A veteran neurosurgeon and her nurse shrink themselves to enter and cure their patient’s infected brain from a mutated virus.

Interview with Writer/Producer/Director/Editor Vishaal Desai

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Brain Freeze is the product of a virtual production class at DePaul University and was filmed on DePaul's virtual production stage at Cinespace Studios, Chicago. I was tasked with creating a 2-minute sequence to be shot during a 3-hour studio session. However, the desire to make the most of the technology and equipment at hand led to expanding this concept into a more ambitious, self-contained micro-narrative. As a storyteller, I have always had an affinity for the science-fiction genre as it can provide the opportunity to explore nuanced and hard-hitting subject matters through the mask of allegory (my last sci-fi short for example dealt with the issue of censorship). While the initial goal was to produce a short project for class, the process of making this film opened me up to the potential of eventually expanding it into a larger story.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

This film is a throwback to old Sci-Fi / Horror B-movies and while it does cater to an audience that enjoys those genres, I believe that the underlying themes of obstinacy and hubris would be relatable to anyone.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

This narrative is presented as a chapter of a 'quest' story, a journey that is thematically driven by hubris, obstinacy and the relentlessness of an unrealisable goal. This is represented by the character of Dr. Scrubs who was partially based on the character of Captain Ahab from Herman Melville's Moby Dick. The visual themes were inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft and the nuances of the world within the narrative viz. the insides of a human body being a representation of a harsh, unsympathetic world that not only motivates the goal but also the doggedness of the protagonist. Similarly, the virus/parasite character is depicted as a tentacled creature that is a direct visual representation of the Cthulu figure and is the malevolent force that threatens to consume all by tempting the ego.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

This film was developed and produced over an incredibly short time frame. One week to lock the script, two weeks for pre-production and a 3 hour shoot. The initial drafts of the script involved a much more detailed interaction between the protagonists and the elements within the body such as the white blood cells. However, due to time constraints, we had to eliminate certain VFX elements and scale back the film to a certain degree to make the production feasible within the time constraints.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The film is not yet available to the public but has so far been accepted into 3 festivals, including DePaul University's Premiere Film Festival.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Being a micro-short 3-minute film, Brain Freeze serves as a proof of concept, not only of my ability as a director to handle virtual production as a medium of filmmaking but also as a potential to be expanded into a feature-length film story. To that end, I would like to gauge the potential of this concept through festival screenings and my hope is that any visibility provided by www.wearemovingstories.com would help in that regard.

Behind the scenes of Brain Freeze - The DePaul’s University virtual production stage

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

First and foremost I would like the film to attract festival directors, as the goal is to be screened at as many festivals as possible. In addition to that, I aim to connect with journalists and producers to gain publicity for the project and potentially expand the film into a feature-length narrative.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I have recently wrapped up 3 other short films on which I served as an editor and am in post-production for my first music video as a director. I am currently developing a 5 episode limited series about an Indian immigrant family, which focuses on contentious relationships with cultural identity and family values. I also aim to expand Brain Freeze into a feature and will soon be developing a script to that end.

Interview: May 2024

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Brain Freeze

A veteran neurosurgeon and her nurse shrink themselves to enter and cure their patient’s infected brain from a mutated virus.

Length: 3:00

Director: Vishaal Desai

Producer: Vishaal Desai

Writer: Vishaal Desai

About the writer, director and producer:

VISHAAL DESAI is a screenwriting alumnus of the prestigious London Film School. As a filmmaker from Mumbai with an unyielding passion for storytelling, over the years, he has accumulated experience as a writer, director, producer and editor, working on an eclectic range of projects, from commercials to short films. He has also produced the award-winning HOOQ original TV series Bhak, In 2018, he directed and edited his first feature film - a documentary on the renowned yoga guru B.K.S. Iyengar, which won Best Documentary at the Indo-Global International Film Festival. Vishaal also works extensively as an editor and is currently a graduate student at DePaul University, Chicago majoring in Editing. He is an avid musician, traveller and cook and likes to spend his free time exploring other cultures through the wonders of food.

Key cast: Jessica Villarreal (Dr. Hannah Scrubs), Mathilde Laporte (Nurse Francis Paine)

Looking for: film festival directors, journalists, producers, buyers

Instagram: @v1shfilms

Hashtags used: #brainfreeze

Website: Vishaal Desai

Other: IMDb

Funders: Self-funded

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

DePaul University's Premiere Film Festival - May 31st 2024