Hysteria and misinformation: Mystery blobs are back, but this time in a horror film
The mystery blobs on Newfoundland beaches inspired a short film
The mystery of the white blobs found on Placentia Bay's shores over the summer may be solved, but the story is getting retold — with a twist — in a new horror-comedy short film.
On a Torbay, N.L. beach, a crew of film students gathered to shoot scenes for their upcoming film Mudder's Mess.
"I thought that it would be pretty cool to bring something that was in the news," said Nadia Duman, the film's production assistant.
The real story of the blobs broke a few months ago and left many people scratching their heads, wondering about what they were and how they got there. The mystery even made international news. A few months later, the mystery was solved thanks to local scientists' discovery that the blobs were man-made and composed of PVA, a rubbery-slime substance.
Duman said this new blob mystery will be dark with touches of humour. But at its heart, the film explores what happens when misinformation runs loose and causes mass hysteria.
The film centres around a man named O'Brien, who finds the mysterious blobs during a stroll along the beach. Then a terrifying encounter with a strange, sick individual sends him into a panic, sparking rumours that spiral out of control throughout the town.
"It is a movie about an overreaction that causes a bigger overreaction," said Mike Whelan who plays O'Brien.
Duman, Whelan are students of the Newfoundland Independent Filmmakers Co-operative class (NIFCO).
NIFCO supports media artists and aspiring filmmakers. As part of their course, the students had to pitch, write and produce a film together.
Duman says Mudder's Mess is the first film she has ever worked on.
"It has made me think about my own creativity in a different way," she said. "And I'm really excited to be part of this project from the lens also of a sound person because I really want to make sound a big component of the movie."
On the beach, the crew members take their positions. One person stands behind the camera, with another holding an umbrella above it in defence against the rain. A third person holds a boom microphone.
Whelan takes his spot, going over his lines with the director. Action is fired. Whelan moves toward his target — a white, sticky blob. Cautiously, he picks it up, his expression a mix of disgust and amazement. He takes it with him, a smile on his face and walks out of the camera's frame.
"Cut!" the director calls.
The youngest crew member is 16 years old. Others, like Whelan, have been in and out of filmmaking and acting for years. Mudder's Mess is his foray back into films, through NIFCO, after taking a decade pause.
"It's always been in there, clawing to get out and I think now I want to let it out," he said.
For anyone else feeling the same urge, Whelan has some simple advice.
"Don't wait for somebody else to do it. You can do it. I'm 46 years old and I'm starting out at it again. Just do it. Don't doubt yourself," he said.
The film is scheduled to be released next year and submitted to film festivals.
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