7 Keys: FrightFest nominations and Dinard Festival selection
September 5, 2024Daniel has kept the keys to the places he’s lived in. Lena wants to use them – on the ultimate tour of London, a wild weekend of getting to know each other intimately in other people’s homes. This risky fantasy soon becomes a deadly threat.
7 Keys is dark, alluring, and provocative thriller that fuses genre, introduces complex characters, and cinematic portrayal of the female gaze. It is written and directed by the award-winning Joy Wilkinson, who specialises in female-driven genre. 7 Keys is produced by Cassandra Sigsgaard (Jeva Films) and Dylan Rees (4 8 Fourteen Films), with cinematography by Mary Farbrother, and stars Emma McDonald and Billy Postlethwaite. The film had its World Premiere at SXSW this year, was nominated for Best Film and Best Actress at FrightFest for it’s UK Premiere, and has now been selected for the Dinard Festival du Film Britannique & Irlandais!
We were very pleased to be involved in this project, with the grade completed by Senior Colourist Emily Russul Saib, overseen by Lead Post Producer Jeff Halsey. The film was shot in such a way as to ensure that they had lots of flexibility, and the team wanted each of the seven properties to have a distinct colour, working their way through the spectrum with each new location. This posed an interesting creative challenge for our colourist Emily, with some locations presenting a more complex palette to achieve. Emily enjoyed working closely with Joy and Mary, giving extra attention to a few pivotal moments to evoke a special feel, in particular at the end of the third home (Key 3), on the balcony in the last home (Key 7), and in the final tracking shot.
“7 Keys is a gripping cat and mouse thriller about a romance that goes wrong and a portrait of the city today. While mostly a two-hander, it has real scale and ambition and the visual storytelling is integral, so it was great to work with a creative colourist like Emily who could bring a whole extra dimension and immerse viewers in our distinctive world. With a first feature, it’s essential to have the sense of teamwork and artistic support we had at OnSight. I’m excited to bring fresh blood to the thriller genre, with character-driven, sensual suspense and a female protagonist who has depth, flaws and surprises.” – Joy Wilkinson, Director
“It was such a pleasure to work with the great team at OnSight on the picture post for 7 KEYS. Tony and Jeff were fantastic at managing the whole process, so warm, responsive and solution-orientated, and it was a delight to work with Emily who is a talented colourist. We threw many a challenge at her, and she found clever ways to rise to them all!” – Cassandra Sigsgaard, Producer