About The Film
The Lilith Trailer
The Lilith Teaser
For more details and to RSVP for the special preview screening, visit the event page here!
The stylistic difference in trailers represent two different takes – the trailer by assistant editor Will Olsen, and the teaser by director Melanie Killingsworth. Will used 16:9 for the full, epic sweep, and to add his own ‘modern’ twist on a classic style. Melanie kept the teaser in the same dimensions as the film; the original decision to crop to 4:3 was to mimic the classic style of 35mm films while subverting their conventions.
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I love noir films; their style, cinematography, language, almost everything about them. In addition to classic films like Double Indemnity and The Big Sleep, I devour hardboiled fiction by Raymond Chandler, Ross MacDonald, Dashiell Hammett, Patricia Highsmith, etc. But I’ll be the first to admit, the genre has a history of problematic dealings with minorities. As a whole, it leans heavily towards the sexist, racist, and homophobic.
Two years ago, a good friend came up with a story. We wrote a parody which poked fun at noir’s anti-women themes, proving their absurdity through humor and gender role reversal. She and I thought it would be fun to shoot The Maltese Turkey over Thanksgiving, when we’d have spare time and several willing friends at our disposal. Then, scheduling conflicts and general tryptophan-induced lethargy convinced us to wait a few months.
In a few months, we decided to put it off still longer. I started to re-write it in the image of modern noirs such as Brick and LA Confidential. We ended up with a serious 27-page sript which uses noir style and tone to tell a modern detective story. Along the way, it examines how gender roles have changed since hardboiled paperbacks were at the height of their popularity.
Now with a bigger, more intimidating project on our hands, we decided to dream big. I called a cinematographer and DP and pitched the idea. When both agreed to be part of the film, I knew we had something good. Over the next several months, every project I worked on, I kept my eye out for talent. I picked up a light guy, then a production assistant. I found actors and actresses. And they’re all great.
We shot May 10, 2012, and are currently in post-production up to our eyeballs. This site will have behind-the-scenes photos, production blog, trailers, screening announcements, and more to come. If you have any questions, you can comment on this post or e-mail me at melanie [at] b-windmedia.com. I’m more than happy to talk about this dream come to life.
Thanks,
Melanie