With director Roxanne Benjamin, Sennheiser produces this short thriller FINAL STOP that is entirely shot on a smartphone. The audio recording using Sennheiser’s AMBEO Smart Headset is the star, as in every horror or thriller movie, the surrounding sound heightens the experience.
Many emerging young filmmakers are now trying to use whatever tool they have in creating movies. While the smartphone has been a great asset, 3D sound recording is indeed another aspect that builds up the whole immersing experience. FINAL STOP is one of those attempts where we see a suspenseful story being treated with an amazing surround sound effect.
Phoebe Tonkin stars in this film as the protagonist who is waiting at a bus stop in a late evening set up. Once she boards the bus, she spots a man in the hood looking at her from outside the bus. After a few anxious moments, she finds the same guy inside the bus who probably boarded in the next stop.
She starts texting her friend/family member who suggests her to get down at the next stop. She does so but soon finds herself followed by the same stranger. The FINAL STOP has a twist at the end that may or may not be liked by all.
Nevertheless, the whole experience with 3D sound is great and opens possibilities in feature-length horror movies. Unlike stereo, the use of 3-dimensional, binaural sound that follows the visuals would be an interesting element to be used in films that can be experienced in large movie theatres.
FINAL STOP is an interesting watch as a thriller. From the story point of view, there could have been more, but we need to accept the fact that the focus of the film is more on sound technology than the storyline.
Starring: Phoebe Tonkin
Written and directed by Roxanne Benjamin
Where to watch the short film FINAL STOP?
The short film FINAL STOP is available on Sennheiser’s official YouTube channel.
