KILL or BE KILLED (Short Film)
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
- KILL or BE KILLED is an Action Thriller Short Film shot with essentially no budget.
Waking up, tied to a tree with no recollection of how he got there, husband and father Mark finds himself thrust into the ultimate game of survival. The objective of the game is simple: KILL or BE KILLED.
KILL or BE KILLED was an Official Selection at
2020 First Take Shorts Series
Best Cinematography WINNER!
Best Editing WINNER!
Best Directing Nominee
2020 Philadelphia Independent Film Festival
Best Local Film
2020 Bucks Fever Film Festival
Emerging Artist, Finalist
2020 Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival
2020 Lancaster International Film Festival
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Our Patreon: / thinkingart
Written & Directed by Wesley Mellott
Produced by Andrew Glessner, Brian Schwenk, Matthew K. Hacker & Wesley Mellott
Story by Michael Mowen & Wesley Mellott
Music by Adrian Gucze
Cinematography & Editing by Wesley Mellott
Visual Effects & Color by Brian Schwenk
Starring:
Michael Mowen as Mark
Andrew Glessner as Machete Man
Buddy Caine as James
Jack Voss as Rifleman
Thomas Crognale as Speaker
Lauren LaVera as Hannah
Lillian Marie Mullins as Lillie
Sean C. Kelley as Victim
Assistant Director - Matthew K. Hacker
1st Assistant Camera - Brian Schwenk & Adam Hribar
2nd Assistant Camera - Suzie Kwak & Mark Cline
Grip & Gaffer - Brian Schwenk & Mark Cline
Production Sound Mixer - Andrea Canonico, Ryan Osborne, Suzie Kwak, and Brian Schwenk
Stunt Coordinator - Chris Dyer
Post Sound - Michael Mowen & Todd Raemel
Camera Operators - Wesley Mellott, Adam Hribar, and Brian Schwenk
Drone Operator - Adam Hribar
BTS Video - Susan Chang, Sean C. Kelley, and Adam Hribar
Still Photographer - Mark Cline
Production Assistants - Ana Harrill, Cory Harrill, Prada Harrill, Eric Carr, George Byers, Josue Castro, Leigh Sturgeon, and Susan Chang
Artwork - Cory Harrill
Prop Maker - Trey Moyer
Special Thanks to Linda & Neil Schwenk, Lindsay Marie Atherton Gombas & Stefan Gombas, McKaig Nature Education Center, Upper Merion Police Department, Vytas Masalaitis Park Ranger, and Morbid Masterpieces.
GEAR used for this Short Film:
Canon 5d Mark IV: amzn.to/34EeQTC
Canon 28mm f/1.8: amzn.to/2RDvNsh
Canon 50mm f/1.4: amzn.to/2IvXzBy
Canon 85mm f/1.8: amzn.to/2WYyUPn
Cheap-ass Shoulder Rig: amzn.to/2z2nrUF
DJI Ronin-S: amzn.to/3bdHKMU
Zoom F4: amzn.to/34zHxkT
Audio Technica AT897 Shotgun Microphone: amzn.to/2K3tsT5
DJI Mavic Pro: amzn.to/2ydRfNC
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Whoever wrote that ending has no heart 😭
I'm gonna blame Mike...
@@ThinkingArtEntertainment Tyler was legit upset by that ending lol
Lillie was too. No ice cream 😭😭😭
I thought the ending was perfect.
@@UrbanRiotProductions There needs to be a sequel
My heart was pumping like crazy for 16 minutes straight! Great camera work, great actors!
Thanks for the kind words! Really appreciate you checking it out and glad you enjoyed it :D
My only complaint... I wanted more! This was amazing, guys! Beautifully shot!
Hopefully we can do more someday. We have a full feature version of it if anyone wants to give us money to make it :P
I cried dude. Lol the poor dude at the end. Great film. Bro.
😭😭😭 I know! Thanks a lot for taking the time to check it out, Andy! Really glad you enjoyed the short.
jiminy jillikers! the level of tension from beginning to end was an art form in and of itself, so devastatingly emotional, it felt like i'd been killed by the end
No budget??? Holy smokes you would see this type of film on the big screen! Absolutely incredible!!!! Good job!!!!!!! Loved it
Hope you enjoy this picture! My many thanks to the cast and crew who put in incredible work to make this film!
Michael Mowen
Thanks so much for your dedication to drowning yourself over and over for the love of the craft! :P
Dammmm good short. Wow. EXCELLENT WORK
Thanks so much for checking it out man! Really glad that you enjoyed it.
You did an incredible job acting in this picture, Michael! Hope to see you in more films!
@@ipooquarters1381 I appreciate that! Cheers!
Really good. Super sad, reminded me of The Most Dangerous Game, which was my favorite requires reading when I was in school.
There needs to be a part 2! I didn't expect this to be so good!!
Great short! Everyone involved did a fantastic job.
Thanks so much for taking the time to check it out! Glad you enjoyed it!
I think it would have been cool on last scene of the forest to hear one last gunshot to imply either a celebration of winning or no one really wins.
Pretty amazing with "no budget"!!! Although, your shorts are always amazing!
Brilliantly shot and cut!
Thank you for the kind words! 😁
Awesome transitions, beautifully shot, great story and a gut wrenching conclusion. Bravo Thinking Art Entertainment... Somebody give these guys a bunch of money so they can make a feature! Fantastic work guys!!!
I agree! Specifically with the "give us a bunch of money" part
Definitely they deserve a ton of money!!!
Ohhhhh man... pinky swore... did you hear me, he pinky swore that ht'd be home for her birthday! The music right off the jump was superb! Getting to know you guys a bit makes all this more interesting. Andrew running around as Machete Man. Those up close and slow stabbing scenes are always terrible to watch. I remember a scene in the movie "Saving Private Ryan" that reminded me of that last scene. The struggle to take someone out all because it's Kill or Be Killed. I wouldn't be able to sleep after doing that.
Lots of adrenaline in this one... total thriller. It's a short that I've been waiting for for awhile and it didn't let me down. I so love these movies and can't wait to see what else you have up your sleeve. I'm also excited to see some of the behind the scenes footage of this one. GREAT job by ALL of your crew.
Awesome job Buddy and the rest of the cast!
Roman Maldonado Glad you liked it!!
Thanks so much! Really glad you enjoyed the film!
Wow! Really impressive guys! Great job all around!!
Thank ya :D
Thank you Chris!! Really glad you enjoyed it.
Woah!! This was so awesome. The AUDIO was INSANELY GOOD imo! And pretty much everything about this felt like such high production value!! GREAT WORK TO ALL THE THINKING ART TEAM and everyone involved! 😍😍
Thanks so much for the kind words! Really appreciate you checking it out and I'm glad you enjoyed it! :D
💪💪🌟🌟👍👍
Loved it, great production all around!
Thanks so much for taking the time to check it out! Really glad you enjoyed it!
I'm a big horror fan, and this did not disappoint. For having "essentially no budget," the quality of film work and sound effects were top notch. Blood looked real at the end too :)
Very nice, Wes & crew. I loved how you pulled off the drowning sequence ...My kind of ending, too! 😉
Thanks so much for checking it out, Erik! Glad you enjoyed it :D
Wow I am blown away great movie, I see you utilized the drone in this too awesome. The acting in this was really good, the shots you chose, the story, effects, all top notch man! Nice job great film!
Thanks so much for taking the time to check it out man! Really glad you enjoyed it! Adam Hribar was our drone op on this one and he's amazing! We shot this almost two years ago, and I didn't fly a drone until just 2 months ago O_O
Thinking Art Entertainment very cool indeed man no problem, it was my pleasure!
Loving the behind the scenes stuff you released too!
Love how this turned out! I know it was a difficult process throughout. Thanks for watching, everyone!
Great job man! Hopefully we can collab on something again soon once the dust settles.
@@ThinkingArtEntertainment See you boys again for the feature
@@BuddyCaineSit on my face
I dig it. The ending was eh, kinda no questions or answers answered. But it was shot and sounded good. Great job.
Glad you dug it, and thanks for the kind words. As for the ending, we wanted to keep it open because we have a feature version we'd love to make in the future. It would go into a lot more backstory, expanding the game and the world, with a lot more game participants.
Man you really know how to unsettle me, don't ya homes? Another great short. I need to go hug my kids now!
😂😂😂 apologies! Hug em tight, and try not to wake up tied to a tree...
Great film and great looking film! I like how it was structured, with him running into character after character. Mike, why did you choose "be killed" ???
Thanks mang! Glad you enjoyed it, and great job with the sound in the creek scene!
Frankly, I wanted to choose Kill 100% but that's showbiz, baby!
Was this inspired by the Hunger Games? 😀 ahhh why did he throw out that long knife thing! DUDE i can't believe you killed him off!!!!
Yes, somewhat inspired by Hunger Games. We have a feature version we want to make that's a more Horror type Hunger Games. And sorry about the end 😬
I really like this short film. There's a lot of stuff I wanted to say about it. Would you mind if I did a video dissecting it? For a short film, I'm really impressed by a lot of the qualities and I'd love to talk more in-depth about it.
Man this could easily be a movie I'd watch good money to go see+ the next speilberg over here! That ending was brutal BTW what a twist!
Thanks for the kind words! Hopefully one day we can make the feature version of it we have written!
Looks amazing!!!
Thanks!
Great short movie, everyone did a great job.
Thank you so much!! :) really glad you enjoyed it!
I can't believe that so many people think that this is the greatest thing they've ever seen.
Wow, this was incredible! Good job! Really lays the foundation for a prequel and sequel. Would be interesting to see if the main person somehow could survive though 🤔
I must say that the one thing I really appreciated and greatly loved was some of the camera work, especially the underwater scene where that dude was being drowned, that was a shot that really stood out for me
And leaving it open like that at the end, maybe a sequel on the way?
THIS should be made into a huge blockbuster movie! LOVED it...subscribed too! Glad i found this channel.. amazing movies
Thanks so much for the kind words! Really hope you enjoy our other films, too!
Darn you, that ending is cruel.... are you planning a sequel 🙂
I am so happy for you that you finally could show this, such great work
Thanks for checking it out Pia! No sequel but we do have a larger feature length version that expands the world with more characters if anyone ever decides to give us some money.
THIS WAS AMAZING! REALLY HOPE THERES A PART 2 EVENTUALLY!!!
This channel has unreal content. I just found it and I'm binging. Cant believe there are so few subs
Thank you so much for the kind words! Really glad that you’re enjoying our short films!
I know how it ends, but I still root for that dad. I love the aerials.
Ford time I’ve come across your channel and wow what fantastic production value! The cinematography is amazing, the cast was brilliant and that ending was a heartbreaker. Well Done in such an amazing story! I’ll be watching more after this so thank you and good luck!!
This definitely seems like it needs another! What happens to that guy? Little back story about why they were there. Kinda takes homage to saw a little bit with a mixture of Hunger Games. I definitely like it! Quality was like an actual AA movie! Definitely felt Hollywood the way it's all captured/color graded, acting was great! Once this whole virus thing is over with! I can't wait to see what you have planned!
Brooooo!! Totally worth the wait man! Great cinematography and a nice story for the allotted time! Yo, that lightning in the drone shot was boss as hell man! Also, the color grading was on point! the talent delivered some really convincing performances and the lighting on the flashbacks was superb! Truly great work Wes and give my absolute best to the cast and crew...Simply wonderful!!😁🙌🤘🤘👏👏👏
Bravo! Bravo! Amazing film guys, very well done, impressive shots in this, incredible story, love the sequence of Mark looking back on memories of his daughters bday etc.. man really top line stuff!
Love the storm over the forest shot... nice work all round.
that ending though! omg, this was so amazing loved it. You guys are very talented. I cant wait to see more of your short films!
You people have a future in the movie making industry,if y’all can make something like this with no real budget,imagine if there was a 3 million dollar budget involved.
This needs to be a full length movie.
This was crazy and I loved it!!! Great job to everyone!
This channel has to be one of the most underrated channels ever on RUclips. Absolutely amazing content. Keep it up guys 👍
Appreciate the kind words! We’ll definitely try and hope you enjoy our films to come!
This was amazing! Some similarities to Battle Royale and Hunger Games but more visceral than both of those, I enjoyed the not-so-happy ending. It looked beautiful as always but no Black Magic on this one? Looking forward to many behind the scenes vids on this one!
Thanks a lot for taking the time to check it out man! Glad you enjoyed it. We actually shot this almost two years ago before I got the Blackmagic!
Absolutely amazing short film, acting , plot and cinematics. I just wish there was a backstory like how did they get to the woods, how were those people picked, what were the victims original plans, who was that guy on the speakers, what happened to the survivor at the end with those guards, etc.
Very well done, i like how it was left open at the end with the guy being taken away by those men.
Great effect all around. The acting is better than a lot of other independent short films I've watched. So just gotta say, great job to all involved :)
Holy moley that was intense! Really well crafted, very well paced, and the acting was on-point from all!!! The sound was really good too. Huge applause to all involved in the making of this movie. Impressive work with no budget.
I also didnt expect that ending at all, and you all are heartless!!! 😭😭😭
Yo this was super well done! Acting and writing are top notch for sure! Keep up the amazing work y'all are super talented!
Wow this was really good. All of it. It was so well put together. The acting was great. Very entertaining
Great effort ... tense and gripping, great action, simple premise, well shot, suitable score, great fight scenes ... Well done to the team! Super impressed.
Wow, this was incredible! Such a showcase of your talent. Reminded me a lot of Hunger Games. I did NOT expect it to end that way either!
DAMN ! That was AWESOME ! I just discovered Your Channel and for " low budget " Films , You Folks are "Hitting it outta the Park" ! Excellent acting , viscerally pulse pounding action and great use of flashbacks to drive the desperation of the seemingly " Average Dads" being thrust into a literal Primal Nightmare .
Well done. Wasn't expecting that ending!
Yeah , Man nice Deadly Game . Well appreciated short film
Feature film is literally recommended and deserved for people like me.
Thanks for watching! Hopefully one day we can make a feature of this one! That's our plan anyway!
Awesome movie dude.. great thanks ingot inspiration to make a movie like this in my country 🙏
Thanks so much for taking the time to check it out! Glad you enjoyed it and that it inspired you :)
Good job loved lots of the shots in this one and interesting ending choice I like it because it leaves questions.
This should be a 2 and a half hour film, this was good but I would done the ending to where none of them survive!
Good movie and acting but I was disappointed that he had to break his promise to his daughter. And a little more back story would have answered some questions I have.
Thanks for the kind words! I'm curious to hear your questions! We have a feature version written that we'd love to do in the future that probably answers your backstory questions.
@@ThinkingArtEntertainment I would love to see it.
Thinking Art Entertainment , I really enjoyed the film but I would’ve liked to have known why this game was happening in the first place - who is behind it and why?
Hey. I just want to say this has been one of the best short films I’ve seen in a really long time. I enjoyed every second of it. It wasn’t too slow or too fast. It told the story very well. You ended it on a good note too. I would love a second part to this. I love the concept of everything, what happens at the end to the guy that won?
Curly hair dude - 0, Bald guy - 2 #MarbletownNeverForget
You. MONSTER. Haha
Thanks for watching!
He got one in
Boom, Clarky! How's it feel to be WRONG?!
@@ThinkingArtEntertainment Not against Heisenberg! He killed Shaun of the Dead, who effing HAD IT COMING!
Dangggg. Was not ready for that at all.
Hopefully that's a good thing :P
@@ThinkingArtEntertainment it was amazing dude. Never thought I'd say that about a film on RUclips!
Nice film. All actors and actress did a great performance. I enjoyed watching it.
This would be terrifying, I don't think I could kill. I would just keep running and hiding. The PTSD you would have coming out of an experience like this would be awful.
Yea.....i had to watch this again. This might be your best work. It's really damn good.
I think it could have used more Machete man. But that's just me.
Wow this actually is high quality could be at movies, nice short film bro🕊
Wow, this was excellent! It should be a full movie.
Thanks for the kind words!
You know what? I really enjoyed watching it but I just felt, and this is my opinion, I just felt that the lack of explanation about how the lead character got into that position let it down oh so very slightly. That being said, that death scene at the end was very haunting and chilling at the same time
I agree
OMG!! This is awesome!! The acting is excellent !! ❤
Thanks so much!!! Really glad you're enjoying our shorts!
This was great but the underwater and aerial shots were my favorite!
This was simply fantastic. Loved every second of it
Thanks so much for taking the time to check the film and review it! Really glad you enjoyed the short!!
@@ThinkingArtEntertainment it was so much fun to watch it I watched it twice
They need to let this creative team write a purge movie
Thanks for the kind words! Maybe one day 🤞
Well, I guess that little girl won't be getting any ice cream 😉 great film!!
😭😭😭 thanks so much for taking the time to check it out! Glad you enjoyed it!
I'm related to her... never thought she'd be in a short film... great job finish the rest lol
Awesome movie Wes! It was killer ;) i would like to know what happens to the dude at the end? will there be a sequel?
Thanks man! No sequel, but we want to do a feature version that expands on the world, has more characters, and way more brutality
@@ThinkingArtEntertainment Sold!!
Hi Thinking Art Entertainment
Man this was epic i love it.
It sucks he could not make it home to see his little girl ouch that sad.
Lol the poor dude at the end i wander what happen to him tho?
Awesome! How did the work on the sound post-production of this film look like?
Wow...that was amazing...from the story all the way to the actors and production! That was better then some movies nowadays! Great job ill def have to rewatch on my big screen!
Nice ending! And good filming all around. Definitely want to see more.
Oooh! The final cut! I remember watching the BTS making of video. Love this! Another great production.😁
Great job. Really well paced and edited. The drone shots really added to the sense of isolation while also adding production value to the film. Top notch work on all fronts from sound to the cinematography. The lead carries the film very well. Great actor. The only thing I have to say is the ending where it feels forced as to subvert expectations. I would have maybe have a more relevant character kill him if that was the way to go. Maybe develop a little further the guy he frees from the tree and go from there. Anyway it’s just a detail. Doesn’t detract from the experience at all. The mere fact that I’m discussing story details is a clear sign that it was a job well done.
I would like to review this film on my channel. I’ve just started a RUclips short film reviews series on my channel and this film deserves the attention as little as it may be.
Congratulations once again. Excellent job.
Thanks so much for taking the time to check the film out. Really appreciate you watching it and taking the time to provide some feedback, and glad that you enjoyed it. We actually made this as a proof of concept for a feature film that we would love to make further down the road that has an expanded game and a lot more characters with more twists and turns. We'd be happy for you to create a review for the short, and feel free to share it with us once it's live!!
Hey Wes, nice job with this guys... To be honest, I liked this much more than I thought I would, after seeing the teaser... I kinda
thought, yea, four guys trying to kill one another, who cares... I thought, maybe if it were couples having to complete to the death
would peek more of an emotional response... But... you nailed it with the love of family aspect... Again, good job... Be sure to tell
lily, what a good job she did, quite the little actor... The death scene could have been a little forceful though, (imo)... Maybe he
was able to semi stumble to his feet, then lean against a tree, then reaches out his arm, extending his pinky finger just before
dying... Side-note: Did you have to do anything special, in regards with RUclips, because a minor was in your film? Always, M...
Thanks for the kind words, Moses. Really appreciate you taking the time to check it out and glad you enjoyed it. I like the death scene you outlined! May have to use that for the feature version of the script we have :P Lily did do a phenomenal job, and I'll be sure to give her all the feedback! And no, we didn't have to do anything specific on RUclips's end. I'm sure if she were a more prominent role in the short film, then maybe we'd have to get clearance in advance.
Talented and gifted 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾an amazing job!
HOLY CRAP I want way more!!!
This was an exceptionally well made no budget short film. Very inspirational for all of those that are out there trying to learn and do the same thing. That ending though! Keep up the spectacular work, and can't wait to see what your team does next!
😆😆
Really good short thank you
Thanks so much for checking it out. Really glad you enjoyed it!
What the hell maaaan, I wanted a good ending that was just dark, what about his promise, damn that really hit me in my heart, mate 100% great movie
Wow extra good and cool. All the actors are great, even the little girl, not easy to direct kids, know it! Bravissimo googd work!
Awesome short
I loved the premise and camera work on it plus I loved the dialog one thing you kind of left it open for a sequel which I loved to see. Also I would have loved to find out how Mark got there and why he was choosen plus who the mystery person behind behind it was and why he does this.
Overall a great film
I have been planning on making a short horror or thriller film my self
Dang. Ya'll are doing some good work.
Appreciate the kind words! Really glad you enjoyed the short!
This was amazing great job love original content
Great job! I could see it on the big screen.
Wow! Short and Intense! Loved it!!!
Holy craaaaaaap! When he said he was going home and yhen srambled brain 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱
This was actually a pretty awesome indie film!!
Woe this was like a little bit of Saw Cross over with Hunger Games!
This was also well acted bit like the small budget films that has bad acting but just bad quality over all!
Kudos to everyone that made the film awesome!!!
Woh I did NOT expect this at all, I was thinking this guy kills his wife and kid but no, Dude this is an amazing film, screw that it's a short, its GREAT! Better than major motion pictures I have seen. Excellent job done by all involved.