SHORT FILM: 'BLACKBIRD'
INTO THE LIGHT OF THE DARK BLACK NIGHT
In January of 2019, Mike Thompson was gearing up to head to The Sundance Film Festival with his friend and actor Chris Petty. Then, Mike found out his wife would have to undergo surgery to remove a potentially cancerous mass for the second time.
Mike Thompson and Chris Petty on the set of Blackbird, Steve Squall 2019
Mike’s experience at the festival that year was not without a constant cloud of worry looming in the distance. Throughout his often chaotic youth, he found solace in films and it’s no surprise that film has become an outlet in his adulthood. Sometimes, it’s easier to work through the hard parts of life by making a new story altogether.
When Mike was in the airport waiting to board his flight back home to once again sit at his wife’s bedside to try and be strong for her, he wrote the script for Blackbird.
Drawing inspiration from sci-fi touchpoints like Philip K. Dick, Solaris (1972), and the modern dystopian nightmares brought back into the cultural lexicon by television shows like Black Mirror, Mike wrote and directed a gut wrenching 15-minute short film about a husband’s absolute refusal to lose his wife forever.
In real life, Mike’s wife was fine after surgery. The sigh of relief meant it was time to get to work. Louisville’s film community is small and fiercely supportive. He didn’t have a hard time filling out a full crew without much money because people sincerely wanted to help make this script come to life.
Watching the short in its final form, it’s hard to see any evidence that the crew and budget were so small. The lead role was played by Chris Petty, the person who was across the country with Mike when he felt compelled to start this. The Director of Photography was Thomas Johns, a frequent collaborator and co-conspirator for Mike’s passion projects.
Mike Thompson and Thomas Johns on the set of Blackbird, Steve Squall 2019
LEARN TO FLY
Mike shot hospital scenes for the film in our offices in between his regular work schedule as an art director for a corporation headquartered down the street from where our media company was beginning to take shape. Being in charge of a crew, producing a short film with people he respected and who respected him in return made Mike realize it was time to fly the coop and leave the comfort of a job that was draining him creatively.
It would take another year for Blackbird to debut on Film Shortage in its final form; finally released during the midst of pandemic fears and quarantine in July of 2020. The project has steadily been collecting nods and awards from all over the world in the few months since then with more likely on the way. Mike’s wife is still healthy and he’s currently finalizing another script which promises to be a little bit dark, a little bit unsettling and wholly cathartic for someone who’s finally free to create.