A Film By Randall Chu
“CAPTIVES” is a thought-provoking thriller that centers on the relationships of two married couples. The first couple, Neil and Jane, arrives in Los Angeles on vacation. Neil is overbearing, and lectures his wife on the dangers of the big city, advising her to stay close, where he can see her. Jane dutifully listens, but quietly resents Neil’s smothering attitude. Before they have a chance to repair their strained relationship, Jane mysteriously vanishes in the middle of a sightseeing excursion.
Meanwhile, another young couple sets off on a vacation of their own. Jim and Naomi take off on a cross-country road trip. They are thrill-seekers, off to find the next adventure around the corner. Jim has meticulously planned out their itinerary. However, free-spirited Naomi throws Jim’s plans to the wind, and taking their journey off the beaten path. Naomi’s insistence on breaking from Jim’s precautions just might lead them someplace neither one of them was prepared for.
The two couples deal with surprising turns in their journeys, and when their paths cross unexpectedly, a tragic chain of events unfold that will change all of their lives forever.
Story Synopsis
Production Notes
CAPTIVES is the feature directorial debut by Randall Chu. He wrote CAPTIVES with an eye to producing and financing it himself on a shoestring budget. Inspired by his diverse filmmaking idols, such as Alfred Hitchcock, Woody Allen, Claude Chabrol, Eric Rohmer, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Roman Polanski, Randall fashioned a script that would use the thriller genre to explore philosophical and ethical questions related to modern society. The result is an exciting blend of suspense, character study, experimental narrative, and philosophy.
With help from a small but dedicated crew, which included several of Randall’s friends and family members, CAPTIVES was shot for 10 days over 5 weekends in March and April 2006. The short shooting schedule was daunting, but everyone was up for the challenge. There were days the actors were required to memorize up to 12 dense pages of dialogue. The talented cast included Leah Allers and Len Cordova as Naomi and Jim, and Stephanie Denise Griffin and Kyle Vogt as Jane and Neil. Additional cast members included Arianne Martin and Fred Ochs in supporting roles.
The feature was shot by Director of Photography Travis MacRitchie (www.HDPioneers.com) on 24p Mini DV with Panasonic DVX-100 cameras. The small, agile crew and flexibility of the DV cameras allowed for quick movement from scene to scene, as well as guerilla filmmaking techniques on the streets of Hollywood.
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