Caretaker Film Brings Immersive Social Experience Direct to Audience
File Image// Caretaker The Film Exterior Shot // DM Public Relations
UPDATE: (1:50pm) - The film prmiered on March 1st on its respective platforms, and as of today, the total on TikTok (new) is ~40K, total views, on YouTube is ~13K total views.
NEW JERSEY -(RYM)- Have you ever thought to binge a movie when scrolling on TikTok?
Personally, I have often found myself bingeing clips from my favorite TV shows or new movies--at least, movies that are new to me. Problematically, they are usually tied to another video that has nothing to do with my interests. Eventually, it gets to the point where I just scroll over to something else.
Now imagine the possibility of being able to scroll through and binge a feature film through your phone, via TikTok or Reels. Ever since the pandemic, feature films have been looking for more variety in platform options when it comes to premiering. They aim to be available to watch for every viewer.
“Creators will now be able to link to movies and TV shows in their videos. Those links will direct users to in-app pages for the titles that will include other TikToks that linked to them, as well as data from IMDb like cast members, director, genre, release date, runtime, and user rating.” - Business Insider (01/2023)
As these days vertical videos seem to be the leading standard in entertainment, Filmmakers, Jen Ponton & Jody Lauren Miller, have taken this to heart and have moved forward with their Female-Led Horror Picture, Caretaker.
Since vertical videos seem to be the leading standard in entertainment, filmmakers Jen Ponton & Jody Lauren Miller have taken this to heart and have moved forward with their female-led horror picture, Caretaker.
The film will be available between two different TikTok accounts
Creators Jen Ponton and Jody Lauren Miller sat down with RYM to talk all about the film, and what is to be expected. As this film is premiering on a very different format from the norm, both were eager to share their reasoning, and in-depth details behind the new horror flick.
When discussing how and why this film came to be on this platform, Jen Ponton opened up about how they both see the entertainment industry going, especially in the aspect of finding those with staying power.
Jen Ponton: “I realized that TikTok was completely devoid of narrative storytelling. If people had the choice to choose between TikTok and Endless Netflix, I feel we would choose Netflix, because we want to get invested, find characters and follow stories. I think it’s such a missed opportunity that fictitious storytelling has not found its way there yet.”
Ponton continued on with the objective to create this style of content for TikTok alongside Miller.
Jody Lauren Miller: “I think as filmmakers, exploring the narrative possibilities of any new platform is something we always look for. What a test of storytelling.”
Miller continued on about the power in being able to reach an audience on TikTok, but moreso the staying power in order to keep the viewers watching.
Miller: “Even if you’re bingeing a long TikTok, we knew that if we just showed up on your FYP, a majority of the viewers won’t remember to come back. So we wanted to make sure you can go from beginning to end, binge it out, and scroll through with the thought that each and every post is entertaining to watch and cool to look at in and of itself.”
The idea of keeping the viewer engaged whether FYP brought them from the beginning, middle, or end of the film was something of importance to both Ponton and Miller, as they wanted to be sure the viewer would not only remain engaged, but wanting to see more.
In keeping with the social trend, the main character Ros is a former Van Life influencer, now caretaker for a home in Cape May, New Jersey. The story of the film follows Ros as she not only transitions from the lifestyle but comes in contact with the mother of the household–who lives in the attic of the home. Things take a turn when one day the food that is normally left for the mother of the homeowner is discovered to be uneaten. However, if you want to see more, you’re going to have to watch the film.
As a non-horror fan, what is a different twist to me is the amount of color seen in the film itself. From the exterior of the house to the clothing Ros wears, the palette of the film is very different from what I would expect to see in a standard horror movie. The colors pop out so much in the film, and more than anything, personally made want to (1) buy Ros’ dress, and (2) visit the house. In learning more about these aspects, Ponton opened up firstly about the house itself, and how it became the perfect one for the film.
Jen: “I was on a trip with my mom. We went down on a trip to Cape May about a month before we started filming. We were originally thinking about doing it in the Pine Barrens. We were driving down Beach Avenue and. I am looking at every beautiful candy-colored Victorian, and then I see the one we used for the house. What I noticed about it immediately was that kit was weirdly turn of the century–the windows were boarded up; not in an abandoned way, but in a ‘We’re battening down the hatches for winter’ kind of way. I was like OHHH, you don’t see that happening in any of the other buildings! That’s so CREEPY and ANTIQUATED! I WANNA KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS.”
From there, Ponton started to visualize everything that would be needed for this house, and she told Jody that this was the house she wanted to use to make the film in.
On the production side, the special aspect of using two different accounts for this project showcases exactly how a standard film format and a social video format can coincide so easily with each other. It seems to work in the greatest possible way with this scream-queen flick.
To see the film itself head over to both TikTok Accounts now to watch it in its entirety.