Private Project

Tilt

Tilt is an abstract narrative film that follows a couple's struggle to deal with the emotional impact of isolation during the pandemic quarantine. The lack of outside interaction has allowed their emotional states to become powerful enough to effect the appearance of everything around them, including the shape of the house where they live. They have stopped speaking and are trapped in a series of meaningless repetitive actions until one of them finds the strength to break the patterns that have come to define them.

  • Bryan and Vita Mei Hewitt
    Director
    I Am Ice, Of Water, What is Kung Fu?
  • Vita Mei Hewitt
    Writer
    Much To Learn, Of Water
  • Vita Mei Hewitt
    Key Cast
  • Bryan Hewitt
    Director of Photography
  • Bryan Hewitt
    Editor
  • Bryan Hewitt
    Colorist
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Abstract Narrative, Experimental
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 32 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 27, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    7,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    DCI 4K Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    17:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Sofia Art FIlm Awards
    Sofia
    Bulgaria
    European
    Honorable Mention, Short FIlm
  • Boston Short Film Festival
    Boston
    United States
    July 14, 2023
    North American
    Official Selection
  • Bright International Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    June 22, 2023
    Official Selection, Award Winner, Quarantine Stories
Director Biography - Bryan and Vita Mei Hewitt

Bryan Hewitt and Vita Mei Hewitt are cross-disciplinary artists, writers, and film makers inspired by mythology, poetry and the practice of Animism. Their creative projects center around raising awareness on many levels while seeking ways to create positive change.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Tilt explores the emotional experiences of intense isolation. It is set during the 2020 pandemic quarantine period. The two characters have attempted to find solace in routines, but have instead become trapped in meaningless repetition. The set is a visual expression of the anxiety and paranoia that was so common during the shutdown, when it was not yet known how to maintain health and safety and all physical contact was seen to be potentially dangerous. Thoughts became twisted and sharp as people didn't know who to trust. Relationships were called into question and individuals found themselves navigating sudden new challenges without sufficient information to make logical decisions.

The tight physical constraints of the unusual set mandated the use of the smallest possible lighting and camera equipment. Many of the camera setups had to be built into set elements. We captured 4K DCI C-log from two Canon 5D MK IV cameras. The lenses were a set of vintage cine-modded Nikkor primes. Most of the film was shot on the 24mm f/2 Ai and 20mm f/2.8 Ai-S lenses. We also used the 35mm f/1.4 Ai-S and 50mm f/1.4 Ai-S lenses for some of the close-ups.

All of the lighting comes from the custom practical LED sources contained within the set. Some of them were built around existing fixtures. Others, including the light sources for the poster image, were made from LED strips set inside wall sections lined with reflective material. We enjoyed the way the crisp, contemporary feel of LED sources pairs with the look of the vintage lenses because we felt it helped support the mix of tension and nostalgia the characters experience. We also used varying levels of film grain during the color grade to emphasize the different levels of pull the characters experience towards these two states.