Liability
When three sudden deaths befall members of a small law firm, Karen Dunmore begins to suspect that they may be retribution for a terrible crime and its subsequent cover-up. Fearing for her family’s safety, she desperately tries to convince her husband and his associates to take action. But will it be too late?
-
William R. CoughlanDirector
-
Robin BrandeWriter
-
William R. CoughlanWriter
-
Pam W. CoughlanProducer
-
Jennifer MasseyKey Cast
-
Nick DePintoKey Cast
-
Jesse AchtenbergCrew
-
Project Type:Short
-
Genres:Thriller, Drama, Horror
-
Runtime:8 minutes 58 seconds
-
Completion Date:May 2, 2010
-
Production Budget:800 USD
-
Country of Origin:United States
-
Country of Filming:United States
-
Language:English
-
Shooting Format:Digital
-
Aspect Ratio:1.85:1
-
Film Color:Color
-
First-time Filmmaker:No
-
Student Project:No
-
48 Hour Film ProjectWashington, DC
United States
May 5, 2010
World Premiere -
TIVA Peer Awards 2010Washington, DC
United States
November 13, 2010
Gold Award: Editing - Fiction | Silver Award: Directing - Fiction Short | Silver Award: Scriptwriting - Fiction Short | Bronze Award: Independent Short -
Paura Festival Internacional de Cine de TerrorValencia
Spain
January 25, 2017
European Premiere -
Indiana Comic Con Film FestivalIndianapolis, Indiana
United States
April 14, 2017
Indiana Premiere -
Horror Avenue Film FestivalMattoon, Illinois
United States
July 15, 2017
Illinois Premiere -
Tampa Bay Comic Con Film FestivalTampa, Florida
United States
July 29, 2017
Florida Premiere -
San Francisco Comic Con Film FestivalSan Francisco, California
United States
September 1, 2017
California Premiere -
Movie Night at the Evening Star CafeAlexandria, Virginia
United States
February 25, 2018
Virginia Premiere
William R. Coughlan is an award-winning screenwriter and director, and founder and CEO of independent video production company Tohubohu Productions, LLC. He worked for several years with The Advisory Board Company (and its offshoot companies, CEB and EAB) in Washington, D.C., where he began as a graphic designer before creating a full-service in-house video and multimedia department, and then eventually moving into the ranks of creative department management. In addition, he provides creative oversight for the global public affairs firm EGA, is the Creative Director of Jabberwocky Audio Theater, and served for several years on the Board of Directors for TIVA, the Television, Internet, and Video Association of DC, Inc., filling the roles of Treasurer and Vice President before finishing his tenure as President. He also enjoys acting, voiceover performance, design and illustration, editing, animation, and writing autobiographical comments in the third person. He is the illustrator of the therapeutic workbook Stories for Children with Problems & Wishes, has provided schematic graphics for several HBS case studies, designed the acclaimed Protégé clay poker chip line, served as the Critic at Large for the online literary magazine Inkblots, has been a judge for both the TIVA Peer Awards and the Emmy Awards, founded and co-hosted the long-running Tohubohu Producer Podcast, and is an accomplished animator and ambigram artist. He currently resides at a secret compound in Northern Virginia.
Though horror films tend to be a staple of the independent film scene (thanks to their comparatively low production cost and specialized screening and distribution opportunities), before “Liablity” I had never made anything remotely approaching “horror.” And even when presented with this opportunity, I wanted to go more for psychological horror than the bloodier films that are more common in the “grindhouse” or home-video arenas. Not that those can’t be extremely entertaining (and I may yet tackle one in the near future), but for this project we’d committed to nothing more intense than a PG-13 level of violence — which constrained our “splatter” potential. So working with screenwriter Robin Brande — herself not renowned for horror writing — we crafted a story that leaned more heavily on suspense over shock. In weaving a tale of supernaturally enforced justice, it seemed all too appropriate to set our story around a law firm — a business ostensibly concerned with justice, but one that succumbs (at least in this case) all too readily to the needs of immediate self-interest. Fundamentally, we wanted to at least invite the question of whether those who cover up a crime after the fact share equal culpability with those who initially commit it. Ultimately, whether we succeed in conveying that message or not depends most heavily on the performances, especially those of leads Jennifer Massey and Nick DePinto — and in that respect, I think we more than succeeded.