Conception to Completion
“Tenants of Carver Hill”
Four Years - From Conception To Completion
“Tenants of Carver Hill,” my supernatural thriller is complete. The journey to create my first feature length film was a tremendous experience filled with inspiration, challenges, and the deeply personal and emotional ride that comes with such a process. As an artist I am proud of the piece I have created and am truly grateful for the extended team that joined me in bringing this vision to life.
In April of 2023 I woke up one morning and turned to my partner and said, I think I need to write a ghost story. For me, a ghost story is far more personal than just another horror genre. Growing up in a 1700s farmhouse in South Eastern Pennsylvania the real life haunts in my home colored my childhood with a unique blend of the unknown and appreciation of local history.
[Actress, Searra Sawka as Mabel Marie contacting the spirits of the house.]
Over the course of the year I wrote the screenplay, workshopped the story with a variety of critiques and actor table reads till I knew the story was tight, writing clean, and characters fully developed. All the while my producer team Jean Louise O’Sullivan and Scott Fleisher helped me get prepped, offering creative input, putting the budget together, interviewing key crew and actors form Pennsylvania and adjacent states.
In April of 2024 we were shooting. Never underestimate the power of your #1 fans, your family. My family became key in the collaboration, my artist parents creating unique props, rebuilding structures at the filming location. My sister being a professional photographer and long time collaborator not only shot our behind the scenes photos, but also ran our craft services. I even wrangled my family and neighbors to serve as actor body doubles for the reshoots that would come in the following Spring. On top of his set construction work, my brother-in-law took on his big screen debut in a featured acting role. Neighbors offered their property, unique picture cars to serve the film. The ghost children characters were all played by nieces and neighbors. Giving fresh opportunities to the young ones that I love so much. Whenever possible, I love to sit different folks in front of the monitor with an audio headset to give them a chance to see the film as the director does.
Post-Productionwas both arduous and exciting. Putting into practice the old filmmaker adage you have to be able tokill your darlings. Thiswas more clear now than ever before. I needed to cut this film down from its original 2+ hours and bringing it closer to 90 minutes. Some beautiful scenes, and moments needed to hit the cutting room floor. Editor Brian Ufberg and I trimmed the fat, shuffled dialogue, eliminated redundancies and ultimately worked in service of the film. A filmmaker friend of mine told me during this challenging process, Hollis your film is shot. Now you need to let go of what you wanted it to be and listen to what the film wants to be.
Visual needs brought us back to Springtime Pennsylvania. Additional B-roll footage came in March 2025. Where I, for the first time, directed remotely while Cinematographer Nick Pietroniro and AC/Drone Op. AJ Berenato captured the new floral and POVs needed for my cut.
Finding new inspiration and opportunity durning the edit process led me to expand the depth of our character Mable Marie, played by Searra Sawka as well as adding in two additional roles. I headed back to Pennsylvania in April 2025 with my long time Sound Recordist/Location Mixer/cousin Joey Paul and together with our skeleton crew we shot some additional scenes including additional kill sequences and some supernatural lynchpin moments. Taking the chance to add these new scenes, new shots, and characters was invaluable. I have never been the kind of person to settle for “good enough.” Adding pick-up days on an on a tightly budgeted film, shot all the way across the country can be an intimidating thought for an indie filmmaker. At the end of the day you need to trust the process and work in service of the film. We were scrappy and smart about the process, keeping shooting within the means of our budget. The new scenes became invaluable to the finished film.
Back in Los Angles my long time collaborators Creative Producer/Additional Editor Chris Chandler and Post-Producer/VFX Supervisor Kym Murphy came on board to help further tighten the film and prep for the major undertaking of Visual Effects and Coloring. We teamed up with MTI Film for the visual effects work and finishing color grade. (See my previous newsletter). The work was extensive, creating the visual texture of our apparitions, creating wild blood splatter and gush effects as well as some truly impressive digital aging work on our stars Shelby Hightower and Paden James (Bella and Tanner). The VFX gems carry throughout the film in approximately 180 unique shots and about 40 additional shots addressed by the magic of colour.
The haunting and transcendent score composed by Tasos Eliopoulos truly elevates the experience of the film. Working remotely with a the composer who is located in Athens, Greece made for a unique and oddly efficient collaboration. I would listen to his drafts and make notes while he slept, send them back to him. The next morning I would awake to a fresh delivery of work that he’d delivered on while I had slept.
We wrapped post-production working with the sound design and mixing team at The Sound Department (Mezzanine). This final phase was an incredibly elevating experience. Not only does sound design fill out all the little details of the world like rain drops, creaking floor boards, and gusting wind, but the real magic comes with the ghostly creations. Together we built layers of sound that bring the audience into an unknown realm of magic and foreboding answering questions like What is the sound of a witch’s breath? What does does the voice of a ghost sound like or what sound does a spirit make when crossing through dimensions? You will have to watch the film to find out.
Soup to nuts, this film was about four years in the making. Now the journey continues as we find the best path in bringing it to the audiences across the globe. -Hollis
[ L-R: Re-Recording Mixer Zach Goheen, Director Hollis Sherman-Pepe with Producer/Addl. Editor Chris Chandler, Editor Brian Ufberg.] [ Zach at the sound mixing console.]
“Yes” screening in Delaware 8/13
Our social justice short film YES continues the festival journey! Director Randi Barros will head back to her home state of Delaware for NEWARK INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL on August 13th at 7pm.
In a time when Los Angeles feels tense and uncertain for many immigrant families, YES lands with quiet urgency. It reminds us that behind every headline is a mother, a child, a human being searching for safety and dignity. Whatever your politics, this is an era that calls for empathy and storytelling remains one of the most powerful ways to hold space for one another.
Our film was also honored as an official selection and screened in the Spring lineup at ART GIRAFFE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL on the French Riviera in Nice.https://giraffefestival.com/
