The Prowler

Logline

An old woman feels threatened by a stranger trying to get into the house she's in - but nothing is quite what it seems.

(Password: ontheprowl)

The Prowler is everything you could want from a short film – witty, economical writing that delivers a singular idea, graced by just the right amount of yearning in 6 and a half minutes’ screen time.

It delights us with its clever twist and mischievous humour and is a rare find for daring to offer the lead part to an actress in her seventies – and giving us an older character who isn’t old and dying, nor overshadowed by a younger member of the cast.

Distribution

The Prowler is another of our shorts signed to Shorts International, so we cannot stream it freely via YouTube or Vimeo. However, as there is a high probability that you are visiting this site as a film professional, creative or friend, you can view the film by clicking on The Prowler and entering the password ‘ontheprowl’.

Background to the making of

Back in February 2012 I set out to find a script written by someone else for a change. I put out a posting on a number of newsletter sites, such as ShootingPeople and TalentCircle, asking for a script of about 3-4 minutes. It could be on any subject, but had to stick to 4 pages or under and keep to a low budget.

I received many scripts – nearly all of them well over 4 pages long – but few I found engaging. In fact I was on the point of abandoning the idea of directing someone else’s script, when I received a 4-page script from a young Australian writer, Ingrid Elkner, which I liked at the first reading.

Ingrid and I got chatting on email and I found her to be very receptive to feedback. Just as well, because I took her to nine drafts before I felt we were ready to shoot it!

I was very fortunate that my parents allowed us to film in their beautiful home. And it’s so wonderful to have their house captured on film – I suppose ‘for posterity’. And the day at their house was coincidentally one of the most relaxing and straightforward shooting days I’ve ever had. To my surprise we got through about 4 pages in less than eight hours, with myself as director and 1st AD.

Credits