Recently deceased teenager, Ry, decides to take a day trip back to earth to hang out with his grieving friends. Torn between burying the past and keeping it alive, Ry and his friends must confront their new reality, where everything is different. And one of them is dead.
The subject matter of the film is very personal to me. During a hugely transitional period of my life, I lost a close friend. The subsequent changes brought about by his loss rocked me to my core – coming to understand that the world was a profoundly different place to what I thought it was, and having to adjust to it. This movie explores those themes of what it means to deal with grief and change in the mess of life.
Oh, it is a comedy. (Comedy-drama, same thing.) I find that humour is often the best way that we can tackle these heavy subjects. Life is full of ups and downs, and I want to show both. So, The Return Trip is going to be lighthearted, and very very funny. I promise. No, really.
I know a comedy-drama on the subject of grief may be a bit hard to conceptualise. Think of the tone of recent sitcoms such as The Office U.S. (2005-2013) and Community (2009-2015), and the subject matter of a film like Look Both Ways (2005). That’s what I’m aiming for, anyway.
Nope! We will be shooting the film in September and then the next few months will be dedicated to editing, sound mixing, colour grading, etc. It will premiere at AMCI in December, before being sent out into the festival circuit.
Jeremy Teh is a filmmaker. At least he says that, he’s really just a scrappy third year Film and TV student at the Victorian College of the Arts, but that sounds a lot less impressive.
After discovering a love of making movies in his year 11 media class, he has consistently been working on different projects, slowly improving at his craft, and turning a few heads here and there. His Year 12 project, ‘Pop-Tarts of Darkness’ won the Best Story award at the 2014 Boroondara Youth Short Film Festival. Later, his 2016 short, ‘Pizza Man’ was accepted into the Canberra Short Film Festival. Jeremy was shamefully unable to attend either screening.
Since commencing the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television) at the VCA in 2015, Jeremy has been in the process of turning his childish passion into a real career. His biggest inspirations are sitcoms, funnily enough – he aspires to be as funny as Steve Carell and Dan Harmon one day.
Well being a film student with very limited resources, I’m going to help to make this film the best it can be.
Equipment rental – 22.5%
Catering – 15%
Costume – 5%
Production design – 20%
Location and filming permits – 12.5%
Music Licensing – 15%
Festival Entry – 10%
(all amounts are approximations!)
There are many challenges to making a short film – from casting the right actors to rehearsing until the scenes are just right, from finding the right locations, to securing them and getting through all that beurocratic red tape, to keeping a calm set where communication is clear, and so on and so on …
Luckily, my team and I have done it all before! Through my two years at the Victorian College of the Arts, I’ve had a lot of experience working within an educational institution making movies. I’ve assembled a team around myself that I trust and I know will be able to get the job done. This film will get made, or I will fail my course!
If you are interested in following me and my team as we make this film, we have a Facebook page where updates will be posted along the way. I am eternally grateful to all of you. Blessings and peace <3
Jeremy