ABOUT THE FILM
The Unknown Depths is a modern poétique and elegy to the universality of loneliness and existential questioning in contemporary “civilized” life.
Film Specs:
Genre: Drama, Silent (Narration Only)
Runtime: 9 minutes 15 seconds
Completion Date: March, 2023
Production Budget: 15,000 USD
Country of Origin: United States (California & Illinois)
Countries of Filming: Australia, Colombia, Haiti, India, Japan, Kenya, Philippines, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam
Language: English
Shooting Specs: RED (primary), 2.35:1, 23.98 & 60 fps, Shot in 4 and 6k (primary) and 1080p (interstitials)
Film Color: Color
About The Unknown Depths
The Story
The Unknown Depths was inspired by an amalgam of real-life stories about letting go. Our main character, Elle, is a based on an actual person struggling with recurrent nightmares and existential crises. In real life, “Elle” never got to face her unknown depths. In the film, we empower her to do so. And do so with courage.
The characters in Elle’s world–real and imagined–represent the various struggles universal to folks navigating life in the modern “developed” world. Like encountering major hurdles like betrayal and loss. And mundane ones like daily commutes and arbitrary reminders of better days. What results is a progression of half-memories, observations and imaginations, represented by people from all backgrounds united by common experience.
The film was written originally as a poem. Inspired by the visual poetry medium, Matt consulted Dalton who encouraged Matt to build the story from an abstract collection of images into a bona fide narrative. This opened up the film to representing a wider berth of perspectives, folding in experiences ranging from the somber themes of betrayal, loss, and suicide to more uplifting tones of empowerment, self-awareness, and tapping into inner reserves of strength and perseverance.
The Cinematic Experience
The Unknown Depths was inspired by filmmakers like Terrence Malick and Martin McDonagh. These creators not only present visually arresting imagery, they intertwine their characters with the natural world that surrounds them. Their films, to various degrees, are visual poetry. Our take on this style aims to capture the authentic interplay between the character and the environment. A hint of abstract realism.
Filmed without dialogue, an original score and solemn narration propel the story forward, punctuating with requiem the simultaneous interplay of empowerment and surrender, of acceptance and sacrifice, that often accompanies how we as humans cope with crisis and loss. The soundscape is intentionally mercurial, avoiding the human voice but drifting in and out of contextual soundscape. The film’s visuals occasionally depart from the two main characters, transmuting into fugue-state sequences comprised of snapshots of everyday human endurance, from mundane to profound, represented by images shot around the world.
The Production
Though primarily shot in California–urban Los Angeles and coastal San Diego–“The Unknown Depths” employs footage from all habitable continents. Second unit production teams spanned from Kenya to Illinois and Hanoi to London, in an effort to convey the inclusive nature of the human desire for meaning. A cinematographer from Istanbul capturing a moment at a bus stop. A Haitian man navigating the streets of Port-Au-Prince. A group of teenagers boarding a train outside of Mumbai.
As creators, we embraced the challenge of shooting remotely, collecting footage shot on Sonys, Cannons, Reds, and iPhones. While our Director communicated technical standards and creative vision to the on-site teams, the cinematographers themselves were empowered to capture the emotion of each moment. And the talent, largely non-actors, delivered raw realities by simply existing in the moment.
This film was in part inspired by and dedicated to
Robert Taylor, a military veteran, husband and father, and dear friend
who left us far too early.