Musicians of all walks gather at the mall for a shot at winning a slick, new drum machine in Alex Noyer’s recently released Condcutor. Josh (Michael Maclane) struggles under the pressure until Alexis (Kelli Jordan) talks him through the process. But what starts as a robust, melodic story of a composer finding his way quickly morphs into a twisted version of a Saw cold open. You can watch the seven-minute short in its entirety below to see how the consequences play out.

quickly morphs into a twisted version of a Saw cold open

Making his directorial debut, Noyer previously wrote and produced a handful of documentaries, including 808, about, appropriately enough, the history of the Roland TR-808 drum machine. Conductor shows incredible promise as Noyer was able to coordinate solid acting talent like Jordan (Lowlife), dope sound-mixing, and gruesome practical effects from Robert Bravo (Deathday).

The short earned a number of awards and nominations during a successful 2018 festival run, including Best Effects (HIFF), Best Horror Short (Queen Palm), and Silver Skull (Morbido). Noyer has now released the award-winning short via YouTube for all to enjoy. Meanwhile, the feature-length adaptation is currently in development. Check out the short for a taste of what’s to come!

Plot Synopsis

Alexis, a sound engineer, helps an aspiring musician, Josh, win the drum machine of his dreams in a competition in a mall. She mentors him and helps him find his groove to compose the winning beat. His impending success carries however the burden of devastating consequences.