EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story stated Bruno’s film had been accepted into the Take 1 Film Festival. No film has yet been accepted for this festival, according to Overbay. 
While students often have projects they forget about as soon as they’re turned in, one University student is taking the opportunity to lay the foundation for his future. 
Brandon Bruno, a film and media arts junior, turned a class project into a creative exploration of pushing the limits.
“Heavy Eyes,” Bruno’s short film, is an ’80s-inspired revenge thriller. The film started out as an assignment for Bruno’s Film Production I class under professor Joshua Overbay.
Bruno said the film will be submitted for consideration to be featured in the Take 1 Film Festival, held in the Shaver Theatre on April 25.
This is the University’s first year to host the festival, which will feature undergraduate and graduate students’ films and assign awards for Best Comedy/Musical, Best Drama, Best Documentary, Best Micro Short and Best Film.
Overbay gave students the guidelines of producing a short film about eight minutes long with two main characters. However, Bruno decided to make his between 13 and 14 minutes long and feature six characters.
The main characters in the film are University theatre majors Nicole Prunty, Luke Matchett and Garrett Prest and non-University student Andrew Landry.
“It’s definitely something different,” Bruno said. “I think people will watch it and go, ‘That’s weird.’”
He cites inspiration for “Heavy Eyes” from the movies “Drive,” “The Guest” and “Neon Lights.”
The film follows a woman named Kara, played by Prunty, who meets an unorthodox man named Bones, played by Matchett, who tells her about his past. Through a series of flashbacks, viewers learn Bones has the power to hypnotize people in order to complete heists. He later chooses to share this power with other people, who ultimately betrayed. He convinces Kara to aid him in his plot for revenge and she agrees, but throughout the film she begins to learn the truth regarding who Bones truly is.
To promote and raise funds for the film, Bruno began an Indiegogo campaign. Within a few weeks, the donations totaled $1,270, which will allow the team to easily complete its post-production.
As a way to advertise the campaign, Bruno also had professional posters made and offered different levels of incentives to anyone who donated, including custom stickers, a digital or Blu-ray copy of the film, framed posters and a limited edition T-shirt.
“Heavy Eyes” is not Bruno’s first dive into filmmaking. He began experimenting in film with a four-part web series and from there, went on to produce three other short films.
He also operates Abstract Mind Pictures — a small team of students whose goal is to produce visually aesthetic films and network with other student filmmakers.
“We’re just helping them out with different aspects,” Bruno said. “So, we’re just kind of building that and we’re allowing people to also get to that point for them as well.”
A teaser trailer for “Heavy Eyes” is live on YouTube, and interested viewers can find the link on the Abstract Mind Pictures’ Facebook page. The full film will be uploaded closer to the beginning of May.
Bruno said people can expect a melodramatic, surreal film.
“We’re kind of tackling that overly-dramatic tone because I didn’t want it to be based in reality at all,” he said. “I didn’t want to play it safe.”
The goal of the short film was to have a simple story between Bones and Kara but also leave enough to the imagination about the other characters and plot lines.
Bruno said he hopes people will enjoy it to the point where a sequel or similar stylistic film would be warranted.
You can reach Ashlyn Rollins on Twitter @ash_96.