“Shop at the Edge of Town” – Cailin Tamplin
We had the opportunity to chat with filmmaker Cailin Tamplin about his latest short film “Shop at the Edge of Town”.
What was the inspiration to make Shop at the Edge of Town?
I am a huge fan of 1950s horror – films like “The Mummy,” “Old Dark House,” “Night of the Hunter,” and the “Twilight Zone.” I like that they focus on atmospheric tension and pacing. Watching these films taught me to cast a role by choosing an actor by eyes.
Worldbuilding is important to me. When I think about films like “Looper” or “Children of Men,” there was so much depth in the visual story that was subtle. My favorite short films are small stories in massive worlds.
From idea to completion, how did this production change?
Drastically. A 4:3 aspect ratio was initially considered because it lends to a claustrophobic feeling, and I knew I wanted portrait framing. But it ended up necessary because we filmed in a defunct convenience store. We had to re-arrange the set for every shot to fill the background. 16:9 may not have worked because we didn’t have enough props to fill every scene.
It took a long time to get the right location too. Thankfully, I found an empty convenience store about to be remodeled. A Native American Reservation owned it, and I remember our brief conversation on the phone:
“Hi, I was wondering if I could shoot in your country store?”
“No.”
“Oh, okay… well, thanks for your time.”
“Wait… what are you filming?”
“It’s a horror film.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
We were very fortunate to have things running as smoothly as possible. It was a great experience. We only had two days to film, but we got enough to hold a compelling story. This was my first time working with a SAG-AFTRA actor! Great experience!
What was the biggest challenge in getting Shop at the Edge of Town made?
The time restraint. I wish we had one more day. The sound was terrible, so I had to ADR everything. Thankfully it wasn’t one big thing; it was just small things that, thankfully, we could patch up.
What do you think is the most important takeaway from this film?
I learned so, so much. I wrote, produced, directed, and edited, so it was like a film-school crash course. If I had to choose the most significant takeaway – it was learning to trust others and let things go that weren’t in the original vision. The whole team rolled with the punches and pivoted with every issue. So thankful to them.
On top of that, I lived and filmed in a small town in Oregon without access to a professional crew. I remember hearing to look for the people who are “hungry” for “it” – they will prove themselves above others. Again, very thankful to the crew! Another big thank you to Tim and Ezra for making this possible!
If you could have a do-over, is there anything that you would do differently? If so, what would that be?
After wrapping production, I dove into 16mm filmmaking and saved enough for a Bolex. If I had to do it differently, I’d have shot it on “Kodak Double-X.” I have very romantic ideas about shooting with film – my next project will be shot on 16mm!
What do you have next in the works?
Many things! I just wrapped an animation called “Valley of Ghosts. ”
I will shoot another short I wrote: “Hagridden,” about a settler bewitched upon a dark mountain as his wife slowly dies of dysentery. It’s a surreal horror in the vein of “Eraserhead” and the classic mythology of Sisyphus. Tim Johns (Producer for Shop at the Edge of Town) is directing this one!
I am also writing my second feature script! Logline: “A soldier returns from WWI, changed by the horrors he has witnessed. The rural townsfolk believe him to be a changeling… they may be right.”
You can find out more about Cailin Tamplin on his website www.cailintamplin.com
And on instagram at @cailintamplin & @4theeyefilms.
Shop at the Edge of Town will be playing on April 29th as part of the Utah Film Festival Monthly Screenings at the Town Hub in American Fork. Tickets are available HERE.
https://utahfilmfestival.eventive.org/schedule/643ea9f9da6862005610a233
