FEVER represents the fusion of neo-noir storytelling, fine-art lighting mastery, and emotionallycharged performance direction. Initially conceived as a short film, FEVER evolved into a photographic graphic novel and is now structured to expand into a feature-length cinematic production. Its world, rooted in the smoky speakeasies and violent streets of 1930s Chicago, serves as a mirror for modern struggles of power, love, betrayal, and gender dynamics.

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The tagline, “Never Trust a Woman in Red,” encapsulates its essence: a story where seduction, violence, and ambition intertwine under the red glow of selective lighting.​ The narrative follows the Lady in Red, a femme fatale who manipulates rival gangs into mutual destruction, only to rise as the first female crime boss of Chicago. Visually, FEVER is rendered in black and white with selective red elements, referencing early Technicolor hand-painted films and symbolizing the danger and allure of power.

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Key influences include film noir classics, Al Capone’s Chicago, the Valentine’s Day Massacre, and the mythic portrayal of femininity in films like The Godfather, Sin City, and West Side Story. The emotional core parallels Mike Schwab’s own journey through betrayal, loss, and rediscovery of artistic and personal power, making FEVER both a cinematic story and a self-portrait of resilience.

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FEVER’s fight choreography blends swing dance with mixed martial arts, drawing from Schwab’s lifelong training in Capoeira, Muay Thai and Jeet Kune Do. This creates a unique visual language of “combat as dance,” symbolizing the elegance and brutality of human relationships.

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As a property, FEVER sits at the center of Twostep Cinema’s ethos: "Where cinematic vision meets fine-art precision." It functions as both a flagship creative project and a demonstration of the studio’s capabilities in worldbuilding, narrative design, and high-end production lighting.

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FEVER is a Twostep Cinema original property conceptualized, directed, and visually developed by Mike Schwab.