Lake Shore Drive

Lake Shore Drive is the second official episode of Tempest Films Season 1 and was uploaded on June 26, 2018. The film was directed by Aidan Chick featuring Mathew Cherfane and Jacob Del Angel as the leading roles. The film follows the story of a high school student who becomes a famous YouTuber after the death of his parents.

## Plot

Malcolm, an 18-year-old boy, is shown to be one of the most famous YouTubers, going by the alias "TheLakeShoreDriver". The next morning, Malcolm heads off to school where it is revealed that he not only doesn't have any parents, but he is hooked on drugs. Malcolm falls asleep, and a flashback occurs.

This flashback shows Malcolm and his only friend, Dustin, talking. Malcolm eventually reveals to Dustin that he has a YouTube channel before the flashback ends and Malcolm is on the side of the road with a bag of drugs. Malcolm throws the drugs on the ground and stomps on them, presumably after realizing that they are the reason Dustin had left.

Another flashback occurs, this time Malcolm and Dustin are having an insignificant conversation at the park. Eventually, Malcolm reveals to Dustin that his parents are gone, and the flashback ends. Now, Malcolm is alone in his room when he gets a call from the guidance office at school. Figuring Dustin had told the school about his condition, Malcolm proceeds to furiously call him and organize a discussion.

Afterward, Malcolm attempts to overdose but fails and slips into a hallucination. In this hallucination, Dustin is at the park and warns Malcolm of the dangers of drugs and social anxiety. Malcolm unleashes his fury on Dustin, but Dustin ultimately comes out on top and pins Malcolm down. Dustin, in a final attempt to change Malcolm, pleads for his cooperation. Malcolm agrees to change his ways, and the hallucination ends.

Back in the real world, Malcolm gets up and heads to his room. Meanwhile, Dustin, fearful that Malcolm will kill himself, rushes to the house on his bike. Up in Malcolm's room, Malcolm records a final message for his YouTube channel before shutting it down, presumably ending his depression and loneliness.

## Cast and Crew

* Aidan Chick - Director/Producer, plays Mr. Newman
* Mathew Cherfane - Producer, plays Malcolm
* Jacob Del Angel - Actor, plays Dustin
* Chris Swezy - 1st AD
* Brandon Chick - 2nd AD

## Production

Production of Lake Shore Drive started June 5, 2018. In total, there were only 5 days of filming. The first day was the shots at the school, which were fairly straightforward despite being shot on location during school hours.

On the second day, all of Mathew's scenes were shot with the help of Chris. The only notable production mishap was the shots where Mathew had to talk to the camera as if he were recording a YouTube video. The mini tripod used for these shots often broke down mid-take. There was one instance where the camera didn't record the actual take.

On the third day, Brandon helped out as an assistant director due to Chris's absence. This time, both Jacob and Mathew were on set. The most notable scene shot on this day was the basketball court scene. On the final day, there were several reshoots, that being of the bedroom scene and the basketball court scene. The last fight scene was shot on this day, and this is when the most strange encounter during the filming took place.

While filming, a group of teenagers was drifting cars in the vacant parking lot nearby, churning up large dust clouds. Some of these teenagers asked about the production, making crude jokes while doing so. Shortly after, a strange man who had been spotted on the previous day of production appeared, this time asking what was going on. He then disappeared in the bushes. This man was wearing fairly nice clothing and a plethora of identification badges. He would later become an inspiration for the short film, The Interloper.

 The last day of filming was after a pool party that was held in celebration of the completion of production. Here, the bathroom scene was shot in one of the restrooms at the pool.

## Music

Lake Shore Drive's soundtrack is composed of two songs: "Lake Shore Drive"by Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah and "Brandy You're a Fine Girl"by Looking Glass. These songs also appear in the film *Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2.*

## Reception

Though many praised the film for its camera work and image quality, critics had a particular concern with the acting by Mathew and Jacob. Many fans felt that the acting was rough and took away from the character arcs rather than add to them. Aidan, the director, stated that the plot could've been more clear, specifically in the part where Dustin leaves Malcolm. It is only implied that this happened, and Aidan felt that the audience might not have picked up on this.

## Marketing

Unlike The Monotone, Lake Shore Drive's marketing began on Twitter and Instagram long before release. Production had officially begun during the end of the school year, and many teasers of the script were posted on Instagram during this time. When production had begun, periodic production photos were posted to social media and some exclusive daily footage of the first edits were posted to Instagram. When the movie was finally released, many posters and official artwork were promoted alongside the film. In the end, there was a decent audience consisting of new fans of Tempest Films.

## Trivia

* The film's name was inspired by the song with the same name, "Lake Shore Drive". Aidan had thought of the idea while listening to the song. This apparently sparked a cinematic sequence in his mind that lead to the creation of the film.
* During production, a strange figure was spotted on two of the shooting days. This figure later became part of the inspiration for The Interloper.
* The scene on the basketball courts was incredibly hard to shoot. There were often basketball players or groups of kids that would make loud noises during takes.
* Lake Shore Drive is the first short film to use the Panasonic GH5.
* The comments on screen, in the beginning, were actually from Nintendo's E3 2018 Presentation live stream on YouTube.
* The hardest scene to shoot was the bathroom scene, which was shot last. It was nearly impossible to find a public restroom to shoot in, though eventually the scene was filmed at a public pool.