Red Light
One Briefcase. Two Friends. One Betrayal. One Chance To Wake Up.
About This Film
At a suburban stoplight, Eddie and Lucas target a driver carrying a silver briefcase. What begins as a supposedly easy smash-and-grab becomes a frantic nighttime pursuit and a deadly betrayal—until Eddie awakens with one chance to change how the night ends.
Watch Red Light
Synopsis
Late one night, Lucas wakes his younger accomplice, Eddie, as they wait at a suburban intersection. Their target is an approaching car with a silver briefcase sitting openly on the passenger seat. Lucas hands Eddie a hammer and assures him that the robbery is simple: break the window, frighten the driver, take the case and escap.
Moving to the rhythm of “(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do” by Filter and The Crystal Method, Eddie approaches the vehicle and smashes its window. He forces the hammer through the broken glass, threatens the driver and takes the briefcase before racing back to Lucas’s car. As the traffic signal turns green, the two speed away into the night.
Their escape immediately begins to unravel. The briefcase is locked, and the driver they robbed is pursuing them. While Eddie desperately tries to open the case, Lucas attempts to outrun the car closing in behind them. He finally loses their pursuer with a sudden turn, but instead of continuing their escape, Lucas slows down and pulls to the side of the road.
Eddie realizes too late that the greater threat has been beside him all along. Lucas points a gun at him and dismisses their friendship with the words, “Nothing personal.” Eddie escapes from the car with the briefcase, but Lucas chases him down. Eddie falls, and Lucas stands over him and fires.
Eddie suddenly awakens back in the passenger seat at the same intersection. Lucas repeats the same plan, the same promises and the same instructions, revealing that Eddie has either dreamed the betrayal or has somehow been given another chance to survive it. This time, when Lucas signals for him to begin the robbery, Eddie starts to leave the car but stops. He turns back toward Lucas, raises the hammer and says, “Not this time.” As he swings, “Gimme That Boom” by Skindred erupts and the film cuts to the closing credits.
Cast & Credits
Brandon Yu - Lucas
Eden Leal - Eddie
Joseph Babinetz - Associate Producer
Gisselle Isais - Script Supervisor
David Thompson - Screenplay, Director, Editor
MUSIC:
"(Can't You) Trip Like I Do" - Filter/Crystal Method
"Diesel Power" - Max Cameron
"Gimme That Boom" - Skindred
Filmed on location at Tarrant County College Northwest - Fort Worth, Texas
Production Notes
*Red Light* was created during the Fall 2024 semester as a project requirement for a Film Appreciation class at Tarrant County College. The entire film was shot on location at the college’s Northwest Campus in a single night using a OnePlus cell phone. No external microphones or separate dubbing were used; all video and production audio were captured directly through the phone.
Everyone who appeared in the film was a student in the Film Appreciation class, and none of the actors had prior acting experience. I wrote the screenplay and served as the film’s director, cinematographer, and editor. The story was fully scripted, with no improvisation. Because we had only one night to complete the shoot, most of the shots were captured in a single take. However, the group had met beforehand to review the entire screenplay, discuss what was expected, and identify every shot we needed. That preparation allowed us to complete the film without removing or simplifying any scenes.
The production had no budget. The lead actor used his own car, the Mercedes seen in the film was mine, and I supplied the hammer and prop gun. One of the most memorable moments occurred while filming the scene in which the car window is smashed. Campus Police happened to be parked nearby and turned on their vehicle’s lights for us. The flashes of light visible in the finished scene came from the police car and became an unexpected production effect.
The original inspiration for *Red Light* came from the song “(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do.” I wanted the opening scenes to feel real and match the music cues of the song. Then surprise the audience when the lead character wakes up and realizes that what they have witnessed was a dream. To reinforce that transition, I reused footage from the opening scenes when recreating the sequence after he wakes, allowing the same events to unfold again with a completely different outcome.
The film’s title does not have a hidden meaning. The opening scene takes place at a red light, so *Red Light* became the natural title. The music planned for the ending changed only days before filming. “No More Love” by God Lives Underwater was originally going to be used, but “Gimme That Boom” felt much more appropriate, particularly for the final moment when the actor swings the hammer toward the camera.
The film was edited in Adobe Premiere and received an “A” in the class. More importantly, the experience showed me that a cell phone could capture excellent video and serve as the primary camera for a simple, no-budget film. The original footage and the complete Adobe Premiere project have both been preserved.