Mud Crab | A Woman Recounts the Traumatising Assault She Witnessed & Considers Her Culpability

Reflecting on her culpability, a woman recounts the traumatising assault she witnessed of a young man in a small Australian coastal town.
SUBMIT YOUR FILM
directorsnotes.com/submit/
SUBSCRIBE TO DN ON TH-cam
Website: www.directorsnotes.com/
Follow DN on Instagram: / directorsnotes
Follow DN on Tiktok: / directors_notes
Follow DN on Twitter: / wearedn
Follow DN on Facebook: / directorsnotes
Sign up to the DN newsletter: eepurl.com/dvnj45
Mud Crab by David Robinson-Smith
www.davidrobinsonsmith.com/
"I really wanted to separate the two halves aesthetically and emotionally to convey the feeling of change. The first half is bright and bustling, capturing the energy of youth. Set in summer and shot entirely at day and is packed with people and movement. The second half is set in winter and becomes darker and more isolating. Shot entirely at night. All characters are locked into a frame alone until the crabs in a bucket walking shot at the end. We wanted the camera to constantly be moving. Either by Steadicam or dolly. I wanted the whole thing to feel like a dream as it’s exploring memory but also Jenny is an unreliable narrator so the story and how information is being conveyed to you could be a lie. Similarly all the characters barrel the camera in clean singles and rarely are seen in reference to each other in the scene, further separating it from reality."
Read our full interview with David
directorsnotes.com/2024/05/06...
// Credits //
CAST
Boy - Joshua Mehmet
Jenny - Laneikka Denne
CREW
Writer, Director - David Robinson-Smith
Producers - Adam Daniel, Adam Finney
Cinematographer - Jaclyn Paterson
Editor - James Taylor
Original Music - James Mountain
Production Designers - Sharna Graham, Calum Austin Wilson
Sound Designer - Nathan Turnbull
Production Manager - Sophie Serisier
1st Assistant Director - Peter Skinner
2nd Assistant Director - Felix Kneebone, Sophie Serisier
1st Assistant Camera - Christine Anderson
2nd Assistant Camera - Trudi Gultom
Steadicam Operator - Max McLachlan
Camera Support - Ian Tyley
Gaffer - Jesse Frazer, Josh Wiggins
Grip - Tony Bosch, Chris Davies
Best Person - James Bartlett, Rachel Gammel
Grip Assist - Willow Driver
Hair, Make-Up - Kimberley Conroy
Continuity - Marianna Ååsma
WHS Risk Assessment - Roger Graham
COVID Safety Officer - Lani Tupu
Continuity - Marianna Ååsma
Voiceover - Caitlin Menken
Security - Shulub Ahuja
Traffic Co-ordinator - Amelia Mastro-Battista, Mike Bartlett
Catering - Modern Organics
Photographers - Carla Orsatti, Benjamin Urquhart, Lara Wiseman-Daniel
Titles and Graphic Design - Paul Courtney
Music Mixer - Geir S Brillian
Colourist - Jaclyn Paterson
Music recorded by James Mountain
Violin 1 - Fiona Ziegler
Violin 2 - Michele O’Young
Viola - Tahlia Petrosian
Cello - Tim Nankervis
Bass - Alex Henery
ABOUT DIRECTORS NOTES
Since 2006 Directors Notes has curated the world's best independent films alongside exclusive daily deep dive interviews which provide behind the scenes insights into the inspirations and production stories of the most talented filmmakers on the planet.

[@RosalieClark]

Very moving. Love it!

[@DirectorsNotes]

Glad you like it!

[@ashwalker9013]

I need a feature length in need the whole story please just like this but in total

[@DirectorsNotes]

David has a feature on the way, although not set in this world:
"I have another short, We Used to Own Houses that will be out soon. I am writing my debut feature film Colossus which is produced by Julia Corcoran with Michele Bennett as Executive Producer." directorsnotes.com/2024/05/06/david-robinson-smith-mud-crab/

[@dragoncrackers7660]

She'll never stop thinking about it. No matter what kind of armor she puts on for the world she'll never escape it; she's already wounded. People (normal people) are built with empathy; its what keeps most of us from doing cruel things like that to others. She did it and she laughed with her friends but inside she knew what a shitty thing she had took part in.
She should have apologized when she had the chance, now she's stuck with it.

[@DirectorsNotes]

You can see her wrestle with it in Laneikka Denne's beautifully nuanced performance

[@deragonflyz]

Powerful storytelling! ❤