Staff Choose First Premiere "Dekalb Elementary" by Reed Van Dyck |

 CONTENT WARNING: The following video has content that can be harmful or traumatizing to certain audiences.

The film is based on a 911 phone call which made news across the nation in 2013, the Staff Pick premiere this week is "Dekalb Elementary," a gripping Oscar-nominated short written by Reed Van Dyck.

A film that's shot within a single room doesn't get much better than this. Within the span of just 20 minutes, Van Dyck puts forth an amazing feat of environment and pacing. Tension is created by a feeling of confinement as well as a simple and confusing comprehension of a baffling threat. "I wanted to play with the things we do not see," says Van Dyck. "Whether that's obstructing an actor's face, or leaving the mess of kids running and screaming on the screen, but never seen. My feeling was you, the viewers, could create more intriguing images in your own mind that I can show you." This play on space ultimately makes each minute more arresting than the previous.

Given the astounding performances from leading actors Tarra Riggs, and Bo Mitchell, it's no surprise Van Dyck said he wouldn't complete the project without the best actors. An exemplary example of the actors, crew and attention paid to the art of storytelling, "Dekalb Elementary" feels like a documentary of an extremely real-life event.

 We met with director Reed Van Dyck to talk the inspiration behind his film, as well as challenges and control throughout the movie.

Was your motivation to create the film?

 "'DeKalb" is a retelling of an incident that was reported on 911 and was featured on the news in 2013. In the call, we hear Antoinette Tuff discussing with the young man Michael Hill, who walks through her Atlanta primary school carrying an AK-47 along with fifty rounds. I had not heard of the phone call at the time the news first broke, but I found the call years later while researching for another project that I was working on concerning the mass shooting. I was sitting on my couch in Los Angeles riveted and emotional as I listened to the 14-minute audio recording play out. In the weeks that followed, I was unable to take their voices out of my mind. The strength of her compassion and love as well as his confusion and sorrow. The story touched me from a profound way, and I began to wonder if I could bring the moment into the world of film."

 Did you face any challenges when making this film?

 "The film is in essence one-man show. So one of the primary problems was to find the best actors to fill the characters. Then I decided that I couldn't make the film without an appropriate casting. It took me months of combing IMDb, looking at the cast lists for independent movies, TV series, etc. Anytime I saw someone who seemed to be one of the two lead actors, I'd add their name on a list. After the list had gotten to 30 or 40 people I'd begin reviewing all of the actors on it and watching their previous projects (TV performances, films, etc) then cutting it down.

 And then I'd do the whole process over again. That's how I found Tarra Riggs and Bo Mitchell who play the lead roles. I personally selected every actor in the film, including the supporting roles, using this identical method. My feeling was that even a single fake performance note from any actor could take away from the truth of the situation and so I wanted the most talented actors that I could locate to play every part ."

 It's not easy to set an enthralling tone when dealing with of this serious nature. What worked for you in creating such an edgy atmosphere?

 "My main inspiration for creating the film was the 911 call. As I began to consider ways to create the film visually and aurally, I decided less was more. It was a resounding response to the call, it is more or less like a radio show -with just two voices. And so with the film I set out to investigate the things we can't be able to see... regardless of whether it's blocking an actor's face, or leaving the chaos of kids running [and] screaming off-screen, hearing but not being seen.

 I was thinking that the viewers will create more intriguing images in your own mind than any I could demonstrate to you. By presenting less details visually and in a narrative maybe the audience would engage even more actively with the film, bringing their own personal experience to the film. The goal was to make it more enjoyable at least ."

 This film has exceptional control, which makes it feel like it was made in a day. What did the production timeline end up looking like?

 "The script ran 20 pages in length, so we shot five days. I tried to reduce my daily page count at a low level because of the reason that you speak of. As long as my team and I spent working on production, the more intentional and thoughtful I/we could be regarding shot layout blocking, performance costumes, and production designs. So for me, having more time means greater control. This includes the long, preliminary production process ."

 What is your best point of advice for budding filmmakers?

 "This isn't really a piece of advice, but I grew up in a small town located in New Jersey called Mahwah. The place I grew up on is an unceded Tribal Lunaape land. I have researched the Lunaape extensively for the documentary I'm making and one thing that really struck me, moved me, was the way they viewed stories. Storytelling was thought to be a potent remedy for the whole group. The Storyteller was a key figure who traveled from clan to clan within the tribe and told stories that taught people what they needed to do to survive. Stories were part of how these communities and their individuals evolved and awoken.

 Personally, this is why I go to the movies. When I am in a time of change such as ours, I long for films and filmmakers willing to speak honestly and deeply about themselves and our world. I am in search of stories that help me continue to wake. Therefore, my (selfish) hope or wish for aspiring filmmakers is that they begin this work -- this way -to explore themselves and their globe and sharing what they find ."

 What's next? Are there any projects coming up?

 "I'm working on making two feature films right now. One is an original script from me. My producers and I are out to actors on that. It's based off the New Yorker piece and we're in the final stages of securing rights/releases, etc ."