Unnamed Footage Festival is kicking off March 26, 2025 in San Francisco, CA. This five day event showcases features and short films all in the genre of found footage horror or faux documentary. Spanning from shot on video experiments of the early 90s to new unreleased and underseen features, and not focusing specifically on horror, the Unnamed Footage Festival is set on opening a dialogue regarding the entertainment and artistic values of first person narrative filmmaking.
One of the films that will be screening at Unnamed Footage Festival is Toy Vlog Hunt, directed by Stephen Escudero. In the film, Stephen explores the reality that content creators will do the most shocking and scandalous things to get the most eyeballs and clicks. He wants to provoke the audience and their conception of what cinema is, cloaked in the guise of "content" that seems innocuous enough. But is it?
Toy Vlog Hunt is a short, seven minute experimental film that starts out innocent enough, then it takes a very wild turn. Stephen, starring in his own film, is a charismatic ball of energy from beginning to end. I decided to ask Stephen a few questions about his film and his hopes for Unnamed Footage Fest and beyond. Stephen wanted you to know that he was enjoying red velvet cake while answering these questions:
1. I love the vlog style filming choice in your short. What was it like filming this in public?
I felt the vlog style was a fun style to emulate that was achievable on our no-budget. We shot the film on the 27th, so it's not really boxing day. It was raining on Boxing Day. So we shot it the day after, in about an hour. Nobody really noticed we were filming. I tried to shoot it in character so I was filming the store how I thought the character's attention span would be. We spent like $70 on toys and that was the bulk of our budget. It's fun filming a movie in public and knowing that you're working on a creation despite everyone else shopping for socks, and romance novels.
Hey! I love romance novels! And I do need socks.
2. There is a moment in your short where the story shifts, and it's hilarious. Was this something that came to you when you initially wanted to make this film or did some things just kind of come into play as you progressed?
I'm glad you found it humorous. The story shift was always a part of the story. One of my favorite films is From Dusk till Dawn, and I love a movie that starts as one thing but becomes another movie. I wanted the film to shine a light on how dark messages can be hidden in seemingly innocuous content.
3. Is UFF the first film festival Toy Vlog Hunt is being screened? How does it make you feel knowing hundreds of people will be checking it out?
I am so hyped that we will be showing at Unnamed Footage fest in San Francisco. I hope people enjoy it and want to see more. We got rejected by 15 festivals, but Toy Vlog Hunt got its first big break in Pennsylvania at the Skate or Die Film Festival in October 2024, which is a really magical fun film festival put on by the genius Justin. I skated, but I did not die. I was able to attend that one and did a meet and greet in character.
4. Do you have any advice for those wanting to make a short film and just haven't started?
Pick up your camera phone and start filming. I made this movie because I was yearning to make a movie, and to start something. I was planning a holiday horror short that was gonna be about Christmas lights, and it fell through. This idea was my back-up plan. Toy horror. I wanted to start a movie. I figured the remains of a toy aisle after Christmas was kind of a horror setting and then I let creativity take hold.
And what a back-up plan this was!
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toy Vlog Hunt at Unnamed Footage Festival so grab your tickets
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