short film

Role: Writer/Director, Editor, Colorist, Delivery

Synopsis:
When Nate’s favorite boot vanishes, the determined quartet embarks on a thrilling journey through the town. With each clue they uncover and every quirky character they meet, they inch closer to cracking the case wide open. Along the way, they learn the value of teamwork, bravery, and perseverance.

Watch the finished film below and keep scrolling to read the case study!

Producer: Sarah Burnett
Director: John-Clay Burnett
Cast: Eric, Samuel, Joseph, Nate, Dr Michael Bush
Edit/Color: John-Clay Burnett
Sound: Benjamin Burnett
VFX: Will Jackson

Watch the FILM

CASE STUDY

We made this project as a family, filming for several hours a day for two weeks. We found a bunch of props at thrift stores and garage sales, and bought the costumes online.

Our attic had a lot of empty space which we turned into the “detective office” set! 

To further enhance the “old film” asthetic, I turned all the detective scenes black and white, degraded the footage, and added a heavy film grain.

One of the locations where the boys explore is an old western town. Of course, no western is complete without a sheriff, and our friend Dr Michael Bush (who has some acting experience) was kind enough to help us out and fill the role.

We used a lot of haze on location for this scene to add to the old dusty western feel. In color grading, I wanted to lean into a little bit of a sepia feel, but still keeping the shadows cool.

Some of the other locations we filmed at included our backyard, and a local old train engine.

When filming with kids I found it helpful to film them one at a time to reduce the stress of getting them all to cooperate at the same time. However, this resulted in a lot of “clean” shots where you only see once kid at a time…which felt kind of clunky. I realized however that it fit the arc of the story, as they are more individualistic at the beginning.

As we filmed sections toward the end of the story, I tried to include more kids in the shot at the same time, even if all you saw was a shoulder or a sleeve…this helped visually reinforce them learning to work together as a team. 

We are grateful to our friends who were willing to bring their dog to film in a scene, and Will Jackson did a great job of painting out the dog leash and tags!

When filming was finished we all went out for tacos!

We attended several film festival events as a family, and were a top-5 finalist at ICVM for “Best Children’s Program” and then won Runner-Up for “Best Short Film” at CWVFF!

Enjoy a short Behind-the-Scenes video!

THANKS FOR READING!

STILL IMAGES