What if a few rich executives paid people to be living chess pieces, where 'taking' a piece meant shooting the player? What would it mean for the 'pieces' who were forced to view each other as potential targets, and not able to give their own names? Castling is a moment in the life of Rook (Beth Schwab) and Knight (Jaime Mauer), reuniting after a few years of separation. Can they successfully protect King (Ryan Schuiling) from the White Queen (Leah Leach)?

Castling was shot in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan as part of the Broadcast and Cinematic Arts program at Central Michigan University. It is the final class project for nine seniors, who each took a crew position. Equipment was provided by the university, allowing the students to concentrate on making the film they wanted to see, rather than being limited by equipment. Businesses in town generously donated the use of their facility for use in the film, and so the entire project was produced on a shoestring budget totalling less than $100, for various props and the occassional food break.

The script, by Kris Moore, was written for a scriptwriting class in the Theatre and Interpretation department of Central Michigan University.