Threshold

Reality and fiction start to blur when an agoraphobic voice actress is tormented by the presence of a stranger in her home.

Directed by Mike Thompson

Written by Joe Stockton and Mike Thompson

Produced by Laury Christensen and Mike Thompson

Executive Produced by Laury Christensen, Anar Battogtokh, and Monica Battogtokh

First Assistant Director Tommy Baker

Starring Abi Van Andel, Kristy Calman, Dan Shoemaker and Eliza Blower

Cinematography by Thomas Johns

Music by Joe Stockton

Sound Design by Joe Stockton

Production Design by Katie Blackburn

Costume Design by Kristina Kubrick

Makeup and Hair by Trevor Thompson and Andrea Ahl

Onset Sound Mixing by Tim Miller

Visual Effects by Christopher Shiner and Duncan Salot

Colored by Duncan Salot

Edited by Joe Stockton and Mike Thompson

Script Supervisor Taylor Cochran

First Assistant Camera: Geoff Storts

Second Assistant Camera: Kennedy Cochran

Gaffer: Will Hartsock

The process for Threshold sort of came out of isolation due to Covid. Joe Stockton (co-writer) and I had been sort of phone buddies all year, working on scripts over zoom calls and I had expressed the desire to direct another short while we were working on feature projects.

We knew that once we were able to start filming again that we’d probably have to do something a bit more contained. Smaller crew, one location, and a smaller cast so the idea of something like Repulsion or Wait Until Dark really intrigued us and we start trying to find a story that felt like a solid home invasion thriller that we could play around with the psychological aspects.

The real change in the script was when we were offered the location to shoot in. The owner of the apartment is an actor who had shifted to voice-over work during the pandemic. When we walked in to scout the place, there was this huge vocal booth that he had built for himself, which he originally said we could close the door to the office to hide, but, it honestly inspired me. I love movies like Blow Out that really play with the tools of moviemaking so the idea of really diving into what sound can do to a movie intrigued us, especially Joe who primarily works as a sound designer and composer.

The only downside to the idea of the sound booth was that we couldn’t fit cameras into it, let alone get dolly shots or any type of movement. Luckily, we had a few close friends invest in the project and we were able to build a replica of it that had walls that would fly out so we could place any sort of camera rig we wanted to inside and remain unrestricted.

It was a 4-day shoot, it was long, it was exhausting, but the crew and cast really came through to help make it such an amazing and special project that I’m very grateful to have made with that specific group of people. There’s nothing better than working with a crew who understands the task at hand and just nails every expectation you have and then some.

Everything about this film from the production and costume design to the cinematography to the score is just everything I could have ever wanted in a film that I was fortunate enough to be at the helm of and I hope that the passion and hard work shows through in the final project.

As always, I’m beyond grateful to these platforms for featuring our hard work and I really cannot wait for the next one.