Dark Exposures is the first thing James and Robert made after joining the ranks of the University of Central Florida Film School. It's a film noir about a private dick named Tom Bennet (the wonderful Dominick Vicchiullo), who takes a case out of financial desperation, but decides to pursue it to its dangerous conclusion, even after being bribed to lay off. It's basically an adult version of The Black Iris, except this time the guy just doesn't know when to quit.

Bennet's motivations for not laying off the case are somewhat inexplicable to me. We are introduced to him as a man with a sharp instinct (he hilariously knows that "Lynn Chase," played by Maria Paris, is full of shit) who quite simply needs rent money. But when he smells corruption, his passion for truth takes over, despite the payment he has already received. This honorable flaw is not explored as much as I would like it to be. I don't know if it's hardheadedness, or curiosity, or perhaps something deeper about Bennet that is never revealed. Where does it come from? Most Dastoli Digital protagonists would be exchanging scandalous quips with Trine Alimena in a fake bar at this point. Why is Bennet so eager to throw away his happy ending? Something about it just didn't add up. Perhaps James and Robert wanted to redefine what qualities their heroes should have. Or maybe this was their criticism on the folly of blind heroism. Or maybe this was all screenwriter Brett Bonowicz's doing. Further investigation into the Dastolis' original draft reveals that Bennet stays on the case because he has a boner for Susan Ashby. He gets to nail her, then her husband shoots her, then he shoots the husband and goes back to his office, a little richer and having nailed a babe who's now dead.

Case closed.

Here is what the Dastolis have to say about Dark Exposures:

ROBERT:

"It was pointed out to us after releasing Dark Exposures that the title bears a striking resemblance to The Black Iris, and therfore if we were to make another one it would be "Shadowy Apertures." This proves how confusing and unwarranted the title of The Black Iris is, as by iris we meant the flower and not the lens opening. I think a working title we had for Dark Exposures was Shadows in the Night, and of course Brett Bonowicz wanted it to be named Pretty Pictures."

JAMES:

"Dark Exposures began being conceptualized after The Vorzyd Gambit, and wasn't completed until after shooting had wrapped for Bottom Floor. Consequently, there was a clash of the pre film school Dastoli Digital and the post film school Dastoli Digital. The end result was a complete mess."

I'm not sure what James is talking about here, specifically what he means by "pre film school Dastoli Digital" and "post film school Dastoli Digital." But I do think that the months they were forced to wait for a score were a blessing, as it allowed them to add such digital set dressings as the ketchup bottle in the diner scene. To this day, whenever they complain about an overdue score, I tell them to put a ketchup bottle in somewhere.