The team behind horror short film “The Mark of the Beast” is searching for actors and crewmembers. Brandon Lynch, a senior double majoring in digital media production and philosophy, begins his projects with a simple goal in mind: writing down a sentence with an idea. The sentence that inspired “The Mark of the Beast” was, “A man, home alone, finds himself coaxed into a deadly situation.”

The sentence encapsulates the overall plot of the film, which is about a man named Arthur who gets abducted by a satanic cult. Lynch became interested in occult activity after watching films like “Hereditary.” “The Mark of the Beast” provides a chance for Lynch to put his name on a project before leaving UNI.

“The Mark of the Beast” sits in its pre-production stage presently, which involves laying the groundwork for production, finding actors and crewmembers, determining location and securing props and wardrobe.

One actor has been selected so far. Logan Holland, a junior majoring in interactive digital studies, has been cast as a character named Glen.

“I’ve never been in a process of making a movie before, so it’s all unique for me,” Holland said.

Lynch describes Holland as one of his second-in-commands along with Harry Schoening, a senior majoring in marketing. Holland and Schoening will assist Lynch with creative and production-related decisions.

Schoening is looking forward to partaking in the creative process of creating “The Mark of the Beast,” which will be the first production of its kind he’s worked on. He hopes other students will be interested in collaborating on the film.

“Any chance to be creative and do something that is fun and you enjoy, you might as well take advantage of that opportunity,” Schoening said.

Actors of any skill level are welcome. Lynch encourages students who are willing to be committed, punctual and diligent with studying lines to audition.

Those interested in auditioning can contact Lynch for script samples but are also welcome to attend the audition without having read the script. Script sample requests can be sent to [email protected].  Open auditions will take place on Wednesday, March 24 at 5 p.m. in the production studio in Lang Hall.

The team is also looking to fill crew member roles like camera operators, lighting technicians and sound engineers. inexperienced and experienced individuals alike are encouraged to audition. Those interested in being crew members or actors can contact Lynch via email.

Although Lynch will have certain expectations for the film, it will be an easygoing environment. He said that no one should feel intimidated and that “The Mark of the Beast’s” open auditions provide an opportunity for students to step outside their comfort zones. He hopes to finish the film by the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022 and enter it into film festivals across the midwest.

“I haven’t made a short film before, and I’ve been generating a lot of skills and knowledge about the process,” Lynch said. “So, it’s going to be exciting for me to utilize those skills.”