New short film online: Michael Gilvary's "Dust Devil"

We're often asked why we don't put more video on the SoCal Film Group website. There are a number of reasons, but one of the most common relates to film festivals. On the whole, festivals still operate in a pre-digital distribution age, and disqualify shorts which have been shown online from festival eligibility.

What this means for SCFG is that the shorts we most want to show off have to stay offline until they've run their course in festivals. For a good short, that might take a year or more, festival schedules being what they are.

But I'm happy to announce that we've recently been able to add "Dust Devil", an exciting thriller written and directed by SCFG member Michael Gilvary. Featuring the talents of Debbie Fan and Rob Zabrecky, Dust Devil tells the story of a woman driving through the desert who plays the Good Samaritan to a stranded fellow motorist and learns that not everything is what it seems.

The short was shot over a couple of August, 2004 weekends on location in the desert near Lancaster, CA. Cast and crew braved temperatures as high as 115 degrees, relentless sunlight, and frequent passes by the titular dust devils. At one point the craft services tent, which provided the only available shade, was whipped up and away in a burst of high wind. Metal objects used in the film, such as the jack or the shovel, often had to be cooled with ice so the actors could handle them safely. Actress Debbie Fan in particular dealt with a good deal of demanding physical activity in the high heat, always turning in excellent performances and never once complaining about the arduous conditions on location.

Happily the end result was well worth everyone's hard work, and the film has screened at a number of festivals. We're proud we're now able to present the short online!

Special thanks to GrouchoGandhi for providing hosting and to Rich Singer for his expertise in providing a quality encoding of the video for the net.