Case Study: Panic Attack

Panic Attack is a short film created by Fede Alvarez.

Production

A trailer of the film was uploaded to YouTube in October 2006, with some scenes from the finished version. The official production budget of the film was given as only $300. In addition to writing, editing and directing the film, Álvarez created the visual effects based on computer-generated imagery.

Narrative

Giant Robots appear out of the mist and attack Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. Accompanied by a squadron of spacecraft, they fire weapons at the city and destroy key buildings, leading to mass panic.

The military fights back to little avail. At the end of the film, the robots fuse together to form a giant sphere, which then detonates and engulfs the city in a fireball. No explanation is given for the attack.

Premiere

The film was premiered on October 31, 2009 at the Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre film festival and uploaded to YouTube on November 3, 2009.Following widespread media coverage, Álvarez was offered a $30 million Hollywood deal to develop and direct a full-length film, such as Evil Dead and Don't Breathe.

Panic Attack contained the key to creating a successful short film, therefore we will try and find those successful elements and use them in our film.