"For a Moment Alive" was a student film that was written and directed by Zack Snyder during his time at ArtCenter College of Design. It was filmed at some point in the late '80s and was never officially released to the public. It's a twelve-minute short film that appears to be based on classic Japanese movies.
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Plot[]
A lone samurai, plagued by visions of a beautiful woman killed by his own blade, passes out at the edge of a river. An old man finds him and helps revive him. The samurai tells the man of his visions and states that he would like to get as far from the woman, Iku, as he can so that he will never cut her down. The man tells the samurai that if this is so, the samurai must get as far from this place as he can, as the man's daughter is called Iku. The samurai tries to convince the man to let him gaze upon Iku from afar, just to see her alive, and the man reluctantly agrees. As they watch Iku from afar, two armed men approach her. The samurai, believing that he had misinterpreted his visions and that he should instead save her, jumps out to face the armed men, but in so doing, knocks her down against the rocks, killing her.
Production[]
"For a Moment Alive" was shot entirely in the unincorporated village of Mount Baldy in San Bernardino County, California. The film was one of Zack Snyder's assignments at ArtCenter College of Design.
Cast[]
as
Samurai
as
Old Man
as
Iku
as
Second Guard
Crew[]
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Zack Snyder | Directed by, written by |
| Dirk Hagen | Produced by, photographed by |
| John T. Davis | Edited by |
| Mark Chosak | Original score composed & performed by |
| Ronni Weinstein | Make-up by |
| Caroline Quinn | Art direction by |
| Jennifer Jurwich | Assistant director |
| Heidi van Kempen | Location manager |
| Sonja Streater | Animal wrangler |
| Kendall Henry | Gaffer |
| Chris Hurd | Key grip |
| Carlos Lopez | Dolly grip |
| Chris Prampin | First assistant camera |
| Kevin Potter | Second assistant camera |
| Steve Shibuya | Grip |
| Brian Papierski | |
| Alice Burress | |
| Jim Cunningham | |
| Angela D'Rozario | |
| Richard Henkels | Location sound |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- An original character appearing in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was named after Jennifer Jurwich, the assistant director of "For a Moment Alive." The character was called Jenny Jurwich, portrayed by Rebecca Buller.