“It was crazy – we basically prepped a stadium tour,” shares Saleka Shyamalan about her experience working on the songs and scenes for “Trap,” the latest thriller directed, written, and produced by her father, M. Night Shyamalan.
A Thrilling Plot
“Trap” tells the gripping story of a father and daughter, played by Josh Hartnett and Ariel Donoghue, who attend a pop concert only to discover they are part of a dark and sinister plan. The concert is actually a trap set to capture a notorious serial killer known as The Butcher.
Intricate Production Design
Saleka delves into the elaborate process: “There was no detail left out. There were the songs, full choreography, full costumes, full screens, all the transitions, multiple different sets. A lot of time was spent putting that together. It wasn’t the normal production design for a movie.”
Crafting the Concert Experience
“It was, ‘All right, let’s make a tour. What is this character’s tour like? What’s the opening song? Where does it go from there? What are the points where the audience is surprised, having fun – the ups and downs? What is the order of the songs to create an arc for the show within the movie?’” Saleka explains. She emphasizes the dual role of the songs in the film: they needed to advance the story while also serving as a musical score, since a significant portion of the film lacks traditional scoring. “The songs have to function in both ways. It was fun – super challenging, but fun.”
Visual and Choreographic Magic
Creating the sold-out concert for Lady Raven, played by Saleka, involved advanced visual effects. Visual effects supervisor Will Towle utilized light detection and ranging scans to craft a 3D model of the venue. Performers were filmed against a green screen, and 2D sprites of concertgoers were created. These techniques multiplied 300 concertgoers to fill the 15,000-seat arena where the film’s pivotal scenes occur.
Choreographer Cora Kozaris brought the dance sequences to life. “The concert scenes are playing to an arena that holds 15,000 people, so all the movement has to be extremely exaggerated. Larger than life. The dancers are coming with huge pulses of energy,” Kozaris describes. The choreography also reflected the intimate details of the characters’ off-stage struggles, intertwining with Lady Raven’s songs to enhance the narrative tension.
Inspiration Behind “Trap“
M. Night Shyamalan reveals that the film’s concept was inspired by conversations with his daughter, Saleka, about music and movies. This collaboration brought a unique depth to the film’s musical elements.
“Trap,” distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Discovery company, opens in cinemas on July 31. Don’t miss this thrilling cinematic experience! #TrapMovie
