Daniel Piazza '21 Screens Short Film at Drive-In

Daniel Piazza ’21 is a strategic communication major who has taken his love of film to the next level. His short film, Fever Dream, was shown at the Circle Drive-In on Friday, Oct. 11.

“I’ve always loved film for as long as I can remember,” Piazza said. “There’s something I admire about how a film can use every visual and auditory detail to make you feel a certain way. No matter the genre, it always puts me on the edge of my seat in a way no other artistic medium can.”

Fever Dream originally started out as a class project for Advanced Television Production (COMM 322). Piazza had the idea of a supernatural phone, and the story only grew from there. “The synopsis would be — a man finds an antique phone, but gets more than he bargained for when he discovers its true nature,” Piazza said. The film was influenced by the works of Dario Argento, John Carpenter, and the original Twilight Zone series.

Two versions of the film were made. The first one for class, and the second one being a longer, more complete version of the first. “After the first version of Fever Dream received a positive response in class, we got the crazy idea to remake it with better lighting/effects, new scenes, and the originally-planned ending,” Piazza said. “This led to seemingly endless nights at my best friend’s house (who co-directed the film with me), ironing out every detail.”

Production on the second version took around three months to complete. “One of the most difficult parts was that the entire film takes place at night, leaving only a few hours for us to shoot as the days grew longer throughout spring,” Piazza said. “I had some of the best help and support in the world on this project. I really want to thank everyone involved who helped make this project a reality.”

As far as the future goes, Piazza’s love of film will never cease. “I would absolutely love to keep making films in the future, and if I get the chance to make it a career I’m going to jump at it.”

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