Leviathan’s First Short Film to Premiere
Very soon, in Melbourne, Australia, the world-renowned Pause Digital Festival will unite some of the world's best and brightest leaders in the digital industries for the second straight year. Set to run Nov. 8-11, 2012, the itinerary promises 14 screenings, six industry workshops, eight interactive projects and the premiere conference event PauseStage, making Pause Fest the must-attend event for all innovators in the creative industry.
A major 2012 Pause Fest screening will be the world premiere of the visually astounding 'Lilith' short dramatic film, which has been produced by Chicago-based design-focused production studio Leviathan. It is the studio's first original narrative film, confirmed Leviathan's executive creative director Jason White, who will attend the premiere on 9 Nov. before taking the stage the following day as part of PauseStage. For the day-long PauseStage event presented by Autodesk featuring some of the most exciting and inspiring leaders from the digital world, White's presentation is entitled 'Moving Masses: The Art of Transformative Visual Experiences'.
As White explained, 'Lilith' presents the chilling story of an isolated, dystopian future seen through the eyes of a young woman whose life is all-consumed by her interactive device.
"Our ambition was to create a short yet thought-provoking social commentary piece regarding technology and isolation," he began. "At Leviathan, we are fascinated by the concept that our devices connect us and also divide us into different spaces. In an increasingly connected world, a social paradox arises when so many get lost in their own devices, tuning out the real world around them. Our piece contemplates how an individual's future might appear through this lens of isolation."
View the trailer below:
Key contributors to last year's inaugural Pause Fest event, White and his colleagues at Leviathan decided to get even more involved in 2012. With that in mind, they brainstormed ideas for original shorts, and once a concept from Leviathan's own Tim Sepulveda crystallised, the production moved forward as time allowed in between other studio projects. With the help of casting director Sarah Newby, June Marsh was cast in the lead role, and many other premier talents were enlisted, including Daniel Ryan who shares directorial credit with Sepulveda, director of photography Aaron Edwards, editors Mike LaHood and Andrew Maggio, producer Brandy Olsen and audio superstar Dustin Camilleri, to name but a few. The production took place in select Chicago and Milwaukee locations over six days in June, and post-production continued right up until the Pause Fest delivery deadline. Complete project credits are available upon request.
"We are especially proud of this piece because we feel it speaks to our audience and makes deep emotional connections. The visual effects challenges were somewhat daunting, but we made every effort to embed subtle hidden messages to contrast with the Zen-like contemplative story."
Leviathan is seeking additional screening opportunities for 'Lilith' following Pause Fest, while also submitting the film into many prominent U.S. and international film festivals. For further information on the project, please visit www.lvthn.com.
