Dan Gifford Portrays Real-Life Crime Vignettes for HLN

Dan Gifford has directed a spooky spot to promote original content on the HLN television network.

The script is a folllow-up to the first HLN 'Frozen Moments' spot Dan shot last year, designed to highlight the slate of original content shows premiering this year on the channel. Dan was asked for ideas on the script, so he thought up around fifty possible vignettes  based on narratives from the shows and, alongside the team from HLN/Turner, narrowed them down to produce the ones that made the final cut. The vignettes refer to real-life crimes or mysteries from history, including references to serial killer John-Wayne Gacy (the creepy clown) and The Gainsville Serial Killer (the inspiration for the Scream movies).

 

The film was shot over two days. The first day was in the Port of Los Angeles (dodging container ships) where he shot the yacht scene and the prison scene (the cell was a build in a tent on the quayside). Day two was in a psychiatric hospital in Pomona, California, abandoned since the '80s. Dan loved this location since it had exactly the creepy vibe he wanted for this chilling and sinister piece.