The coronavirus locked us all in for a while. Still, it looks like nothing could lock in the creativity of some artists. If you have an idea, you can turn it into an art project without leaving your room – and this is exactly what the folks of Dugly Habits did. Their short movie Only The Fish Remained Silent was shot entirely in a living room, with a crew of only four people. It’s a perfect example of unlimited creativity even in limited conditions, and it also shows us just how much creative lighting can do for a story.Advertisements Only The Fish Remained Silent is a story of an innocent, little boy who goes to bed with his fears while the cold war is raging outside. Even though the entire movie was set up and filmed in the same living room, it’s very tense and dynamic.
“The idea was to use light to push the story forward and to create the illusion of a big story without really showing much,” the team writes. So, they used what they could find to not only create the scenes, but also set up the mood. There were, of course, different lights, arranged so that they produce the desired effect. But the team spiced it up with safety blankets, fabric, Styrofoam, and cardboard. They also pretty much improvised when setting up the scenes. I must admit that I especially love the second part of the movie that takes place in the “black void.” It has that eerie Stranger Things vibe, doesn’t it? The room was made by stapling black fabric onto walls. The team also made a shallow pool in the middle of the living room. In the final scene, they stapled bedroom curtains onto walls to act as wallpaper. Once again, with brilliant lighting, they set an entirely different mood.
Once again, I’m impressed by creativity and improvisation that went into making of this movie, and I really like the result. You can watch the BTS video and some more photos below, and make sure to follow Dugly Habits on their website, YouTube, and Instagram.
