True story. A man’s beloved pet dies. He preserves it in a
freezer until a proper burial can be arranged. His family holds an elaborate
backyard ceremony for the deceased. If you’re Salt Lake Community College film
student Keenan Panti, that’s material for a short movie, one that recently
debuted at the Salt Lake City Main Library.
Keenan Panti
During a Q & A after his short movie Freezer Burn, an
audience member asked if the film was based on director Panti’s own family.
“No, this is based on a very close friend and his childhood experiences,” Panti
said. “He’s got plenty more stories that I’m looking to make into short films
for as long as he will let me exploit him.” Panti also showed the audience a
short film he produced in a day at his own home.
Freezer Burn cast and crew answer questions after the film's debut.
The movie, starring professional actors, is billed as a “family
comedy,” focusing on the difficulty of dealing with the loss of life. The life,
in this case, is Dad’s prized pet poodle. It’s up to 10-year-old Dillon to hold
together the hodgepodge of personalities he calls family. The film was shot in
2016 on location in Salt Lake City and at SLCC’s 3,000 square-foot sound stage
in the Center for Arts & Media. Channing Lowe and Jon Clark were among the
SLCC faculty members who helped on the project.
Panti shot Freezer Burn on SLCC’s shoestring budget, using
college resources for equipment, lighting, set design and materials and a crew
made up of fellow film production students at SLCC. He hopes the film will have
legs beyond SLCC and online. “I wanted it to feel more like a throwback family,
summer comedy. So, things are bright, happy and cheery, and it does kind of end
on a sweeter note,” he said. “I’m really proud of what we have and I’m excited
to get this out in the festival circuit.”
Below are photos from the filming of Freezer Burn on location at a home in Salt Lake City and in the sound stage at SLCC.
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