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The Keys
Los Angeles, 1949: Young realtor Rupert steals a prime estate listing, only to discover unsettling secrets about its tenants, questioning the true price of his ambition.
Director Statement
While doing loads of research and learning about filmmaking, I decided to do full-time studies in filmmaking while working six nights a week at the same time, sleeping for 2 to 3 hours a day. During the night shift in between breaks, I watched ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’, all 8 seasons. Each season consists of at least 30 episodes.
Alfred Hitchcock movies have had an immense influence on my passion for filmmaking.
After graduation, I made several short films but Hitchcock’s impact did not leave me. I wrote scripts and directed short films and trailers with a close eye having a silent twist in the story. Eternally wanted to create an actual Alfred Hitchcock trial, I chose to direct the film ‘The Keys’ and created this short film. This is a homage to the greatest director, Alfred Hitchcock.
While watching this film, I wanted the viewers to experience Hitchcock’s film. I took several challenges to create his presence in the film: Black and white, the era of 1945, the suspense, etc. Above all, we scattered easter eggs of Hitchcock’s film titles throughout the film. For example, ’39 Steps’, ‘Champagne’, ‘Number 17’, ‘Blackmail’, ‘Dial M for Murder’, ‘Rope’, ‘Notorious’ and last but not least ‘Birds’. Even then character’s names are from his movies, ‘Marnie’ (Marnie, 1964), Rupert Cadell (‘Rope’, 1948), Madeline Elster (‘Vertigo’, 1958), Caroline (‘Psycho’, 1960), and the Boss himself looks like Alfred Hitchcock from the side.
The biggest challenge I faced making this film was creating the era, 1945 of Los Angeles in Victoria, Australia, and having to pass several authority approvals to film sites. We had great difficulty finding a house to match the production, location, car, clothing, and of course not to mention the costings went off the roof and there was no funding, and had to watch the budget.
However, managed to overcome them with determination and persistence. Due to funding, there was a delay in location and finding someone who is creative in production design. Somewhat it transpired, we found a great production designer, location, an awesome 1940’s car, and a great house.
There were several challenges with the office scene, we had to hide the street view and seal the room with plasters. I was concerned with the external sound, coming from streets with vehicles passing by as it could blow the cover of not being in the 1940s.
The ultimate goal was to create a single take of the complete office scene, we had so many obstacles and managed to get it right. We had more than 15 takes to create that one single take of 3 minutes and 50 seconds.
I had a great time working with the actors and actresses. We had the perfect dedicated talented artists who made this possible, their performance was perfect in my eyes. Especially the young child actress Anika Goessens. We found our lead 8-year-old actress Annika, did fabulous work throughout the casting process. Her table read was amazing and her performance in this film is so strong. On the last day of filming, Annika gave me a huge hug and told me that she loved working with me on this project and hoped to work with me again. At that moment I felt I had accomplished it.
This film will always be special to me because we have created a film that reminds others of Alfred Hitchcock. Everyone who watched the film felt the presence of Hitchcock, especially when they heard the crow’s call outside the house.
The experience of working on this film helped me to realize that filming should not have to be a tedious process. Understanding, an informal approach and at the same time choosing the right talent is crucial in cracking any problems. Kind of having the understanding that everyone is working under the pump to get the best results can create a better atmosphere for everyone to work collectively. Thus, when things go smoothly, the creation will flow easily.