Experiencing Interruptions?

Control

A young father, Byron, sitting in a therapy session opens up about his son starting kindergarten. As Byron projects his feelings to Dr. Givens about his son’s first day, he’s reminded of his own battles with the educational system. However, there’s something deeper lurking within him. As Dr. Givens tries to bring that out, Byron sinks deeper into his darkness and is forced to look beneath his troubles with education to find out why he’s out of control.

  • Katherine Marie
    Director
  • Chauncey Johnson
    Writer
    And Then There Was Damien
  • Elizabeth McBryde
    Producer
  • Chauncey Johnson
    Key Cast
    "Byron"
    Shades of Blue, Wu Tang: An American Saga, And Then There Was Damien
  • Teresa Reese
    Key Cast
    "Dr Givens"
  • Justin Brown
    Key Cast
    "Challenger"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Television
  • Genres:
    Thriller
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    July 11, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Katherine Marie

The daughter of a Lt. Colonel, Katherine Marie grew up as an Army brat who lived in 9 states on the East Coast and South before the age of 18. Marie has since settled in New Jersey and has been active in the filmmaking industry in the NYC tri-state for a decade. A graduate of William Esper Studios, Marie started her career in film as an actor and stunt performer appearing in tv shows such as “Royal Pains”, “The Get Down” and “Blue Bloods”. She quickly developed an interest in what was happening behind the scenes and it wasn’t long before she transitioned into writing and directing. The short film “Purrdicament”,a finalist in the Audience Awards film festival, marks Marie’s debut as writer and director. This was followed by the short documentary, “A Growing Boy”, which told the true story of her young son’s health struggles from birth to adolescence. In 2019, she co-wrote and directed the short thriller, “Ambitious Desires”, a wild fantasy ride of a thriller that shows the repercussions of workplace jealously. Marie’s ultimate career goal is to direct a feature film through Alpha Stella Productions in conjunction with a major production company.

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Director Statement

Directing this short film, “Control” has been a labor of love and a wonderful process for me as I got to work with a very talented and hardworking cast and crew. I wanted to make sure to bring this script to life and convey all of the imagery, emotions, and suspense that the writer envisioned. We spent a lot of time going over the tone of the film, coloring, the use of dutch angles, and how to best convey the “challenger” character who won’t leave our main character Byron alone. This film at its foundation is a drama. A story of a grieving widower left to raise his son alone after the tragic death of his wife and seeking help from a therapist to move forward. The writer, Chauncey Johnson, also added suspenseful elements to the screenplay that were important for me to be conveyed in shocking and mysterious ways while still keeping to the main story. Through the use of audio changes, tones of color, 360 camera work, and dutch angles, I was able to achieve that goal. Through the drama and suspense there is also the underlying theme of how the educational system has left many to feel disenfranchised and inadequate and the after affects those individuals carry into adulthood. How much of that responsibility is on teachers vs. the individual? We explore that question through our characters Byron and Dr. Givens in our short film, “Control”.
Thank you for watching and enjoy!