Elpis
A lonely scientist endeavours to reconnect with his daughter one last time, but an ominous cosmic event threatens to derail everything.
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Caleb MoodyDirector
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Caleb MoodyWriter
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Caleb MoodyProducer
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Philip O'KaneKey Cast"Dr. John Hern"
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Ruby MeadesKey Cast"Kenzie Hern"
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Oisin O’ConnellGaffer
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Luqman FatahillahDirector of Photography
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Jasper WegnerSound
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Maxi SchlappsSound
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Genres:Sci-fi, Drama
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Runtime:10 minutes 18 seconds
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Completion Date:November 4, 2019
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Production Budget:75 USD
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Country of Origin:New Zealand
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Country of Filming:New Zealand
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16.9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:Yes
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Think And CreateInvercargill
New Zealand
November 7, 2019
International Premiere
Won: Excellence in Film
Distribution Information
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Caleb MoodyCountry: New Zealand
CALEB MOODY IS A NEW ZEALAND BASED FILMMAKER
Born in Auckland, he had a passion for stories and story telling from an early age. He was also born with a passion for music and photography. The family camcorder became a prized possession early on and whilst the family were in California, at age 14, he was given the task of attending an event and coming up with a 1-2 minute promotional video as a ‘homeschool’ project. This ended up being shown to the event organiser and was used as it’s promotional video for the next three years.
This, amongst being asked to join an adult creative writing group looking at story and media, opened the door to enter
Southern Institute of Technology’s Diploma in Digital Film at age 16 becoming the youngest student to complete the course and his short film receiving the highest grade possible. This was done through its long distance programme.
From 2014 to 2019, he worked freelance in the UK, undertaking various jobs from editing educational videos to filming corporate events and live surgeries, as well as camera operating and gaffing on independent productions.
At the beginning of 2019, Caleb returned to New Zealand to pursue a degree in filmmaking.
'Elpis' was born out of my passion for escapism cinema and the idea of being immersed in something beyond everyday life. The challenge of this film was evoke a large scale concept within a small, contained story.
I was also inspired by space travel and what it represents; creativity, the urge to do the impossible, and most of all- hope for something beyond this world.
Hope is very much the central stem of this film, with many ideas stretching from this theme, reverberating through both the development of the story and the final result. For me at least, the main thing I connect with is John’s journey of sacrifice and how that is only possible when you have hope and faith in something beyond yourself. That being said, I hope that everyone who watches it, come’s away with something that speaks to them personally.
Throughout the making of this film, there were many moments where I wasn’t sure how I was going to get it made, especially with the budget of a big fat zero. I had three actors turn down the role and logistics threatened to make the shooting days impossible. However I kept pushing through, knowing without a doubt that this was a film I just had to make. I thank God that it all ended up coming together in the end and I had the pleasure of working with some very talented people, from my cinematographer to my cast who all contributed to the successful end result.