Descensus ad Mortem is a short dramatic thriller about an elderly widow who must overcome her fear of falling and descend the stairs to uncover what her late husband left buried on the beach below.
This is a film told from a different perspective. This isn’t about being afraid of falling from a cliff or a building rather it is about your body becoming so fragile that even a fall to the floor could spell certain doom. Imagine getting up from a chair and taking a few steps becoming a nearly impossible task. Fearing that your legs my give way to the gravity of your own weight at any moment.
It’s a film inspired by a true story and a personal one as I’ve known a few who have passed away from this. The story begins at the funeral wake of Delia’s husband. She is dealing with grief, remorse and feeling lost as her husband was her entire world. She is coming to terms with her own life coming to an end soon and yearns to walk along the beach one last time. But ever since her husband passed away from falling, she is petrified of descending the stairs to get there. He buried something for her in hopes that it might be the catalyst needed to get Delia down on the beach. Will her body be strong enough to carry her all the way? Will she feel the warmth of the sand on her feet once more? Will she discover what her husband left buried?
We are currently in the pre-production phase with principal photography set to begin at the end of October 2016. The crew and I are very excited to bring this story to life onscreen and we hope you will take the journey with us. Thank you so much for supporting, following or sharing this project.
Wishing you all the best,
Eric Bair
Writer/director
“Descensus ad Mortem”
Images
Current Team
Producer
About This Team
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, writer/director Eric Bair found his passion for storytelling and filmmaking at a young age when he saw one of his favorite films, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”. At 12 years old he wrote his first feature length screenplay using a copy of “Return of the Jedi” to teach himself the screenwriting format. Once he got his hands on his first camera in High School, he took his passion further by producing films with his friends that ranged from comedies to action to horror. After graduating from Archbishop Mitty High School, he attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco to hone and advance his skills as a filmmaker. During his years of study, he created numerous short films including his senior thesis project, “Living Dreams”. This film brought his first award win for Best Director at the Academy of Art Filmfest and he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Motion Picture & Television Degree in Directing. That summer, he traveled to Southern California to further pursue his career with the creation of multiple spec commercials including the top ten winning “Dibs, too Good to Gamble” and filmed two back to back award winning short films: the horror, “Derelict Abyss” and the comedy, “Male Order Bride”. In addition to bringing “Descensus ad Mortem” to life, he is currently developing a TV series as well as various feature length screenplays.
Eric Bair’s Directing Reel:
Eric Bair Directing Reel from Eric Bair on Vimeo.
Producer Kelly Bair got her start as an executive producer on the horror short “Derelict Abyss”. She has since gone on to produce three short films including the award winning “@Social #Connection”. She is the yin to director Eric Bair’s yang and always keeps the production running full steam ahead. She is looking forward to the challenges that await her with “Descensus ad Mortem”.
Director of Photography Lauren Peele, first worked with director Eric Bair on the short romantic dramedy “@Social #Connection”. Having graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Cinematography from the Academy of Art University, she not only has the technical know-how of filmmaking but also a great eye for the art of lighting to create mood and emotional depth to any scene.
Lauren Peele’s Cinematography Reel:
LP_Demo Reel_2015 from Lauren Peele on Vimeo.
First Assistant Camera Sam Irons, first worked with director Eric Bair as a production assistant on the short romantic dramedy “@Social #Connection”. He has worn many hats in filmmaking and his diverse knowledge has kept many productions moving smoothly forward.