happy and made it through the next day." There is a bright future for this filmmaker and crew. The short film has been accepted into the Chicago Horror Festival and the Thriller Chiller Festival in Muskegon, MI. Additional Info: The short film is actually a derivitive short made completely from a section of the feature length script, THE ASSIGNMENT, which is also co-written by Director Brad LaMar and Producer Clayton Monical. THE INSTITUTION can be purchased by contacting info@theassignmentmovie.net.