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1014405

Shhh: A short film

A horror/fantasy short by award-winning special effects artists about a boy using his imagination to cope with a *monstrous* bully...his own sister.

Film – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
May 5, 2011: We are in the last few hours of our campaign and need your support to reach our target. Help us spread the word. RT #ShhhFilm w/ a link to our IndieGoGo page on Twitter (see Tweet below) and enter to win a Shhh t-shirt! T-shirt photo on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ShhhFilm. Thanks for your generosity! - The Shhh cast and crew.

Tweet:
Short film @ShhhFilm's IndieGoGo campaign ends on May 6. Help fund art! http://bit.ly/gq7JaU RT to win a signed t-shirt. #ShhhFilm

NEW!!! Video clips of the making of Shhh under the Gallery tab. Enjoy. Our campaign is ending soon. Your help to share this page with your friends, family and colleagues is much appreciated! 


About Us
Award-wining visual and makeup effects artists Freddy Chavez Olmos and Shervin Shoghian are co-directing and producing their first independent short film: Shhh. Over the years they have worked their artistic magic on top films like: Tron Legacy, District 9, Watchmen, The Dark Knight, Oscar-winning Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, with Shervin winning the 2009 Visual Effects Society (VES) Award for Best VFX Compositing for the feature film District 9. Inspired by the monster obsessions of director Guillermo del Toro, the two friends collaborated with Michael Stasyna to pen the Shhh script and are using state-of-the-art visual and makeup effects coupled with a strong storyline to tell the tale of a young boy who uses his imagination to overcome being bullied.

We hope to reach out to the IndieGoGo community, fellow filmmakers, friends, and family to join us on our journey as we embark on a new chapter of our careers,  adds Shoghian.  Join us and become part of the team! Your contribution will go towards all things Shhh related. We especially need help with post-production costs: sound design, VFX, animation and finally marketing for the festival circuit. Assist us in making Shhh accessible to a wider audience! 

UPDATE: Shhh is now in post-production and will be complete in June of this year...just in time to apply for top film festivals like TIFF, Cannes, Sundance and more.

crew
(Photo: Shervin Shoghian (left); actor Sean Kyer (middle); actress Ilze Burger (middle top); Freddy Chavez Olmos (right).)

About Shhh....

Short Synopsis
Shhh is a tale of an 8 year-old boy who overcomes his fear of being bullied by using his imagination.

Full Synopsis
Shhh, a horror/fantasy short, depicts the dissolve of a family: from the loss of a mother to cancer, to a quick-to-anger father, a hair-obsessed sister and a fearful little boy. Our young protagonist, Guillermo, is frail, and afraid of his bullying sister, Helena. Putting pen to paper, he obsessively draws that which he fears the most: a hair-eating monster. While Helena mocks Guillermo for his vivid renditions, to him the monster is real. In fact, to ward off the freakish ghoul, Guillermo must feed it his own hair. Tired of being scared, Guillermo takes matters into his own hands. It's only then that we realize the monster isn't a figment of his imagination...but an extension of Helena herself.

Artistic Undertakings
Shhh is truly an artistic undertaking. With the use of Sion Lees concept design, Shervin and Freddy worked closely with Tibor Farkas (a prosthetic and creature designer, recent work includes films like Caesar: Rise of the Apes) of Theta Effect Limited to create a full-body prosthetic piece of the monster (worn by dancer Ashley Whitehead). "The monster is an abstract concept, onto which audience members are invited to project their own forms of oppression," says Shoghian.  A powerful idea for two passionate artists hoping to create art beyond the computer screen. We want to use as many traditional forms of filmmaking," says Chavez Olmos, and have the visual effects assist the story rather than be the story, adds Shoghian.  Surprising words from someone who recently finished a world tour speaking about the cutting-edge technology used on Tron Legacy.  However, Shoghian and Chavezs background in visual and makeup effects may certainly be the very reason why the film has clear direction. You develop an eye for what you want to work with in post-production, mentions Shoghian.The key is to find the right balance for what can be done practically on set and what to leave in post. A sort of hybrid creation between techniques, adds Chavez Olmos. Many of the crew members didnt hesitate to join the team after seeing the amount of effort that went into the pre-production design. 

(Photo: Vancouver actor Sean Kyer playing our protagonist, Guillermo, in Shhh.)
sean


Project Collaborators, Cast and Crew
The passion of the co-directors/producers drew the attention of Heinrich Beisheim and David Bouck of Vancouvers Means of Production: one of Canada's largest production houses. We offered to become associate producers and provide production services through our contacts, states Beisheim--an association that led to the recruitment of one of the most sought after cinematographers for his contemporary stylized work: Tico Poulakakis (winner of Cannes Lions Grand Prix Award for Dove Evolution (2007), and Best Cinematography award at Through Her Eyes Womens Festival in New York). Ticos style and composition are very appealing says Shoghian. We needed someone who felt right for the project from the get-go, and after seeing Tico's past work we certainly felt we had someone who could bring a lot more to the table, adds Chavez Olmos. We also worked with some wonderfully talented local actors: Sean Kyer (Guillermo), Ilze Burger (Helena), and of course, our dancer-turned-monster, Ashley Whitehead. A big thank you as well to our Production Manager, Sarah Ann Chisholm. Some of Shoghian and Chavezs colleagues at Image Engine and Digital Domain are also collaborating in the film's post-production stage. For a complete list of cast and crew, click here.


What We've Learned
For Shoghian and Chavez Olmos, the experience has been eye-opening. Working on a limited budget but delivering a high production value has its challenges, especially with all the costs involved: scouting, gear rentals, transportation, day rates and so forth. The directors admit that it has been a bonding experience. All of the challenges weve faced have brought us closer together, shed light on our capabilities and motivated us to take it to the next level, states Chavez Olmos.

Supporting Anti-Bullying Campaigns
Since the film has a strong anti-bullying message, the cast and crew wore pink t-shirts on set as part of the Pink Shirt Day anti-bullying campaign (see Gallery for photos). Shhh is also a big supporter of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Vancouver.

Join Us!
Visit our website, tell a friend, join our Facebook group, follow us on Twitter and post our links to your social networking profiles. All media inquiries can be directed to info@shhh-film.com.

Team on This Campaign: