Bryan Miller talks the end of the world in his senior thesis

The average person would not know what to do with 50 pounds of sand at their disposal — but Tufts senior Bryan Miller is not the average person.

In fact, Miller used this rather unfortunate situation to his advantage, cooking up a creative way to put this sand to use. Perhaps it is the craftiness inherent in his double major of film and media studies and quantitative economics, or perhaps it is true genius — what was once useless grain soon became the imaginings of a desert, which then served as the inspiring basis of Miller’s senior thesis: a post-apocalyptic, off-kilter jaunt called “The Shagwell.”

“The Shagwell” follows the quiet and thoughtful Sikes (Tierre Diaz), the owner and oft sole occupant of The Shagwell Bed & Breakfast. In this world, media has become as sparse as the land, with any form of it equating to a valuable currency. In this sense, Sikes is rich. He has a secret collection of VHS tapes known only to him, a collection he holds dear to his heart. But it is only in this sense that he is rich; when the going gets tough, he must resort to selling time with his precious box TV for media-hungry desert dwellers. What follows is a tale of scheming and friendship, revealing the lengths one must go to in order to make ends meet. Miller explained his vision for the piece.

“I wanted to do ‘Mad Max’ meets ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel,’” he said. “The birth of this idea [came from] this guy just living alone in this place with the last TV on Earth. I wanted to do this concept of physical media … a reset of how media works. So, I went with VHS tapes.”

With the overwhelming influx of streaming services and the ever-dwindling theater-going culture, this premise couldn’t be more pertinent. Miller originally had the idea to start the film with the title “Max ends password sharing,” thus starting the apocalypse — a reality all too close to home. With a healthy dose of both humor and gravitas, Miller examines media dependency in an age where there is more than enough. Rhiannon Jenkins, who co-stars with Sikes in the role of April, shared her thoughts about the premise.

“The removal of media as a sort of apocalyptic hinge for the narrative to work off of is really fun,” she said. “You can really imagine what the impact of that would be in a world where we’re very media-focused and you always have access to media. The idea of living in a world with nothing is … a very easy concept to understand viscerally.”

Jenkins cites the relatability of April in her resourcefulness and adaptability in such circumstances, emphasizing the humanity of the characters despite the outlandish plot. April and Sikes form a relationship when she suggests the lucrative scheme of renting out time with his TV, framing her character as a rather crafty hustler. When things don’t go according to plan, we see her sincerity and their relationship as more than a business transaction. Jenkins described the process of inhabiting such a multi-dimensional character.

“The thing that I do connect with April on is her being so resourceful and survival-focused,” she said. “She’s maybe a little bit more ruthless and cutthroat than I would be, but I can empathize with being like, ‘Well f--- it,’ this is the world that we exist in. So, I got to do what I got to do. But she is still very playful, and a lot of her lines are funny and comedic, so I feel like those are easy parts to connect with as well.”

Miller did an excellent job of directing characters with such depth, especially given that “The Shagwell” was his first project as sole director. He fit the role well; multiple cast and crew members lauded his direction and efficiency. Miller had a clear goal in mind as a director and leader of a team, and that was simply — but maybe most importantly — curating good vibes. As he transitioned from script to screen, Miller cited the importance of trusting the vision.

“When you’re in production, you don’t have time to second-guess yourself or come up with new things,” he said. “You kind of have to trust that you put in the right work in pre-production, and that every decision you made back then is going to pan out for the edit. … I just have to trust that my vision during pre-production was strong and precise.”

Especially given the fantastical nature of the story, Miller had to think hard about what was practical to produce. In reference to enabling his creative agency, Ayala Mehrotra, producer and fellow Tufts senior, emphasized the importance of teamwork and collective effort on set.

“Bryan has such an incredible vision for this, and I think a lot falls on him as the writer and director and overall visionary of the whole thing,” she said. “It’s my job to deal with all the logistical things so that Bryan can focus on just being creative and making his vision come to life.”

Indeed, Miller’s vision truly does come to life in this short glimpse into another world, serving as a testament to his clear direction and hard-working crew. While “The Shagwell” is a delightfully quirky assemblage of characters and jokes, its message about the unifying magic of cinema shines through with warmth and clarity.

“The Shagwell” can be seen at the FMS Student Film Festival: Senior Honors Thesis on May 1 in Room LL08 in Barnum Hall.