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PRIMAL

A scattered college kid, Arlo, and his frat-bro roommate, Blake, try to navigate their hyper masculine tendencies and their aggresion boils over when they end up competing for the same girl.

  • John Humphreys
    Director
  • John Humphreys
    Writer
  • Mark Valeriano
    Key Cast
    "Arlo"
    STREET SURVIVORS: THE TRUE STORY OF THE LYNYRD SKYNYRD PLANE CRASH
  • Aidan Milstead
    Key Cast
    "Blake"
  • Maya Walker
    Key Cast
    "Celeste"
  • Hannah Zickle
    Key Cast
    "Ally"
  • Michael Parry
    Director of Photography
  • Kelby Knapp
    Production Design
    Purple Eyes
  • Tori McJunkin
    On-Set Sound
  • Christopher Moore
    Sound Designer
  • Elise Fitzsimmons
    Unit Production Manager
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Romance
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 25 minutes 12 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 10, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - John Humphreys

Originally from the hills of West Virginia, John Humphreys is known for his films about characters on the outskirts of society. His distinct style evolves in his films through long, moving shots and he establishes rules through repetition that he breaks for dramatic effect. John writes his movies with the actor's process in mind, collaborating with actors to develop the character and find ways to make characters challenging in the right ways.

“JOHN HUMPHREYS [IS] AN UP AND COMING FILMMAKER WITH GREAT STYLISTIC INTUITION AND UNORTHODOX YET DARKLY WHIMSICAL VISION.” - K. Wiggins from antimusic.com

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Director Statement

PRIMAL has been an absolute battle to bring to the screen. We shot for 28 days, 11PM to 7AM every night. We didn’t take weekends and we lit the scene with 12 watt lightbulbs in heat lamps diffused by a shower curtain. The initial drive behind this project was to stop making excuses and take control of what we wanted to make.I've been inspired by filmmakers like Chris Nolan, Agnes Varda, and Jim Cummings to create a micro-budget feature as a right of passage.

There were so many moments of doubt and moments of discomfort that really made us ask the question, "What are we doing out here?" But after consistently overcoming obstacles, that doubt dissipated and our confidence skyrocketed when we saw how capable we really were. This was such a fulfilling creative endeavor and we can't wait for audiences all over the country to see PRIMAL.