The Graveyard Shift Film

Two hapless, film-obsessed parking attendants look to spice up their dull night shift by emulating their favourite action and crime movie characters, but when a real criminal comes into their parking lot, their action hero skills are put to the test with brutal consequences.

CREW

This film is a collaboration between several passionate Victoria University Film Graduates. Joining Writer/Director Tom Pottinger on set of ‘The Graveyard Shift’, will be Lawrence White as Producer, Jono Li as Cinematographer, William Mackenzie as Editor, and Vjeta Covich on Production Design and Art Department. 

All with ample experience working on practical under-grad films, in Masters courses, on free-lance contracts, and beyond, our crew is entirely dedicated to making Cinema that is memorable, engaging, and provocative.

YOUR DONATION

Your donation will help us to:

• Keep our talented crew and cast well fed
• Compensate our incredible cast
• Pay for the various special effects and props that are essential to telling this story 
• Boosted 10% fee
• Allow us to compete at film festivals across the globe in 2026

Thank you so much for showing interest in this project and supporting local filmmakers, we want to repay you by creating the best short film we possibly can!

‘The Graveyard Shift’ is an exciting new short film that stylistically blends aspects of thriller, action, horror, and black comedy to create an eye-popping cocktail of highly tense, highly entertaining, yet somehow thought provoking, CARNAGE! 

Inspired by the works of Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher, Danny Boyle, and the Coen Brothers, ‘The Graveyard Shift’ utilises 3-dimensional characters, dynamic cinematography, exciting special effects, thrilling action set pieces, and the most macabre of humour, to both delight and haunt viewers. 

Written and Directed by Tom Pottinger, this unique premise was born during a very dull shift of his own while working as a parking attendant. Staring at the clock, watching the hands tick along, hour after hour, bred one very simple idea: What is the craziest thing that could possibly happen here? 

Building off that concept, and combining a wide range of gritty, intense film influences, such as Eastern Promises, Nightcrawler, and Good Time, with a seemingly placid and mundane environment, ‘The Graveyard Shift’ will force viewers to confront the nature of stylised, violent films, and the ways we process violence on screen compared to the way we process it in real life. 

WHY US?

‘The Graveyard Shift’ seeks to push the boundaries expected of an independent short film, with our crew devoted to making something that stands out from the crowd with its ambition, stakes, and appeal. Going beyond the dreaded short film format of two people in a room talking, ‘The Graveyard Shift’ will draw in viewers with its raw, pulpy, yet darkly humorous tone, further delighting genre fans and film buffs with the appreciation shown for older movies, their influence making up a crucial part of our film’s story. However, once drawn into the narrative, audiences will be confronted by ‘The Graveyard Shift’s’ stark view on violence, with the film looking to challenge the pre-conceived notions of your typical action film, allowing for a rich, introspective viewing experience which will exceed beyond what is expected of both an independent short, and a gritty action film. 

Beyond the film’s story, and from a production standpoint, over a year has been spent planning out this film extensively, including drawing over 250 storyboards, so you can trust that your money is going towards something worthwhile when donating to ‘The Graveyard Shift’.