Rob Munday
The standout short from the A Thousand Suns anthology, Bug delivers a chilling glimpse into a vision of the near future where a very believable threat could spell the end of humanity. Directed by S/W alums Tim Hyten and MacGregor, the four-minute film combines contemporary concerns with some impressive FX work to create a brief yet deeply resonant cinematic experience.
Inspired by Korean cinema, the directorial duo set out to “shoot something small” with a “very specific tone”, a “simple set up” and a powerful payoff. Anchored in a single location, Bug immerses it viewers in a world about to be forever changed, as we witness a young employee realise the tranquility of her isolated surroundings conceals darker secrets.
With most of the A Thousand Suns anthology designed to showcase the impressive FX work of its creators, at first Bug takes a much subtler direction with its CGI. With the near future setting only really alluded to by the tech in the film, it’s a restrained approach that is vital in helping with the audience’s suspension of disbelief. So when we get round to the “showboaty” FX work – the reveal of the monster – it has even more impact.
“We found the coolest location we could find and we brought a tiny crew there.” – the directors discuss their approach to shooting.
“We knew we wanted to show a monster but didn’t want to present a typical monster”, Hyten and MacGregor explain as we discuss the conclusion of their short. Working with special effects artist Alex Zabei Vorota, over a couple of months they collaborated on developing their creature, until they came up with something truly distinct and unsettling.
However, while the monster really lands an impact, the true horror of the short comes from its more grounded elements. The world could be about to end and the delivery system for the apocalypse is both unexpected and plausible. Hyten and MacGregor could have easily finished their film with the impressive creature FX of Bug, but instead the pair opt for a much simpler final shot and the unsettling effect of this is truly lingering.
The fifth episode of the A Thousand Suns anthology, if you want to follow the project and find out if they’re going to make anymore – MacGregor can envision it becoming a streaming series and also has several “standalone feature film length stories based on some of these episodes” – you can visit their website or follow the production company, Blackmilk Studio, on Instagram.