Filmmakers' Stolen Short Ignites Feature Debut

Texas-based filmmakers Matt Black and Ryan Polly are set to premiere their horror feature, "Monitor," at SXSW. The film's inception arose from a unique situation: their short film, initially posted online eight years ago, was later discovered to be the basis for a major studio's feature adaptation without their involvement.

This attempted intellectual property theft ignited a drive in Black and Polly to develop their own feature version. After an eight-year journey, including various studio developments that fell through, they secured backing from Temple Hill and Nostromo, with production taking place in Spain and the Canary Islands.

"Monitor" stars Brittany O'Grady as Maggie, a content moderator who becomes the target of a demonic entity after flagging a mysterious video. The filmmakers utilized nine cameras, including GoPros and baby monitors, to capture the film's unsettling atmosphere. This creative approach aimed to deliver a unique visual style, focusing on a monster that is perceived through screens rather than in direct reality.

Black and Polly, drawing inspiration from filmmakers like Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, approached their pitch creatively, even staging a mock death of one of the directors. Their journey, from a stolen concept to a completed feature, highlights their resilience and creative vision within the genre filmmaking space.