Watch the full film (15 min.):

In this short, quasi-narrative visual poem, a man trudges from one uninhabited locale to another, accessing each one via a seemingly unending spiral staircase. He is taunted by a spirit who draws him towards her with an irresistible gravitational pull. But each time he gets close, she eludes him, leaving behind a consolation prize for him to find. Will he ever reach her? Shot entirely on a mobile phone (Google Pixel 3).

Watch the full film here:

In this short, which is part narrative film and part visual poem, a man trudges from one uninhabited locale to another, accessing each one via a seemingly unending spiral staircase. He is haunted and taunted by a spirit who draws him towards herwith a gravitational pull that he can’t resist. But each time he gets close, she eludes him, leaving behind a silver charm as a consolation prize. Will he ever reach her?

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Starring: Masa Gibson & Berglind Rós Magnúsdóttir

Written by: Masa Gibson

Directed by: Masa Gibson & Abby J. Smith


Shot entirely on a mobile phone (Google Pixel 3)

Screenings and Awards
Year Event Status/Award
2019 Play Short International Film Awards Best Editing
2020 Gen Con Film Festival Official Selection
2020 South Coast Film Festival Official Selection
2020 New York State International Film Festival Best Experimental Film
2020 Seattle True Independent Film Festival Official Selection
2020 Reykjavík Visions Film Festival Official Selection
2021 Festival du Film du Fantasme Best Editing
2021 Festival of Cinema NYC Official Selection
PRODUCTION NOTES (Click on an item to expand.)
  • A Week in Iceland

    The film was shot over the course of a week in Iceland. Originally the trip was envisioned as a

    vacation, but Gibson and Smith hatched a plan to take advantage of the country’s stark beauty and

    shoot a short film while they were there, in lieu of vacation photos. While a lot of shooting was done

    off-the-cuff, they tried to be sensitive to local concerns and made every effort not to disrupt natural ecosystems (a la Justin Bieber). 

  • Night for Day

    The fact that it never gets fully dark in Iceland in July was both a blessing and a curse; as obsessive as the protagonist of the film, the filmmakers frequently shot late into the night without realizing they had skipped dinner or that businesses (hotels, campsites, grocery stores) had long since closed.

  • Shooting on a Phone

    The entirety of the film was shot on a Google Pixel 3 mobile phone. Both of the co-directors had worked alongside professional DPs in the past, but neither of them had hands-on experience operating a camera. In the two weeks leading up to the trip, they practiced setting up and running various types of shots at their local park in the East Village neighborhood of NYC to get comfortable with the camera and accessories (Moment lenses, Zhiyun Smooth 4 gimbal, tripod). 

  • Location, Location, Location

    There were three types of locations on this production. First there were specific locations that

    Gibson had in mind from previous trips to Iceland. Then there were locations that were left unspecified in preproduction but that needed to fulfill certain criteria. (For instance, one scene required a spiral staircase.) The filmmakers relied on the help of local friends and their social networks to scout possible candidates for those locations. Finally, as they drove along various country roads, the filmmakers kept their eyes peeled for interesting spots to shoot, and many of those unplanned locations ended up in the final film.

  • Waterfall Hunting

    The filmmakers and their friends spent an entire day hiking in search of the perfect waterfall for the

    shot of Gibson standing under the fall and screaming. The waterfall had to be high enough to be impressive (but not so high that it would break Gibson’s neck), throw the water far enough outward and into a shallow enough pool for Gibson to be able to stand directly under it, and provide Smith with a place to stand with the camera. Their intrepid waterfall tester, Ásgrímur Angantýsson, volunteered as a stand-in at several locations before they found the perfect one.

BEHIND THE SCENES
Director/DP Abby J. Smith sets up the Google Pixel 3 phone camera on a gimbal mounted on a tripod; actor Berglind Rós Magnúsdóttir stands by.
Magnúsdóttir stands by (2).
Magnúsdóttir stands by (3).
Magnúsdóttir stands by (4).
Masa Gibson (as director) captures plate shots of the sky to be used in post.
Smith sets up a gimbal shot.
Gibson (as actor) waits on their mark.
Gibson (as director) checks the frame while Smith stands in for them.
Director/DP Abby J. Smith sets up the Google Pixel 3 phone camera on a gimbal mounted on a tripod.
Berglind Rós Magnúsdóttir, actor, stands by while the camera is set up.
Magnúsdóttir stands by (2).
Magnúsdóttir stands by (3).
Masa Gibson (as director) captures plate shots of the sky to be used in post.
Smith sets up a gimbal shot.
Gibson (as actor) waits on their mark.
Gibson (as director) checks the frame while Smith stands in for them.