Overnight security guard Tom (Connor McGill) is thrust into a deadly conspiracy when his surveillance reveals Mrs. Jones (Allison McAtee) luring a man into her storage unit, a man who seemingly… disappears. His scrappy investigation turns bloody—but whose blood is on whose hands?
Inspired by Hitchcock’s Rear Window, the independent feature eschewed green screens for its 9 security monitors, opting instead to shoot the complex setup practically. With the camera moving on a crane, cinematographer Robert Reed Altman’s (son of Robert Altman) expert camerawork keeps the film’s single location setting fresh yet familiar.
SHIFT is Connor McGill’s first ever role. He was a producer on the film and stepped into the leading role of Tom last second after the lead at the time contracted COVID. The film is lensed by legendary director Robert Altman’s son, Robert Reed Altman. The videos in the 9-cam security cam setup was all filmed practically with no green screens. Max and team filmed this part of the shoot first in a real storage unit, and then played back the footage on the monitors in real time during the second half of the shoot, in the security control room with Tom.
Cinequest Screening Details:
Sunday, March 17
4:40pm PT
California Theatre, San Jose
Writer/Director:
Max Neace (What We Do Next, Don’t Tell a Soul)
Producers:
Gi Gonzalez (Midwinter)
Stanley Yung (The People I’ve Slept With)
Brian George Randles (Runner)
Starring:
Connor McGill
Allison McAtee (The Haves and Have Nots, Lonesome Soldier)
Sean O’Bryan (Babylon, Olympus Has Fallen, The Princess Diaries)
