Before the full feature film Saw was filmed, edited and released in theaters, the writers Leigh Whannell and James Wan needed to find producers to help them achieve their goal of bringing this harrowing story to the big screen. Since the duo had little luck with finding producers in Australia, they were advised to take a trip to California to see if they had any stronger traction with finding a producer there. Before setting off on their journey, they decided to film a single but significant scene from their story. With this powerful short film, they ended up receiving funding from the company to later be known as Twisted Pictures. The short film that was made in just one week included the reverse beartrap scene from the film Saw and it became their key to not only getting the funding that they needed, but also to keep themselves involved with the film with the roles and responsibilities that they wanted.

This episode is focused on the short film that Whannell and Wan recorded to help them pitch their film to producers, which is just a stepping stone to what later becomes the full feature film that we know as Saw. If you want to know more about what steps were taken to make the full movie, check out our next episode titled Saw, where we take a deep dive into how this story was created and the journey that it took to become what we know it as today.