"Shutting Down" (2008)

"Shutting Down" is a short film directed by Clarke M. Smith and produced by Tom Shay (who also plays Don the Plumber), with TimeAxis Entertainment. It starred Kimberly Felipe Villanueva, with supporting roles played by Sacha Iskra, Kevin Rishel, and Luis de Amechazurra (who played the tarot card reader in “Sweet Miracle”).  It was completed in June 2008 via a single Canon GL-1, and was Smith’s sixth and last Connecticut film.

## Realizing the Script

4 years after making “Sweet Miracle” with Kim and Tom, Clarke M. Smith asked them to produce and star in a sci-fi satire he had written several years back. Smith’s filmmaking endeavors had been on hiatus as he and wife Leilani Smith had 2 children.  He thought this would be a fairly simple film to make, with kids in tow and a family affair project.

Getting more experienced with visual effects, Smith was excited to bring to life some intricate and dazzling UFO effects he had been experimenting with before shooting.  Though crude at first, by the time editing took place, the effects improved.  At first, he wanted to show UFOs flying over, and crashing into city buildings, but brought it down to a more manageable house in a neighborhood.

Smith offered Kimberly the lead role.  She and Tom Shay set up and videotaped an audition session for the other roles (outside of Tom Shay and Luis de Amechazurra) for Smith to choose from.

## Shooting Details

Shooting began in April 2008 at Smith’s home in Norwalk, CT.  This would only include the opening scenes with Kim and Tom.  The filmmakers carefully lined up shots to appear to be the same home, as all interiors were in Norwalk, while all exteriors were in Stamford.

   There’s an interesting thing to note about the iPod used in the film.  Before there was ever a video chat in common use just a few years later, the only way to make it appear that Kim and Kevin were talking to each other on their device, was to play back a video of Kevin on the machine while Kim talked to him.  Further, there was no speaker on iPods (only headphone capability), so the sound had to be dubbed into the shot where the iPod is in Kim’s hands.

The 2nd shoot was the entire climactic ending in the Stamford front and back yard of Peter Beam (who also played the yuppie in the pod).  This would also mark the last time Beam appeared in a Smith film.

A number of shots were filmed at the Beam home in which Clarke relied on blind faith that he could deliver spaceships in post production.  One shot was particularly bold and risky - a long handheld take of Kim running into the back yard, turning to see a huge UFO hovering over her house, and then crashing into it.  All exteriors were shot in one day.

Returning to the Smith home in Norwalk, the rest of the cast was brought in to shoot the remaining scenes. Another visual effect was used to show the newscaster as a 3D hologram.  The final shoot was in New York City, to shoot Luis’ scenes in his apartment, against a blue screen.

Smith’s daughters were part of every shoot, and they participated by calling “action” several times.  Leilani was credited as the film's production designer.  Two props were purchased for the film in an attempt to give it a more futuristic look - a high end toaster, and a bowl that can be turned in any direction but will not spill.

### Music

Shutting Down does not have an original score - not in the sense that it had music specifically written for the film.  Instead, Smith asked his composer from The Ethereal Plane, Troy Sterling Nies, if he could use tracks from his collection of vignettes he had made, but not for any specific film. They were titled “Diabolical Tales” and “Diabolical Tales Part 2”. There were numerous pieces of music that Smith felt fitted perfectly to his weird short film. Without a doubt, the music (and the film itself) is some of the oddest Smith has ever had.  The end credits music is particularly strange, formless, and rather unsettling.

## Film Analysis

Many theories have been written about the 3rd act of the film. The film was meant to be a sci fi entertainment/satire with not too serious a tone, but its also a metaphor for the rich and the poor (or middle class). And how minorities are the ones who often get all the janitorial work, etc.  One day it will be automated. In the fictitious future society, the rich of the world have created a world of robots to do all the dirty work - all the blue collar work.  The rich are the ones that we in lower classes (“automats”) occasionally see – in their flying saucers.  Wealthy humans are in them, not aliens.  Its kind of borrowed from “The Matrix” in that sense.  And if an autobot gets wind of the truth, their failsafe is to enter into a loop mode, where they cannot continue to function, and only carry out their last few sentences.

At the end, solar power fails, revealing the sky to be an enclosed greenhouse housing the earth, and hiding the outside world, where UFOs freely fly around unseen.  And then, the sun explodes, suggesting that all life on earth will soon end (unless the mentioned “heaters” save humanity).

## Aftermath

“Shutting Down” was Smith’s final Connecticut film. The year after, Smith and his family decided to move to San Diego in search of work and possibly new careers.  Sadly, the film was never sent to any film festivals due to time and money constraints. However, to a large audience, the film was screened as a ‘warm up’ short at the world premier of “Crazy Joe” (2012).  In addition, in 2020 the film is, and continues to be featured on reveelmovies.com.

This also marked the last time Smith was his own DP, next relying on San Diego DPs and their highly improved, high definition cameras for further film projects.  Smith fell out of expertise on camera use and functionality, as this would be his final film using tape (miniDV) and the Canon GL1, and focused solely on writing and directing.

## Video and Web Links

Official Site

Trailer

"Shutting Down" (2008) (Full Movie)

"Turning On Shutting Down" (2008)

1999 Visual Audio Commentary (to come)

"Shutting Down" (2008) Visual Effects

"Shutting Down" (2008) Bloopers