Experiencing Interruptions?

Crush

Crush is a story about infatuation and temptation. Kirsten has a crush on her music teacher Sean (whose marriage is going through a difficult patch) and he’s pretending that there’s nothing in it. Until…. she invites him to dinner. He should’ve said “No”, but now he’s locked into her agenda - which could lead to a potentially life-wrecking affair.

  • Richard Burke
    Director
  • Richard Burke
    Writer
  • Brodie Marno
    Writer
  • Michael Silva
    Producer
  • Allison Barry
    Supervising Producer
  • Wayne Chung
    Associate Producer
  • Brodie Marno
    Associate Producer
  • Peter J. Gray
    Key Cast
    "Sean "
    The Age of Adaline, Supernatural
  • Robyn Westcott
    Key Cast
    "Kirsten"
    Arrow
  • Taylor Edwardson
    Co-starring
  • Alby Barry
    Co-starring
  • Jessica Lo
    Director of Photography
  • Marco Abraham
    Editor
  • Patrick Shand
    Composer
  • Jenn Hashizume
    Production Designer
  • Thomas Ryan
    Post Production Sound Design
  • Sean Ryan
    Post Production Sound Design
  • Emelie Qvick
    Key Hair & Makeup
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 29 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 1, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    18,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Alexa XT
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • The Scottish Short Film Festival
    Glasgow
    United Kingdom
    July 28, 2019
    UK Premiere
  • Canada Shorts - Canadian & International Short Film Festival
    New Brunswick
    Canada
    December 12, 2019
    North American premiere
    Award in excellence
  • FlickFair Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    August 1, 2021
    American Premiere
    Official selection
Director Biography - Richard Burke

Having made his Directorial debut on short-film ‘Star-Crossed’, Richard now moves to his second short – ‘Crush’ slated for production in 2018. He will follow this with ‘In Sight’, a Canadian psychological-thriller slated for production in 2019.Following a successful business career, Richard co-founded Page Break Productions Ltd in the U.K. He’s Writer-Director of ‘Star-Crossed’ and Screenwriter on BAFTA-nominated ‘Whistle My Lad’, ‘Stealing Tomorrow’ and ‘Brandenburg’. He also worked as Executive Producer on Hassan Nazar’s feature film ‘Utopia’, Shaun Hughes’ 'Carino' and ‘Whistle My Lad'.

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Director Statement

Crush’ sets out to examine the relationship between an infatuated young pupil and her music teacher. We’re drawn into believing this is an innocent celebration dinner until we discover she’s a senior school girl meeting her teacher. This is not a young woman being seduced nor a brazen schoolgirl stalking the object of her obsession. It’s about two people choosing to ignore the consequences of a life-wrecking affair with one being an adult in a place of responsibility.

The film’s tone, and their relationship, is contrasted by subdued lighting in the restaurant with the glare of the hotel corridor scenes.

The production design utilises physical colour to reflect each character’s state of mind and costume which echo’s their different perspectives on life.

‘Crush’ has a distinct cinematic feel, using an Arri Alexa XT shot in RAW to provide the maximum data for the edit. Camera movement was intended to be smooth and unobtrusive, making full use of a dolly to avoid interference with the drama while imbuing a mild sense of voyeurism. The framing was designed to be stylised, mixing close ups and long shots allowing the viewer to observe dialogue yet never clearly hear it.

The sound design was central to generating the right mood, augmenting the lack of audible dialogue. Each music track (even the musak) was composed specifically to support scenes where the drama requires it and takes us inside the minds of the protagonists. The sound track was mastered in both stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound.

The edit was crafted with the editor right from pre-production and the grading was a carefully considered process not only to provide a homogeneity to footage, but to augment the moods of each scene.

Crush has a tough brief. It has to depict two people embarking on an illicit relationship using little or no audible dialogue yet leave an indelible imprint on the minds of the audience. It seeks to provide an alternative perspective on how such relationships develop. Relationships which can never be condoned, or excused, but are rarely simple and seldom play out like media headlines.