Influenced was written, shot, and edited in just 48 hours for the 2018 season of the Blood’N’Guts film festival challenge, put on by the fine folks over at This Is A Spoon.
At the 2018 Blood’n’Guts Competition, we won Best Film, Best Writing, & Best Actress, as well as being picked for the Audience Choice and being nominated for Best Director, Best Makeup, and Scariest Film The Film has since been shown at international film festivals, including the Spokane International Film Festival in 2020, and the Vancouver Bad Ass Film Festival where it was Nominated for Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Writing.
The rules of the 48hour film fest: We must include the line “What’s that supposed to mean?”, use a flashlight as a prop, and set the story during a holiday. Our team created this fun thriller about Rose, a social-media influencer live-streaming to her audience while showing off a vintage necklace gifted by her boyfriend. However, the chat quickly turns against her when viewers realize the necklace resembles one worn by a recent missing girl. As comments flood in and the truth begins to surface, the live stream spins out of control—leading to a shocking ending that unfolds entirely in real time, between the lens and the feed.
Genre: Thriller / Found Footage / Social Media Horror Runtime:4:42
Directed by: Julie Bruns
Written by: Emily Weldon, Reilly Lievers, Avi Glanzer, Annabel MaClean, Justin Anthony. Julie Bruns.
Starring: Annabel Maclean as Rose Justin Anthony as Josh Noel Johnson as The Kidnapper Julie Bruns as The Missing Girl
Cinematography / Sound Design / Editing: Reilly Lievers
1st Assistant Director: Steve Krammerer
Script Supervisor: Emily Weldon
Makeup Artist: Steph Bueckert
Stunt Coordinator: Justin Anthony