E61 • Prioritizing Audience Experience, Enjoying the Process • MERCEDES BRYCE MORGAN, dir. of ‘Bone Lake’ now In Theaters from Bleecker Street, following Fantastic Fest
Description
Mercedes Bryce Morgan unpacks the whirlwind making of Bone Lake, an 18-day Atlanta shoot that battled storms, injuries, and lost gear before completing its night-boat climax on a Los Angeles soundstage. After a Fantastic Fest premiere and Deadline-breaking international sales, the erotic survival thriller heads to U.S. theaters with buzzy audience reactions and a proudly “fun, commercial, popcorn” spirit.
Mercedes traces her path from mini DV Star Wars shorts and USC to festival features, describing her taste as a mix of Oldboy’s devastation and Amélie’s heart. Other past influences include Barbarians, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The House of Yes, Funny Games, and The One I Love. Her TIFF-premiering Fixation (2022) sparked her love for erotic thrillers.
On craft, she argues the best twists are guessable seconds before they land, and test screenings help her fine-tune which parts of the mystery viewers might sense without solving it too soon. Her advice to young filmmakers: embrace constraints as boot camp, stick with collaborators who love the work, design for the audience experience, and make sure you enjoy the day-to-day… because the process is the life.
Introducing the Past Present Feature Film Festival, a new showcase celebrating cinematic storytelling across time. From bold proof of concept shorts to stand out new films lighting up the circuit, to overlooked features that deserve another look.
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