Inside a dark studio in Sverdrup, sitting at a table alongside classmate and producer Adrienne Cannon, Film major and director Ricky Fishbeck stares at an empty chair. Despite many potential actors telling him they’d come, only two have shown up to audition for his thesis project, “Drink, Kill, Praise.” As Fishbeck and Cannon gave their thoughts on the two actors that came, an air of disappointment filled the room.
“After the next day, we learned that a lot of people said, ‘Oh, we got sick,’ or ‘oh, we mixed up the days.’ But it’s like, they should have communicated,” Fishbeck said. “On the day, we’re here for three hours, and we’re like, ‘what is this?’”
Despite the low turnout, the director still harbored hope. After all, it was only Oct. 25 — the first of three audition days. Besides, this isn’t the first challenge Fishbeck has dealt with in bringing “Drink, Kill, Praise” to life.
Originally starting as the random thought, ‘What if the water in St. Louis made people go crazy and kill each other?’ during a night of tossing and turning, the idea grew bigger and bigger within the span of a year. Soon, this thought experiment included cults and politics, along with a tone inspired by “The Last of Us” and the work of Matt Reeves (“Cloverfield”).
No matter how large the scale becomes, Fishbeck remains focused on the core factor of his project: fear. Portraying this in characters Greg and Aiden, he remains interested in seeing how they react.
“It’s more about how these two friends interact with this new world that they’re put in,” said Fishbeck. “And then also it shows how they both interact with fear differently.”
Yet, some of these fears seem to come from Fishbeck himself, having grown up Christian in rural Missouri. Noticing the influence of megachurches and their manipulative nature within religion, the director expresses growing concern of their followers being exploited.
“I’m just worried about people falling for people, using [religion] in the wrong way, and making them hate people,” said Fishbeck. “I was always taught you should love your neighbor no matter what, and I really felt like this kind of story is something that needed to be told.”
And so he took it into action. Announcing “Drink, Kill, Praise” in January at a Webster University program meeting, he immediately knew the uphill battle he would endure to reach his vision.
Instead of working on a simple, low-budget senior overview, he aims to block off entire St. Louis streets, work with professional filmmakers alongside Webster film students, and use simulated firearms/blanks — a first for a Webster production according to Fishbeck. To do this, he would need a larger budget, a budget that he estimates up to $15,000 to $20,000, the highest budget for a Webster student film. According to Fishbeck, the previous record for a school’s student film in Missouri was $6,000.
But first, Fishbeck had to prove himself. He spent the spring semester crafting a proof of concept for his thesis, “Shifting Tides,” a single-location short where a couple fights to the death once the boyfriend ingests the contaminated water. What was supposed to be a simple production showcased the issues Fishbeck knew he would have to deal with for his larger project.
Deciding to work as director of photography and direct for a set without an assistant and only one professional working in audio, Fishbeck dealt with multiple issues: a short pre-production, several cases of miscommunication, trouble with actors’ scheduling conflicts, mishaps with craft food, and a gaffer that had to leave sick taking all the fake blood the crew was planning to use for the shoot.
“We spent 20 minutes looking for [the fake blood], and we realized that the gaffer had taken it with them back home for some reason, and I was at my wits end,” Fishbeck said. “I wouldn’t say I completely froze, but I was just so out of it.”
Luckily, the problem was solved when the crew suggested using makeup for the blood. But then, the hard drive containing the footage, along with Fishbeck’s work for the past three years, was stolen and never returned before he could further edit. Going off of the version he submitted on FilmFreeway, “Shifting Tides” was screened in April during the Webster film, animation and game festival Kinematifest, where it was one of three finalists for the “Horror” category.
Besides the messy experience of the proof of concept, Fishbeck treats it less as a sign of giving up and more as a learning experience. After Kinematifest, the director would get in contact with the professionals in the St. Louis film scene, eventually bringing in Michael Speckart as director of photography. Helping out with the short’s budget and providing extra equipment, Speckart has been helping Fishbeck get “Drink, Kill, Praise” in the right direction, despite his busy life as a filmmaker and father.
“[Speckart]’s putting in a very large amount to help us out because he believes in the project,” Fishbeck said. “He wants to make it as good as it can be.”
“I love Ricky, he’s a loyal and kind person,” Speckart said. “He asked me to help, and I am excited to help. The film is ambitious, and I believe there is value in ambition. Our team is going to learn the craft through the opportunity and the challenge of the filmmaking process.”
And it’s not just professionals that get to be involved in Fishbeck’s journey. Ever since being hired last spring, sophomore Griffin Smith has been learning the ropes of how to be a producer, being in charge of permits and getting crew lists prepared in time for production.
“We have all professional department heads and under-department heads. So all of those people have worked in an organized environment before,” Smith said. “And on top of that, our assistant director team is just incredible and genuinely some of the best people I’ve ever, ever worked with. But the other reason I’m confident is every single person who has come on to this project believes in Ricky’s idea. As do I.”
But for everything Fishbeck has going for him, there are still some obstacles facing his way. Planning to use “Drink, Kill, Praise” for his senior overview, he must make sure the short fits the criteria of the class while staying true to his vision. Having spent the summer working at a country club and applying for grants to make money for the giant budget, Fishbeck is still in the process of reaching his goal. He even decided to start an Indiegogo campaign that will run early next year.
While this appears to be a daunting task for a film student, Fishbeck continues to be as confident as ever. Encouraged by his supportive crew and professional filmmakers of St. Louis, he not only hopes to finish creating his dream project, but also to inspire.
“I want people to realize that they can make stuff like this,” Fishbeck said.
“I’m actually working on producing my biggest short film I’ve ever made to date,” Smith said. “And without this project, I would have never been inspired to do something as big as what I’m doing.”
In mid-November, Fishbeck and his mix of professionals and friends worked on their first set together, shooting footage that will be later used for “Drink, Kill, Praise”’s Indiegogo campaign. According to Fishbeck, along with a group of film students that worked on his set, it lacked the chaos and confusion of “Shifting Tides”’s production.
In his second round of auditions, over nine people were present and auditioned for Fishbeck and Cannon. While still figuring out the crew and actors, it looks like the graduating student will get to show his story of fear and hope to the people of St. Louis.
Production for “Drink, Kill, Praise” is set to be next year from Feb. 28 to March 3 and will be screened during the Senior Showcase at The Hi-Pointe Theatre in May. The Indiegogo campaign is said to start running in January 2025.
Share this post
