The Big Picture

Director Bonnie Discepolo took on the impossible challenge of creating a dystopian road movie in just three days.
Discepolo and her team strategized and rehearsed extensively to pull off the ambitious project within a tight timeframe.
The short film “Neo-Dome” showcases the talent of the cast, stunt team, and VFX artists who made the impossible possible.

From being an unknown filmmaker hand-picked to work alongside Robert Rodriguez in 2017 to world premiering her “neo-noir Western” short Neo-Dome at South by Southwest, director Bonnie Discepolo set out to do the impossible. She accrued a small cast of big talent, featuring Pitch Perfect’s Anna Camp, Nicholas Logan (Red Right Hand), and Michael Mosley (Ozark), and helmed a dystopian road movie, complete with VFX and stunts, in only three days.

Ahead of the world premiere, Discepolo, Logan, and Mosley stopped by Collider’s media studio at SXSW to chat with our own Steve Weintraub about the nearly impossible task the trio set out to do. The premise is simple: a hitchhiker (Camp) catches a ride with two shady characters, Larry (Logan) and Gary (Mosley), on the way to a promised utopia. The execution? Not so much. Discepolo explained:

“I had a lot of conversations where I was like, ‘This is impossible. We cannot make this, but we’re gonna do it anyway.’ We had a 24-page script, we had people driving the entire movie. So we have a road movie, VFX, guns, stunts, five-page scenes of acting and three days to shoot. So we had these meetings where I was like, ‘Listen, we cannot make this movie in three days and we only have three days to do it.’ So we strategized, and I asked if the actors could come in early, and we did rehearsals on stage beforehand. We brought in the stunt people, the actors ran through the lines, we rehearsed it. So by the time we got to set, we were just like, ‘We don’t have to think about what we’re gonna do. We’re just setting up the cameras and going.’ And then we boogied.”

Why Was ‘Neo-Dome’ So Challenging to Shoot?

Independent filmmaking is a feat, but setting out to shoot an indie short film is just plain masochistic. Between establishing characters an audience loves or hates, stunts, and VFX, the time constraints and budget prove a significant challenge. Fortunately for Discepolo, she was working with a talented crew, from the writers Matt and Mark Pfeffer to her cast, stunt team, and the VFX artists who “opened up a world of possibilities” for Neo-Dome.

For more on the behind-the-scenes and how-tos when making epic short films, check out the full conversation in the video above. Oh, and Ryan Coogler? Discepolo is a fan of the OG X-Files, and she has a message: “If you’re watching this, I am available for the reboot.”

Watch what Bonnie Discepolo and co-stars Nicholas Logan and Michael Mosley had to say in the player above. And stay tuned to Collider for more exclusive news from SXSW.

Neo-Dome (2024) In a post economic collapse America, a woman travels alone towards the promise of a Utopian dome on the horizon. When she negotiates a ride with strangers, we learn – trust no one on the road to the Neo-Dome.Release Date March 10, 2024 Director Bonnie Discepolo Cast Anna Camp , Michael Mosley , Nicholas Logan , Anthony Discepolo Runtime 15 Minutes Writers Mark Alan Pfeffer , Matt Pfeffer