Please tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘Chomp’. How did you start, and how did you learn to make films?
Carter Bowden: I did a couple shorts in college that were a wonderful way to teach myself, a number of the people I collaborated with on those also helped out on Chomp! I would also make a lot of shorts with my friends back home in Arkansas throughout high school. They were very DIY and low budget and cheesy but I can only look back on those memories and be very grateful, there are a lot of people who have graciously been supportive throughout this process and none of this could happen without them.
Adra Kreiling: I worked on a few films throughout university, as well as interning for WarnerMedia. The content I worked on during that time ranged from short-form promotional content to short films my friends had created. I got my start largely due to classes and mentors through my undergraduate program at Belmont University, which is where I learned my basic skills and met friends who graciously trusted me with their projects after graduation.
Tell us about ‘Chomp’. How do you describe it?
Carter Bowden: It’s a dark absurd psychological thriller with comedic elements. Nick and I wanted to balance the darker thriller elements with little bits of absurd comedy throughout the short. It’s been really exciting watching it with a live audience. Part of the biggest challenge was getting the pacing right for a film that’s entirely set in one room. That was tricky, but I’m very proud of the finished product. Was only possible because of the team we had that brought it to life!
Adra Kreiling: Chomp is a sci-fi thriller. While it has some comedic aspects, it is largely
imaginative and takes the viewer to an entirely different world. However scary it may be, the film considers themes of guilt, protectiveness over others, and regret extremely well.
Please tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
Carter Bowden: I’m a big fan of Tony Scott, and he was a big influence on this film specifically. His energetic shooting and editing style were very inspiring for Chomp’s more stylistic scenes.
Adra Kreiling: Greta Gerwig is my favorite filmmaker. I love her attention to the female
perspective in all of her films, and her commitment to honest and genuine story telling.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
Carter Bowden: If I had to pick one, it would definitely be to make a Batman movie. Even if it’s a fan film!
Adra Kreiling: This is a hard question because I love working on all kinds of content! My dream is to work on a tv show or movie set during a large period of time. I love when films and tv shows can accurately depict a changing setting and character growth with the passing of time.
Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps would you take?
Carter Bowden: Sticking to deadlines and having a strong team, my producer, DP, and AD were an immense help with keeping pre-production and production smoothly!
Adra Kreiling: Setting hard deadlines and ensuring that the team can communicate effectively with each other is key to a smooth production. I would have shared schedules via online documents with the entire team to make information easily accessible.
What was the hardest part of making ‘Chomp’.
Carter Bowden: Shooting Chomp, for me, was actually the easiest part! The biggest challenge in pre-production was getting the right location, and I have to credit my DP Jacob Samuels for being on my ass about sticking to what I wanted and not compromising the look we wanted for the film. The other biggest challenge was post-production specifically editing and sound, because the whole film is only set in one room, editing was crucial to get a solid pace established. And then post sound with Adra, creating these stylistic montages and having her sound design compliment and enhance them and the film was challenging but so rewarding in the end. Her work took the short to the next level.
Adra Kreiling: Creating the sounds for the transformations of the characters, as well as
representing the childlike state of characters without giving too much away was challenging! I had to get really creative with various tech dropout sounds among water sounds to give it a really spooky, otherworldly feel.
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work?
Carter Bowden: Currently doing a lot of freelance work, but I just produced a short that my DP, Jacob Samuels, wrote and directed. And then I’ve got an idea for another horror short I’m working on!
Adra Kreiling: I currently am an audio producer for All Elite Wrestling, which is a non-stop job given the four shows we send out weekly along with promotional content, podcasts, YouTube shows and more. Outside of that, I am looking forward to working on another comedy short film in the coming months.
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