The Pool

During a relaxing afternoon swim, a woman discovers that what she can hear beneath the water is nowhere to be seen above the surface.

  • Margaret M. MacDonald
    Director
    The Writer
  • Margaret M. MacDonald
    Writer
    #1 at the Apocalypse Box Office
  • Margaret M. MacDonald
    Key Cast
    "The Swimmer"
    Enter Sanctum
  • Vitaly Zolotarev
    Sound Design
    #1 at the Apocalypse Box Office
  • Vitaly Zolotarev
    Music
    The Writer
  • Margaret M. MacDonald
    Producer
    The Writer, Enter Sanctum
  • Margaret M MacDonald
    Cinematography
    The Writer, August
  • Margaret M MacDonald
    Editing
    The Writer, August
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    thriller, horror, short
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 44 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 14, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    iPhone 11 Pro HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • New York International Women Festival
    New York, NY
    United States
    Semifinalist
  • Toronto International Women Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    Official Selection
  • South Texas Underground Film Festival
    Corpus Christi, Texas
    United States
    December 3, 2022
    North American Theatrical Premiere, Texas Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Cyprus International Film Festival
    Cyprus
    Greece
    Greek Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Halloween Smartphone Film Festival
    Lithgow
    Australia
    October 29, 2022
    Winner, Most Creative
Director Biography - Margaret M. MacDonald

Margaret's 20 years of experience spans several roles, including writing, directing, producing and production design, which has helped to hone her uniquely visual style of storytelling, and earned some laurels along the way. She loves creating films that are character driven, and enjoys the challenge of infusing them with a mix of genres and a twist of the fantastic. She is passionate about telling stories which transport people into other worlds, and help to make this one a little more extraordinary.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The Pool was inspired by a creepy experience I had during an afternoon swim. Two days later I undertook a one woman guerilla film shoot to capture my ideas on camera. The challenge of filming only what I could without a second pair of hands, inspired cinematography that found space and emptiness, even within the confined location, and added a voyeuristic quality to the close-ups. The script came together throughout the editing process as the film itself showed me where the sound design needed to take over and drive the story forward. I was very fortunate to have many talented people contribute to post production and help shape The Pool into the thrilling and surprising film it became. The Pool is an exploration of how vulnerable we can make ourselves feel when we're completely alone.