Clear Blue: The Short Film That Will Pull You In

While watching Simon get lured into Flova’s underwater realm, viewers of Clear Blue will experience a similar feeling of being drawn into it’s world of fantasy. As part of their thesis project at the AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles, director Lindsay MacKay, producer S. Brent Martin and cinematographer Mattias Troelstrup teamed up to develop and shoot a short film that, despite it’s 20-minute length, has the look and feel of a feature film. And now, as Clear Blue continues to earn awards and praise, festivals are lining up to screen the film.

Clear Blue tells the story of Simon (Chris Sheffield), a brand new lifeguard who’s assigned the early shift at his local swimming pool. Simon becomes obsessed with Flova (Nancy Linehan Charles), an elderly woman and the pool’s only patron during those morning hours, after he discovers her unbelievable capacity to stay submerged under water. His naivety and her loneliness and desire to share her secret lead to a startling discovery. What follows is a story of temptation and pursuit, a fable of impossible love and ultimately, its harrowing consequences.

MacKay, a graduate of York University’s Film program alongside Martin, has been exploring and developing the siren/mermaid mythology since her undergrad days. When the opportunity to flex their education in a thesis film arose, the team immediately chose a subject matter that quite literally threw them into the deep end. Directing from her own script, MacKay along with Troelstrup, a cinematographer already well respected in his native Denmark, devised a series of technical underwater shots using a HydroFlex camera that create the perfect setting for the otherworldly relationship between Simon and Flova. Standing out among the myriad of these shots is one where Flova transforms immediately as she enters the pool. Encompassing some trick photography and subtle visual effects, the result is a shot that would make Spielberg smile.

The making of Clear Blue is a modern day production story in it’s own right. Much of the action takes place in swimming pools, therefore, Martin and MacKay held guerilla underwater auditions all over LA, often sneaking actors into pools and recording them with little more than a point-and-shoot in a Ziploc. Scrupulous casting is necessary when you have a character like Young Flova (Thia Schuessler), who never appears above the pool’s surface. To make matters worse, the team discovered their original Flova couldn’t actually swim in the deep end and had to re-cast just days before shooting was scheduled to begin. Then there was the matter of cost. Despite the generous Bridges/Larson Grant and funding through AFI, much of the production relied on private funding. Never has a long friend list been so valuable. The team headed to Facebook, where, through countless donations by friends and family, noticeable in the lengthy Thank You credits section, a sizable budget was amassed.

That which remains after all the meticulous production is a short film that rises from its beneath-the-sea palette and minimal dialogue and leaves us with a fantasy chock full of mystery and romance. Add to that Nathaniel Smith’s eerie score and you have a beautiful and haunting modern retelling of an old myth that stays with you for a very long time.

The industry is noticing too. Clear Blue premiered at Plus Camerimage, a film festival that celebrates cinematography – a testament to Troelstrup’s skill. It has since gone on to screen at AFI’s Thesis Showcase at the DGA and SXSW’s Medium Cool short film program alongside Spike Jonze’s Arcade Fire film. Most recently, it was honored with a College Television Award (aka a Student Emmy.) Thanks to it’s producer, director and their long list of Facebook funders, the short has a strong Canadian connection, thus they’re keeping their fingers crossed hoping to see it at this Fall’s Toronto International Film Festival. Here’s the official website and trailer.