Cooper Home Entertainment – Law of 100

Law of 100 from Cooper Home Entertainment will be screening at the Utah Film Festival on Thursday January 5th at the Towne Hub in American Fork Utah.

We had an opportunity to interview Cooper Home Entertainment about the experience. 

What was the inspiration to make Law of 100?

This short was inspired by the psychological theory that more than 120 people cannot coexist in the same place without a common belief and the desire to explore that within a post-apocalyptic setting created by the loss of most forms of common belief.

From idea to completion, how did Law of 100 change?  

The initial drafts were actually very different from the Law of 100 you see today. The earliest forms of this story were centered more on the idea that no more than 120 people can live together without a common belief and even had Alexander leaving his camp as it burned to the ground. The biggest change came with the introduction of the two kids who are now the lynch pin upon which the short rests. They were added in because Alexander and his ideas needed to be put to the test in a way that could jeopardize everything and what better way to do that than breaking one of the only things holding his world together.

What was the biggest challenge in getting Law of 100 made? 

The biggest challenge in completing this show was finding actors. We usually have no problem recruiting volunteers but the area we struggle the most in is casting adult males. We auditioned for a long time and only received a few submissions we didn’t feel were right for the part. So ultimately we went with Jon because he had acted his whole life and we knew we could do as many takes as we needed to with him to get it right.

What do you think is the most important takeaway from your film?

The most important takeaway from Law of 100 is to follow your instincts, even if the very structure of the world around you tells you not to. Ultimately it is you who decides what is right for your life but almost as important is then having the strength to not only make the change but to accept the consequences of your choices and prepare accordingly.

If you could have a do over with Law of 100, is there anything that you would have done differently? If so, what would you change?

The only thing we would have done differently with this film is to make sure our camera operator wasn’t acting in the scene he was supposed to be filming!

What do you have in the works?

Oh…haha SO much! Simultaneous with the creation of the Law of 100 we created 4 other Proof of Concepts each designed to one day become a full-length series that we are currently seeking funding for. Beyond that we are partnering with Production Companies across Utah to create even more Proof of Concepts for our 2nd Annual Red Carpet Event (coming 4th Quarter of 2023) and beyond.

About Law of 100: What would you sacrifice to stay alive? Who would you become in the process?

For Alexander, this question is his reality. A survivor of the apocalypse caused by a global cult known only as The Children of Earth, Alexander has done what he needed to survive in this new world. Now he’s found himself safe and comfortable in a place with only one rule: no more than 100 people in the camp. But when he comes across two starving children in The Open, he makes the impossible choice and sneaks them into the camp.