“This film feels big and cinematic”

Diving Bell grabs the audiences attention from the very beginning, showing them only what’s needed to help set up the story. Taking a page straight out of Moby Dick, our lead character takes to the water in an effort to find his ‘white whale’ and is obsessed with what lurks in the dark abyss.

This short does what many others fail to do, which is taking time to set up the world setting and then build atmosphere around our lead character. No dialogue is needed here for our solitary hero and would feel unnatural to do so. The subtle facial expressions is all we need to understand what our hero is thinking. Directors Kyle Brewis & Josh Klaassen demonstrate a clear understanding of visual storytelling which draws the audience in so as not to miss a thing. 

What works best in this short is the cinematography which feels like it should be watched on the silver screen. It feels big and cinematic, which is a serious accomplishment considering the relatively small budget. The use of VFX is minimal but effective and used only when needed. The props and set design all feel authentic and help give the film a sense of realism. The story feels as though it was tailored around the location itself which is by no means a bad idea. It’s perfectly suited for a film like this and adds to the overall production value. 

The minimal score doesn’t go unnoticed either as this really creates the atmosphere and focus on our lead character. It’s cleverly designed to fit in the background and not take away to much focus from what is on screen.

Lyle Franklin delivers an excellent and believable performance as our lead character and does well to hold your attention throughout. Diving Bell is an atmospheric and haunting Sci-Fi that captures a feeling we’ve all had, “What lurks beneath?”.

— APEX Film Awards