Lately, the only thing we’ve been talking about on here is how the virus going around has affected our industry. As such, we can only watch things in the (dis)comfort of our homes on tiny screens. But it has to do for now. One of the many films that’s soon to be released online is an interesting film that talks about the pandemic going around. Shot right before everyone was told to stay home, Mostafa Keshvari came up with the idea on what would happen if multiple people from different walks of life were all stuck in an elevator together until the whole thing blew over. How would they get along? What would they discover about each other? Would anything be the same? To answer more of my questions, I called Mostafa myself (social distancing is essential, folks) and discussed his interesting film which he managed to get done, rather quickly.
HNMAG: “So, The Corona Movie takes place in an elevator, what was it like shooting the whole film in a setup like that?”
Mostafa Keshvari: “As an independent filmmaker, I had to think outside of the box and so literally, I wanted to make the film IN the box because of budgets, and the time we had. The idea also came to me when I was in the elevator reading the news about Xenophobic stuff. It really helped to make the film realistic because right now, our biggest phobia is being in constricted space with people. I put a bunch of people who don’t really fit in the same society together. In the same elevator there’s a black guy, a white supremacist, a pregnant woman, some from the higher class, some from the lower class. Then there’s this Chinese woman who’s a newcomer and doesn’t speak any English. All of these characters in the elevator, help us rebuild our true colours. These things all happened BEFORE the pandemic. We had no idea things were going to get this big.”
HNMAG: “There’s quite a blend of characters in the film. How did you manage to get so many different elements together in an efficient story set up?”
Mostafa Keshvari: “One thing I wanted to create was inner conflict and outer conflict in each character, so each character had something that was an inner conflict that comes out during the movie, and they reveal something about themselves that you cannot judge people just by the way that they look. Of course, when you see someone in the elevator they just have their certain way but when you spend enough time with that person, then that’s where you get to know people. In a way, it’s very interesting how people are when you get to know them, especially when there’s fear and the element of survival. Our true nature comes out, so that kind of space with everyone in an elevator shows viewers how people will behave given these circumstances. Right now, we are seeing society, with people stacking up toilet paper and things like that. Some are stealing things, and some are being nice to each other and stuff like that. So, everybody’s true colours are coming around at this time. So we gotta understand what is right, and sooner or later we are going to get out of this elevator which is the virus. People are going to remember this time in history.”
HNMAG: “How was the elevator set designed and how did you manage to work with it?”
Mostafa Keshvari: “We basically had to design the elevator in a studio because it’s very hard to shoot in a real elevator. Also, to add symbolism and have creative control. It gave us more room for the camera people and the whole movie is actually one take. To give them the sense of reality was the basic intention of the film. The whole point of one take is I wanted the audience to feel like they were stuck in the elevator too. It also helped the actors to show that tension and anxiety because they were really nervous to nail it every time. Every time we messed up, we had to start over. It took us almost 70 takes to get it right. The audience will be looking at these actors, seeing how they behave and relate to these characters themselves.”
HNMAG: “What kind of camera and equipment was used for shooting the film?”
Mostafa Keshvari: “It was a RED camera. I feel we were very lucky because we shot in Vancouver for a short period of time. From the time I had the idea for the script, within one week we were shooting. I think the beauty of Vancouver is that you have a lot of talented cast and crew that if they see a good script and they see a good story that they relate to, they’ll jump on board, and work together. It was a very extremely low budget, so we had to bring in a very small cast and crew but everybody worked hard because they believed the message. Plus, it’s not just about the virus and the phobia, it’s also about misinformation at some point, regardless of your colour. I think it was very interesting how this worked, and the funny thing is, given the time, it was called the Chinese virus when we were shooting in February. We wrapped on Valentine’s Day. So people were afraid of Chinese people. It was interesting to have Asian cast and crew on set and not everyone was sure about trusting each other. Some of these cast and crew had in fact been turned down from certain auditions because of the virus. To be all together in this we had to prove our message, not just in front of the camera. We had to prove we were in this together. Having a diverse cast and crew was part of the mission.”
HNMAG: “Do you feel that your film may have not only been a look into the virus but also predicted things?”
Mostafa Keshvari: “Yeah, a lot of the stereotyped characters you see now in society and how people behave didn’t exist at the time so I kind of had to come up with interesting characters that NOW you can relate with. So, in the movie it was shown to take place during the pandemic even though it was shot BEFORE the pandemic. So I kind of predicted the future in terms of what it would like if it became a pandemic and if it’s called the Chinese virus and what would things look like. I guess I was lucky the behaviours of these characters, some that we now see in society.”
HNMAG: “Did you run into any particular issues on set?”
Mostafa Keshvari: “I think the main issue was having to shoot with the time and the budget we had, but because I made the whole film in the elevator, that solved the problem. The main challenge was after just finishing the film, a few weeks after the whole industry shut down. So now I think the main problem is a lot of filmmakers are out of a job. I hope that this situation ends very soon and we can all just look back and then get back to work and start making stories. I think the whole cast and crew were very nice. I really feel that Vancouver is one of the best cities in the world for making movies.”
HNMAG: “What kind of values do you feel people will take from the film, especially in this time of need?”
Mostafa Keshvari: “I think what we’ll learn, not just from the film but also the virus itself. The virus doesn’t discriminate, so why should WE? One thing is that regardless of your race colour, status, or background, the virus is treating everybody the same. So if we all treated each other the same, then society would be a better place. I think what people will take away from it is that long after this Corona virus is old news, our fight against racism will continue. There will always be something to be afraid of. The film teaches us that humanity will prevail at the end.”
Be sure to be on the lookout for this film when it makes the digital release, if this movie will do anything, it’ll certainly help people realize how they should REALLY see one another, themselves even. Given the lockdown of sorts, I am starting to think it’s getting to some people so a few facts should set things straight. In the meantime, we gotta keep on self-quarantining and hopefully the virus will go away on its own, like a bear.
Pictures courtesy of Rob Straight