Webster Professor’s Short Film Analyzed for a Case Study

“Monument,” a film that was co-created by Assistant Professor of Film, Television and Video Production Josh Johnson was analyzed by British-based film journalist Helen Swahn for the online site Maxon.net.

The 2021 film was co-directed by Johnson along with Webster Film Production alumnus Tim Maupin. It was produced by alumnus Anthony Nicolau, cinematography by alumnus Cody Stokes, and included art direction by alumnus Chadwell Ruthsatz. Since its release, it has been shown at multiple film festivals, picking up awards for Essy Best Showcase Film, Best Drama, and Best VFX at the St. Louis Filmmaker’s Showcase and one of 18 short films selected at the Nantucket Film Festival.

“The idea for the film was first conceptualized in 2014 by Johnson. Then, he, Maupin, and Nicolau started working together on the idea in 2016. We chose climate change as the topic of our film with the goal of maximizing the use of visuals to help tell the story,” Johnson said. “Tim and I co-directed the film and made all the choices in the film together, but when it came to post, I focused more on the VFX. In the end, we hope the image of a tree in the glass dome lingers long after the credits and that audiences will be prompted to support the fight against climate change,”

The film focuses on a family going on an unknown trip to visit a monument. It starts gently with the kids looking uninterested in the trip. But then hints are introduced into the film including a motorcycle rider wearing a gas mask, the children being told to “take their pills” before exiting the vehicle, and then the final reveal – the family is visiting one of the last living trees in the country.

The analysis of the film by Swahn looks at the subtle use of VFX and how they relied on visual storytelling to help convey the emotions of the film. The article is online and the film is embedded in the text. The movie is about five-minutes long.

Johnson has twenty-seven feature films to his credit, including “Hocus Pocus 2,” “A Ghost Story,” and “Native Son.” Earlier this year he was voted into the Visual Effects Society (VES), a prestigious global honors society for professionals in the film industry.