Hello dear friends, family, and appreciators of the arts.

We are in the final stages of pre-production for our short film entitled The Waiting Room, written by Olivia De Salvo and Imogen Whist, directed by Jonas Bishop Hayes, and with Katie Mlinek as director of photography.

Story

Our story is about two young women who find themselves stuck in a shapeshifting room and must confront subjects of connection, loss, and the transient nature of existence in order to attain their freedom. The Waiting Room begins in a recognized perpendicular reality and swiftly unfurls to reveal its true nature, the surroundings bending and metamorphosing to reflect the shifting psychological landscapes of our protagonists.

Some of you may already be familiar with how this project has threaded itself into our lives over the past year, woven through the quotidian and galvanizing our creative spirits. It has been a project of dedicated love born out of a series of losses in our lives. As above, so below: we understand artistic footprints can make great impact and believe that this alchemized hope must be shared.

Camera

We recognize and appreciate the advancement of AI, AR, VFX and all things hyper tech in filmmaking. Even so, our hearts are with older analogue forms of cinematic storytelling. That is why we have chosen to use an Aaton ltr7 16mm film camera as well as a magic lantern for projections that happen inside the story.

The medium is the message and the message is connection through the sensual world. Our characters are adrift, relying on all forms of escapism to cope with existence, and it is only when they reach ‘The Waiting Room’ that they are called to soberly face the mirror and touch the earth.

We wrote the first few drafts as if this story were a play--the theatre will never die!

When we asked Jonas Bishop Hayes to be our director and Nifemi Ogunro to support us in production design, they compiled some visual references:

Influences

If any of the titles below beckon you, The Waiting Room is bound to make an impact.

Videodrome (1983), Mulholland Drive (2001), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Are You Afraid of the Dark (1990), Vertigo (1958), Under the Skin (2014), Beetlejuice (1988), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Savages (2008), Smithereens (1982), Unsolved Mysteries (1987), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, Celine and Julie go Boating (1974), No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre, Daisies (1967), so many more…

Who?

Authoresses/Actresses Imogen Whist and Olivia De Salvo want to explore the moments of transition between this life and the next. The jelly membrane where thoughts, sensations, images, and concepts diffuse. An often disquieting topic, they want to filter this journey of passage through the poetics of friendship. The two protagonists in The Waiting Room rely on each other in this unknown dis-location, never coming to conclusions but posing questions amidst the chaos of change.

Some behind the scenes VHS stills from our first rehearsal for The Waiting Room with creative consultant Ella Sinskey:

Why?

While we have been fortunate to have received assistance from our dedicated cast and crew, we still require additional support. It's crucial for us to compensate our exceptional crew members fairly for their contributions to the production. Our shoot spans three locations, each meticulously crafted by our talented production designer, Nifemi Ogunro, with logistics thoughtfully organized by our incredible producer, Zoe Garrick (Brakelight Pictures). Additionally, we require support for post-production tasks such as editing, color grading, and festival submissions.

We deeply appreciate any and all support for this project. Help us transform and materialize The Waiting Room!!

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Facebook: TheWaitingRoom

- All of us in

The Waiting Room ۞