Private Project

OFF METER

Have you ever wondered who was the taxi driver taking you home late at night?

When a diabetic passenger is picked up by a mysterious driver as he rushes home for his insulin, the passenger realises his driver is not the person he says he is. As his blood sugar goes haywire, he must find a way to escape before he falls unconscious.

***This film was completed in 48 hours, from pre-production to post-production.***

  • Brandon Chi-Wei Chen
    Director
    Blue Lanterns
  • Gianluca Mateo Infante
    Director
  • Brandon Chi-Wei Chen
    Writer
    Blue Lanterns
  • Gianluca Mateo Infante
    Writer
  • William Wu
    Producer
  • Brandon Chi-Wei Chen
    Producer
    Kusama: Infinity
  • Gianluca Infante
    Producer
  • Li Chunpong
    Producer
  • Michael Munoz
    Key Cast
    "John Fields"
  • Steven Lin
    Key Cast
    "Driver"
  • Federica Marchese
    Cinematography by
  • Kernel
    Sound Design by
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    thriller
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    September 16, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    China
  • Country of Filming:
    China
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    BMPCC RAW, ARRI MINI
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • 48 hour Film Project
    Shanghai
    China
    September 29, 2019
    Chinese Premiere
    Best Editing Nomination, Best Actor Nomination
Director Biography - Brandon Chi-Wei Chen, Gianluca Mateo Infante

Brandon Chi-Wei Chen

Based in Beijing, Brandon is an Asian American producer, director, and writer. Brandon grew up shooting and editing skateboarding videos in Los Angeles. He was later inspired by his surroundings in Hollywood to pursue film.

As China and Hollywood became more co-dependent, Brandon moved to Beijing in 2013 with the goal to bridge the gap between the two opposing cultures. In 2017, he graduated from the Beijing Film Academy with a double major in Producing and Directing. During his time in college, he produced over 15 short films, including a short film for Giorgio Armani and a short film in CCTV's 48-hour competition where his team won the "Grand Jury prize", "Most Excellent Film", and "Best Director prize".

In 2018, Brandon was an executive producer for "Kusama - Infinity", an official selection for Sundance Film Festival's US documentary competition and also worked under the famed female director Eva Jin on her most recent film "Saga of Light".

He currently works as a producer at Digital Domain, one of the largest motion-capture post-production companies in the world, at their Beijing headquarters.

Gianluca Matteo

Based in Beijing, Gianluca is an English-Italian filmmaker. Gianluca grew up in a seaside town in rural England shooting horror and action films with his friend’s camera. He was inspired watching VHS movies obsessively as a kid and later discovered his passion for storytelling. He moved to Beijing in 2014 with the purpose to tell compelling stories from diverse cultures in Asia.

By 2018, he graduated from Beijing film academy with a major in Directing and Cinematography and had directed seven short films. He directed “Cut” a Film for Georgio Armani’s Frames of Life Series which screened in SXSW 2017. He directed “The Wildling” which he co-wrote with Brandon Chi-Wei Chen, the film went on to win “Best Director” “Best Judges Film” and “Best Team” in the CCTV Micro-Short Film Competition.

In 2019, Gianluca opened his own production house, specializing in creating stories and content for companies with the ambition of shooting their own feature film and channel content in the near future.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

"One night in LA, I ordered an uber home after having one too many drinks. The car ride was typical until the driver started asking me personal questions that I didn't feel comfortable answering, but I still answered out of politeness. When pulling up to my home, I looked down at my phone and realized that the photo of the driver was a completely different person than the person driving me home. He glanced back at me with a creepy smile. I could feel a chill going down my spine, and it filled my mind with paranoid thoughts. This man knew my name, where I lived, and what I did for a living. For a moment, the worst-case scenario had entered mind, and I felt helpless. This chilling moment is the inspiration for this film. In China, there are often cases of abductions and murders from unregistered drivers, and we wanted to shed light on this issue in a unique and cinematic way.

Having only 48 hours to write a script, shoot it, and finish post-production is no easy feat. We pushed our boundaries as a team. We strived to deliver the most professional end product possible, and I believe we did. I feel that Shanghai's 48-hour competition organizers overlooked our hard work and our appreciation for the art of cinema. Our film deserves a second chance at being acknowledged."

- Brandon Chi-Wei Chen

"Nearly everyone that has lived in a big city has had a stressful situation late at night with a taxi driver. He might have taken you the wrong way home, charged you extra, argued with you or worse; but at least you made it back home safe in the end.

This film plays on the paranoia of not knowing who you are putting your trust in when you’re most vulnerable. Worse still, these kinds of stories happen all the time, it’s not just fiction. Luckily, taxi companies have improved safety since.

On the surface, a driver and a passenger with a medical issue is a simple story. But we wanted to show that actually, that’s all you need to tell a gripping story- one location, a conflict, and two actors."

- Gianluca Matteo