Cinematographer George Jeff and NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. often find themselves watching Staff Picks together post-practice. So when it came time for them to collaborate on something creative, it made sense to release it on Vimeo.
The pair debuted a chilling surprise on Halloween night: a beautifully shot, black-and-white short horror film. Inspired partly by the spooky vibes at a secluded house in the woods — the film was shot entirely in just two nights.
We got a peek behind the motion with George, who talked about what it was like to take his first foray into horror, his inspiration, and his working relationship with OBJ.
Tell us about the timeline.
It all came together pretty interestingly. Odell and I were sitting at the dinner table, and I said to him, "Let's do a horror film." He said, "Man, you don't know how to make a horror film." So I said, "Bet I'll show you!" And I locked in and got it done with my creative partner, Anthony Campusano.
Three weeks after this conversation with Odell, we presented the idea to him, and he understood our vision. We got the production done super quickly. We shot for two nights from 6 pm to midnight, spent three days editing and a day adding final touches with the sound designer and score team.
How was the experience of shooting horror compared to what you normally shoot?
I've never done horror, and I barely watch them [laughs]. I'm a wimp regarding anything scary, but I'm trying to grow out of it. Still gotta go to Universal Halloween Horror Nights to face my fears!
This experience differed from what I usually shoot — the same processes in different playgrounds. I had to do more research on how to create suspense and be mindful of the jump scares. I studied and researched nightly to understand horror so I could execute at ease and showcase a horror film from my eyes.
What did you turn to for inspiration?
While working on the film, I started diving into Alfred Hitchcock and Jordan Peele. I watched a bit of Psycho and got instantly inspired by the black-and-white static framing.
And Jordan Peele is just a beast. I'm inspired by how he used different lenses and angles on set — his cinematographer and musical composer are some beasts!
Did anything pop up during filming that you weren't expecting?
Yes, a lot changed during the shoot [laughs].
Very subtle things were happening, like the shadow moments: those weren't even supposed to be there — they all just came about. My BTS photographer, Mikael, was walking outside in front of the window, and I noticed how spooky it looked and said, "Yup, we're going to use that." And we did, and it worked perfectly.
Another thing that came up was the person upstairs behind Odell as he was looking out the door. While we were filming, my gaffer was configuring the lights, and I loved how it looked, so we added it.
And the mystery persona behind Odell at the end of the film was initially supposed to be a masked person, but I swapped it out because it looked cheesy.
What was the hardest part of making "TRiiiX?"
The hardest part was pre-production and getting the vision dialed, aligning everything to make sure we checked some of the horror boxes and followed some rules while also bending some rules.
My production coordinator, Jazmin, played a huge role by helping me pull out my story and scenes so that it flowed on set. Pre-production wasn't complex but more challenging than most projects I've done. But I love it because now I know my system and what I should do so that things flow smoothly.
What was it like to direct Odell as an actor?
I've been directing him for the past six years on plenty of sports projects, but this was our first scripted project where I took the proper lead, and he followed my vision.
Odell is a natural. As soon as you tell him one thing, you won't have to say it again. He gets it, so it was super easy directing him.
We're definitely going to be working on more. I'm just now getting my feet wet, honestly. And without my crü, none of this would have happened, so I appreciate everyone who played a part.
