Wrath Mercy, trailer

Matthew Zimmerman as Adam in “Wrath Mercy”

How do you create a trailer for a 20 minute mystery about crystal meth that doesn’t show explicit (fake) drug use or give away too much of the plot?

Find a question that needs answering and let the music drive you!

Tell Me What Happened

One of the most important lines that comes right out of the gate with Natanya Ross’s Irina is when she asks Adam (Matthew Zimmerman) to “Tell me what happened?” It’s a question in the original play written by Benjamin Craven and one that I knew I needed to ask in the film. I toyed around with placement and different ways to phrase the question in various drafts, tactics for Natanya to consider on set, and continued to tinker with it in the editing process. It’s an important question and one that I knew I could ask in the teaser, as long as I didn’t answer it.

Drugs, drugs, drugs

The other great question that I have not shied away from in press for the film is one of theme. Although drug use is an element in Ben’s play, addiction is no where to be found. In “Wrath Mercy” the film, I knew that I couldn’t ignore this very important aspect of my own life as I intertwined my past with Adam’s fictional life.

Why do some drug addicts live and some don’t. This was one of the driving forces of my story.

It was very important for me to not only show the mechanics of what using crystal meth looks like but also what it feels like through visuals. The trailer teases a bit of this - the work that I did along with Carys Glynne our amazing Production Designer (who also plays Everett) and Michael Williams our phenomenal Cinematographer. That being said, I couldn’t show too much in the trailer because I didn’t want it to be flagged for actual drug use. It looks that real, I can promise you.

“Dum…Dum…Dum…”

Matthew Steed, my incredible composer brought a kindred love of David Lynch to the musical telling of this story. I repurposed his score for the trailer in a way that won’t give away its use in the actual film.

I can’t give too much away, but the drumbeat in the trailer is in the film, although not exactly where you see it in the teaser. It was an incredible addition near the end of editing that perfectly solidifies what’s happening with Adam and Irina at the moment.

If you haven’t watched the trailer, or if you want to revisit it, check it out below!