Check out the movie on Amazon Prime: 7500
Marcus Flemming is a director, producer, screenwriter, and author. He has also been a fashion photographer. He has made such films as The Conversations and Six Rounds. His latest is Palindrome and he is sharing with his experience writing the feature. So, take this time to get to know him and how Palindrome came to be.
1. First off, what are your thoughts about the coronavirus pandemic, and how are you dealing with it? Firstly, yes it's a great tragedy and I would hoped that as a race of humans we would have joined together to combat it. But the opposite, in fact, has happened. Which is worrying! For me, it's fine so far- however, i do miss going to the cinema! 2. What inspired you to write Palindrome? Palindorome is born out of a project that fell apart last year. A very different kind of film- a samurai film. Once that fell apart I was left a little lost and, acutally quite relevant to now, isolated. I began to doubt myself as a writer and director. This film has many elements of all the thoughts in my head at the time. 3. What challenges did you face while writing Palindrome? There actually wasn't any challenges once I began. I wrote it in 2 weeks and then tidied it up over the course of a month or so with my wonderful script editor, Sarah Smith-Gordon. I also have to thank Asha Modha, who during my mini depression, was very helpful in giving me advice and direction to help me see the light of a new project. 4. What is your writing habit in general? Do you write in the daytime or at night? Once I start a project, whether it's writing or fixing a tap, I am absolutely obsessive. Maniacal, even. So I write at day and night. But one thing I am always keen to NOT do is write for the sake of finishing something. That can become a slog and off-putting for me as a writer and i'm sure also for the reader. As much as possible I keep it organic. Withni that spell of 2- 6 weeks when i'm writing a project I inhabit ALL the characters in my head and they all have conversations with each other. 5. What was the most surprising thing about your experience making Palindrome? Well this is my 2nd feature as a solo director. I was actually surprised how easy it was this time. I feel i'm at a point in my life where I've probably seen 80% of commonly known films made and I'm able to dissect them so vividly now. When I was younger I would be bamboozled and in awe about how some shots were done or scenes were constructed/acted. Right now, though, I feel as if I'm in the zone. Its all very natural when it comes to directing. There is, for me, a right way and a wrong way. Of course, because it's art, that's very subjective. But for me if I follow the principles of the greatest films I've seen by the greatest filmmakers through the ages- who all in principle. follow the same path- Fellini, Bergman, Coppola, etc- then that is the RIGHT way. Again, this is subjective. But I'd argue with anyone all day who would say that they are BAD filmmakers. I would argue they are the greatest (along with many others). 6. Did you make a cameo on Palindrome? I do indeed make a cameo - how did you know? It's a blink and you'll miss it cameo. Well actually it's a little more than a blink and you'll miss it moment. But I shan't say where it is. I also scored a scene in the film called Nurse Jeanette's song. My brother Timothy, who is a musician, was kind enough to clean up my raw work. 7. Have you ever considered adapting your book Sexy Utopia into a feature film? Actually this was done by screenwriter, Shaun Davis, back in 2009 and it was close to being a Channel 4 series and then also a movie. But it was around the time of the financial crash so the project fell apart. However, I still do have this script and about another 10, unproduced. Plus a book that I released online called Happiness (the secret to) - which I am attempting to turn into 8 animation episodes. 8. If a self-published author is seeking a screenwriter or director, how would one get you or any expert to read his or her story to see if it would make a compelling movie? This is the age old question really. It's the chicken or the egg scenario. I don't currently have an agent. And the last time I sent out a script to a studio to read I was probably 17 years old. I got rejection letters from Warner Brothers and Universal. It's a question I don't have a definitive answer to. Obviously I've chosen to take the independent route. I would advise this. But then again I would also advise the other more conventional route. We all have our own paths. My advice is; if you want to go down the traditional route. Get an agent as they can get your script to the right people. However, sometimes getting an agent is as hard as getting studios to read it. 9. Could you give us an interesting fun fact about working with Tabata Cerezo, Sarah Swain, Hester Ruoff or/and any cast members? Well the set was jovial everyday, despite us dealing with some pretty heavy subjects and working massively with time constraints - but I prefer a fun set. There was one day when we were shooting at an underground bar in Central London - on the other floors there was businesses. The scene we had in mind had to be populated by smoke. So we pop on the smoke machine and set off all the alarms in the whole building. It had be evacuated. The owner of the bar was furious and told us that we could no longer film there.That was a CRUSHING moment! However, after 10 mins I gave him a call and tried to appeal to his heartstrings. He changed his mind - but that would have been a disaster - in the end, the scene came out awesomely. The worst thing is: this is a scene in the film where Sarah Swain and Hester Ruoff have to extremely emotional and both were in their respective method acting zones. Thankfully all worked out and gave two chilling incredible performances. 10. Which of your short films you made in the past would you like to see turned into a feature film? And why? Hahah! Great question - answer is: none of them! When I look back on some of my short films, I am both overwhelmed and embarrassed - I am overwhelmed by how we got them made. I made most of them with my soul mate in film, Haider Zafar, and they are actually pretty good. I am proud of them. But we are now on another level altogether from then. We've grown. Especially haider, who for me, is the best DOP in the UK. If his name was John Smith, he'd be at the Oscars every year. He'll still get that level. So to answer your question again, none of them! I am also very much of the thinking that, once you're done with a project you move on and don't tread over it again. 11. What is your favorite movie as a child and what is your favorite movie now? This is my specialist subject, so I have two definitive list. One is my favourite films, I'll name 6 of them, 1. Wizard of Oz 2. Fight Club 3. La Haine 4. Kill Bill 5. Memento/ Inception 6. Old Boy And then my list of what is actually the best films ever made - which doesn't necessarily mean they are my favourite. They are just, objectively (in my opinion - haha) the best films ever made: 1. Schindler's List 2. The Godfather Part 2 3. Citizen Kane 4. 2001: A Space Odyssey 5. Godfather Part 1 6. Pulp Fiction I could go on, but shan't! 12. Did you watch 73rd BAFTA Awards/ 92nd Oscars Awards? If so, what was your favorite and least favorite moment? I think I'll be obvious and say Bong- Joon- Ho's win! Very very cool at the OSCARs but for him to then salute the living legend that is Martin Scorsese was a stunning moment! Parasite was a good little film! I still prefer Memories of a Murder, which is a masterpiece. But Parasite was the right film, at the right time and so refreshing. As I feel the industry is in a bit of a rut at the moment. BAFTA's - maybe Margot Robbie's speech on behalf of Brad Pitt. Least Favourite moments - I didn't really watch them fully to have a least favourite moment. But I'm not a big fan of the BAFTA or the British Film Industry on a whole, so maybe I'll say the whole ceremony. 13. If you could switch bodies with a certain celebrity, who would it be and why? Pahah, another great question - I am not sure actually. Wouldn't mind being Denzel Washington or Sam Jackson for a day or two and having their memories of working on the incredible projects they have. But, conversely, I'd love to be Meryl Streep or Diane Keaton - both are incredibly prominent actors from the 70's who worked on some of the most seminal films of that most impressive era of film. 14. What is your favorite book of all time? So, a confession, I hate reading books! which is so strange for a writer and especially someone who has written two books. But as a kid I loved The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. And the sequels. And as an adult I am huge fan of Chuck Palahnuik - so I've read Fight Club & Survivor. For my formative years, his work crucial to me. Almost all of my scripts as a teenager had elements of Fight Club in them. Thankfully, I've found my own voice since then. 15. Between Six Rounds and The Conversations, which one would you choose to write a sequel or prequel? I think this links back to what I said earlier about once a project is done, you don't got back to to it. So I actually wouldn't want to explore a sequel for these. However, in line with answering the question, The Conversations definitely. I can see something coming from that. It's left very open ended and I really enjoy the two lead characters - Al and Ellie. I think a spin off with just Ellie would be great to conquer and her adventures. 16. Last question, what is the one thing that anyone should do/eat/try if one is visiting London, England? Head over to Camden and also Camden Market - here you'll find every sub-section, ethnicity, accent, culture, economical element of the UK. Thank you Marcus Flemmings for answering the questions. I hope you get the chance to check out Palindrome when it comes out. Thank you for reading this interview and visiting Novelpro Junkie. Take care and I hope you stop by here again.
Mike Flanagan, director of book-based film such as Gerald's Game and Doctor Sleep, will adapt Christopher Pike's "The Midnight Club" for streaming. Mike Flanagan, who has previously directed the TV adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House, will also make "Midnight Club" series for television. Leah Fong will help to create the TV series as well. Mike Flanagan and Leah Fong will also executive-produce this project along with Julia Bicknell. James Flanagan, Adam Fasullo, Elan Gale, and Chinaka Hodge are writing the series. Adam Fasullo, vice president of Intrepid Pictures, is overseeing the project. Currently, Intrepid Pictures is doing a deal with Netflix.
Similar Topic: Village Roadshow Pictures has the film rights to adapt Stephen King’s The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon Here is the goodreads synopsis of The Midnight Club: Rotterdam Home, a hospice where teenagers with terminal illnesses went to die, was home to the Midnight Club--a group of five young men and women who met at midnight and told stories of intrigue and horror. One night they made a pact that the first of them to die would make every effort to contact the others . . . from beyond the grave. Source material: variety.com
Something wicked wants inside.
Storyline from IMDb: A defiant teenage boy, struggling with his parent's imminent divorce, faces off with a thousand year-old witch, who is living beneath the skin of and posing as the woman next door. Drew Pierce and his brother Brett Pierce resides in California. Their father, Bart Pierce, was the Special Effects Photography of Evil Dead. The brother's film "Deadheads" won Best Comedy at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2011. It also won Audience Choice Awards for Best Feature Film. The film won Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking at Newport Beach Film Festival. Drew Pierce and Brett Pierce's latest film is titled The Wretched. It's a horror movie that you might want to get into. In the meantime, get to know the talented brothers and read their experience with creating The Wretched. 1. First off, what are your thoughts about the coronavirus pandemic and how are you two dealing with it? It's both terrifying and the most fascinating test of character for the entire world. In stories you always want to push your characters to their limits to see their true colors. This epidemic is shining a light on everyone in the world at the same time and revealing the best and worst parts of humanity. 2. How did you guys come up with the story of The Wretched? The Wretched is primarily inspired by our love for Roald Dahl’s The Witches and the experience of living through our parents’ divorce. For our creature, we wanted to develop our own unique mythology with its own set of rules, but we also wanted to draw from all the amazing stable of folklore witches we'd never seen depicted on the big screen. We cobbled together our favorite aspects of Black Annis, an English legend, and the Boo Hag of the Appalachian Mountains and fused it with our own creepy concepts. We wanted the creature to feel like the perfect predator for the modern self-absorbed families of today. In a culture where all our heads are down immersed in our cell phones, would you even notice if your family member was inhabited by a malevolent ancient witch? We're not so sure. 3. Who came up with the title The Wretched? Were there other titles you guys have in mind? Naming a movie is like naming a child. Nothing feels right until it's out in the world and they begin to own that identity. We must have went through a thousand titles before landing on "The Wretched". The original working title was "Hag", but in early screenings we were surprised that several people associated it with negative connotations. As a storyteller you never want to alienate your audience in anyway that distracts from their enjoyment, so our hunt began. We're super happy with it now and couldn't imagine it any other way. 4. What was the most difficult thing about writing the screenplay? The first act of the Wretched was especially tricky. We had so many ideas we wanted to setup for later payoffs, but that can leave the audience feeling anxious for some horror moments. You don't want to lose their trust, or even worse, their attention. We also needed the audience to care for "Ben" enough to want to go on a this journey with him. We didn't want the cliche character in a horror movie you just don't give a shit about. We wanted to give him real problems, but at the same time we didn't want him to feel too melodramatic. It's a real tight rope you're walking in the first act of any horror movie. 5. What was the most surprising thing you guys learned when writing The Wretched? This shouldn't be surprising to us at this point, but we learned to trust our instincts completely. I feel like we re-learn this lesson time and time again. The audience is only going to love a scene as much as you do. The scenes that work the best are the ones we really trusted in. You have to write the story and characters you would love to see. If there is anything that you don't love, the audience will feel that. It's that simple. 6. Where and when do you write in general? Mostly coffee shops. Most of writing is thinking though and we tend to get our best ideas laying in bed at night, or right when we wake up. There's something about the unconscious mind and how it solves problems. It only works if you've been struggling at it all day with your conscious brain. Somehow the frustration of thinking about it all day puts it in the cue for your unconscious to work on. 7. Which writers inspired you to become screenwriters? Roald Dahl (The Witches), Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back, Raiders), Mike Mignola (Hellboy), Paul Dini (Batman The Animated Series) 8. On average, how many draft scripts do you find yourself writing until you are happy and satisfied with your work? We're directors too, so even in to production we are still revising. We usually know if something is really going to work about five drafts in. Throughout the process our mood is constantly vacillating between proud and feeling like a pathetic failure. It's a roller coaster of emotion and not for the faint of heart. 9. Could you give us an interesting fun fact about working with any of the cast members? Drew's one year old son played the part of baby Sam. 10. Have you guys ever had a dream that influenced any screenplay of yours? Our first feature entitled "DeadHeads" came from a dream in which I was a zombie walking up a hill to a cabin full of survivors. This was the initial inspiration for our zombie buddy road trip movie. 11. What piece of advice do you have for screenwriters starting out? Everyone gives the same boring wisdom, so I'm going to share the best podcasts out there on the subject that can impart so much more: "The Write Along", "Scriptnotes", "Beyond the Screenplay", "The Writers Panel", and "The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith". I do have one little tip that I rarely hear. There is no one structure for all stories that is very useful in writing. Each genre and sub genre has a set of rules or typical beats. Figure out which stories line up with the genres you want to include and dissect everything you can about what works for them. This is imperative, because your target audience will know those beats intuitively and expect you to hit them or at least subvert them in some way. There are no rules, but this is a huge tool in creating stories that connect with people. 12. Have you guys ever considered writing a short story, novella, or novel? We just wrote a short story called Muzzle. It's a gritty, modern take on a Werewolf story. 13. Mr. Brett Pierce, what was the most memorable thing you took away from working on Deadheads? That, no matter what, the only person who cares about the movie as if their life depended on it is you. Surround yourself with talented people but always know in the end its on you to make it all happen. Don't let others dissuade you from creatively what you know is the right decision at any time. 14. Mr. Drew Pierce, what was your fondest memory while working on The Interview? Could you express an interesting fun fact about James Franco, Seth Rogen or any of the cast members in that movie? I served as a storyboard artist on the Interview just as Kim Jung Un had supposedly threatened the project. Suddenly the little comedy was the talk of the nation. I learned a lot seeing the discipline of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg in their writing process. They grind every day at ideas until the cream rises to the top. It made me realize the people that make it look easy are really just putting in the time it takes. It's all about persistence. I couldn't believe how many plates they had spinning at one time. 15. If a self-published author is seeking a director or screenwriter, how would one get you guys to read his or her story to see if it would make a compelling movie? You can reach the entire world online now and everyone wants more great material. The key is to do the research and make sure you're targeting the right creators, so it's not a wast of their time. Don't send Brett and I romantic comedies, because we just don't make those. Everyone's extremely busy, so the best chance is to send a heart felt message of why the person is perfect fit for the material and offer to attach a brief synopsis. 16. If you guys could write and direct a film-adaptation of any novel/novella/short story, which one would you like to do? Joe Abercrombie's First Law book series. Its a story screaming to be a series of films or television show. When you read those books the movie plays in your head. So much good character work in those books that would scream on the screen. 17. Last question, after this pandemic is over where would you like to visit first or what would you like to do? Go to the movies. I miss it so much. I love every step of it from the concession stand, to the trailers, to the lights dimming before the film. Of course I watch films at home via streaming services but that's not remotely close to the experience I get out of the theater. I actually don't understand people who prefer watching at home. Its insane to me. The Wretched will be release on May 1 on VOD. Many thanks to Drew Pierce and Brett Pierce for their time. All the best with their latest project. I hope they are open to do more interviews in the future on Novelpro Junkie. The Wretched looks like a terrifying treat. Don't miss out on this film. Thank you for taking your time to read this interview as well as the other interviews. Take care and I hope you have a great day. Sony Pictures took the film rights to Daniel Suarez's novel titled Influx. Zak Olkewicz will adapt the novel while David S. F. Wilson will direct the feature. Tony Shaw, Steve Tisch, Todd Black, and Jason Blumenthal are all producing the film.
Here is goodreads synopsis of Influx: What if our civilization is more advanced than we know? The New York Times bestselling author of Daemon imagines a world in which decades of technological advances have been suppressed in an effort to prevent disruptive change. Are smart phones really humanity's most significant innovation since the moon landings? Or can something else explain why the bold visions of the 20th century--fusion power, genetic enhancements, artificial intelligence, cures for common disease, extended human life, and a host of other world-changing advances--have remained beyond our grasp? Why has the high-tech future that seemed imminent in the 1960's failed to arrive? Perhaps it did arrive...but only for a select few. Similar Topic: Samuel L. Jackson reads another take to "Go the F***K to Sleep" book Particle physicist Jon Grady is ecstatic when his team achieves what they've been working toward for years: a device that can reflect gravity. Their research will revolutionize the field of physics--the crowning achievement of a career. Grady expects widespread acclaim for his entire team. The Nobel. Instead, his lab is locked down by a shadowy organization whose mission is to prevent at all costs the social upheaval sudden technological advances bring. This Bureau of Technology Control uses the advanced technologies they have harvested over the decades to fulfill their mission. They are living in our future. Presented with the opportunity to join the BTC and improve his own technology in secret, Grady balks, and is instead thrown into a nightmarish high-tech prison built to hold rebellious geniuses like himself. With so many great intellects confined together, can Grady and his fellow prisoners conceive of a way to usher humanity out of its artificial dark age? And when they do, is it possible to defeat an enemy that wields a technological advantage half a century in the making? Source material: Deadline.com
Storyline from IMDb:
Two American agents are hired to retrieve military chips containing top-secret content. Their plan goes awry when an unexpected political prisoner enters the picture. Get to know this up-and-coming director and screenwriter Brando Benetton, he has already made such films as Tumbili and American bullet. Nightfire is his latest project and it comes out on May 1 via Hewes on VOD, including Hulu and Amazon. So, chill for a minute or two, and take this time to get to know this gifted director and screenwriter. 1. First off, what are your thoughts about the coronavirus pandemic, especially in Italy, and how are you dealing with it? Thank you for asking. I'm in contact with my entire family who's still in Italy, and the country seems to have witnessed a "head-start" on this entire situation compared to the United States. Italy's population is only 1/5 of the U.S., and yet their rigid quarantine may have been the only reason they painfully succeeded in containing their situation, a rigid quarantine which many in the U.S. seem reluctant to embrace on a large-scale level. I feel so much gratitude towards all doctors and workers who are on the front lines to keep us safer. 2. What drew you to write and direct a spy thriller instead of a horror film? I feel like filmmakers tend to be inspired by the films they respond to most on an emotional level. I grew up as a kid of the '90s in Italy, and what I loved about the spy-action genre (like the James Bond films) was this sense of globe-throttling adventure that allowed you to visit the Caribbean, a ski mountain in Austria and the bays of San Francisco within a single story. It was like an agreement filmmakers were making with audiences, promising larger-than-life stunts and transforming them along with locations into a storytelling device. For Nightfire, we knew how much Italy had to offer on a production value level - and recognized that Verona as a city had just as spectacular bridges and piazzas as any Bond movie could wish for. I've grown to love horror films in the last years but felt it was my responsibility to create a movie within a genre that I myself would have most loved to experience on the big screen. And for us, that just happened to be action. 3. What is the genesis of the spy thriller short Nightfire? As film students, we sat every year in the final thesis screening at Ithaca College and dreamt of making a movie that, as audience members, would have inspired us. We wanted to dream big but also needed to have a practical sense of deliver large scope on a limited budget. We set out to make a list of all the assets we already had at our disposal - starting from locations - and weaved around this a script that felt inspired by cinema we had grown up to love, but still emotionally relevant. When we set out to write this in the spring of 2014, Ukraine was navigating a desperate civil revolution, and though much has changed since, the U.S. - Ukraine relationship seems just as relevant today. 4. What was your writing habit when you and your co-writer Los Silva wrote Nightfire? It's different for every writing duo. I wrote the original outline and sent it to Los, who did an amazing job not only grounding the story in a political reality but writing amazing dialogue. We'd trade drafts back and forth, re-writing one another's, until the very last minute. The entire time he was in New York while I was in pre-production from Los Angeles, despite the entire movie was about to begin shooting in northern Italy. 5. Were there other titles you came up with before Nightfire? If so, what were they? I believe the original title was 'Codename: Nightfire.' After the third person who suggested I drop the first part of the title, I figured maybe I should listen. 6. Did you know how Nightfire would end or did it come to you or Los Silva while writing the story? If I remember correctly, this was always the ending. Endings are hard, and most times I've found it easier to engineer your narrative structure so that, if you know how the story ends, you can work your way backward. Without giving out any spoilers, we wanted to let audiences loose on an emotional roller coaster, and allow the story to reach the lowest low but also experience the highest high. 7. Which scene was the most challenging to shoot and why? The opening military escape happened to be the last two days of principal photography, and I feel like they were the hardest simply because we had been filming without a break and were exhausted. The movie deserves to open with a sense of energy infused in the sequence, and while we had a lot of cozy interiors beforehand, now we were dealing with two full night shoots where we set off multiple explosions in a single night and had stunt performers dive in lake water than was 40 degrees at most. You curse yourself for having written a sequence this ambitious - and feared we had gone too big - but credit goes to the incredible special effects and stunt crews of professionals who delivered on every moment as we shot our way chronologically through the sequence. 8. How many days did it took to film the chasing scene toward the end of the film? The car chase that involves cars, motorcycles and the military truck was filmed over 5/6 different nights throughout our schedule. As you can imagine, sometimes an entire dialogue scene can take only a morning to shoot and take up 10% of the final movie, but when it comes to action - everything moves a lot slower. Vehicles have to drive back to their starting marks for each take. Crowds of curious have to be moved out of the frame. Police must block traffic and pedestrians who are trying to go home. We would sometimes spend 6 hours shooting a single moment from the car chase that only lasts 35 seconds in the final movie. 9. Where, in Italy, did you shoot most of the film? The movie was entirely shot in Verona - which was also featured in 2010's Letters to Juliet. That said, the city hall refused to let us blow up a vehicle, so for the film's factory climax, we traveled to the outskirts of Treviso, nearby Venice. 10. Which filmmakers/screenwriters do you admire? Christopher McQuarrie's approach to story has deeply inspired me over the last few years, because of the way he and his team work around the clock to maximize emotion for audiences, even if nobody expects it of them. Brad Bird also has a way of making his cinema "playful," and his use of camera movement is one of the aspects that I study the most. Both Bird and McQ understand that you are there to serve the audience and their emotional experience. 11. Could you give any interesting, fun fact about your experience working with Dylan Baker, Becky Ann Baker, Bradley Stryker, and/or any other cast members in Nightfire? All of them were wonderful, and such troopers in braving the cold and relentless night shoots. Dylan performed his opening scene in the cage in 30-degree weather with a t-shirt, as just feet from him were dozens of crew members in winter coats and scarfs. Becky has an amazing energy that radiates throughout the set and was there to support even when she didn't need to be. Greg Hadley, who plays Agent Ross, was cast just a week away from shooting: though a last-minute replacement at the time, now I can't picture anyone else playing the part. 12. You lived in Italy in the past, what meal or restaurant would you consider everyone to try if he or she visits there? When I have a train layover in Florence, I always run off and try to make a stop for lunch at Coco Lezzone in Via Parioncino. Siena and Tuscany overall have the best food. Oh, and when in doubt - always, always ask a local. 13. What was your favorite movie when you were a kid? Do you have a favorite movie now? I think Spielberg movies had a profound influence on me, in teaching me that great directors are master storytellers who transcend genre. Spielberg can go from Munich (2005) to Ready Player One (2018) and make it feel effortless, and though I didn't recognize why I responded to his work so much then - I do now. At the moment, I'd say that David Fincher's Zodiac, Stanley Donen's Singin' in the Rain or Chris McQuarrie's Mission: Impossible - Fallout may all qualify as some of my favorite films for different reasons. 14. If you could write and direct a film-adaptation of any novel/novella/short story, which one would you like to do? Great question! I honestly feel like filmmakers shouldn't be as reluctant to adapt previously-existing material (especially public domain stories) because often the best stories have already been written. While developing a project recently, I did a deep dive re-reading the short stories of authors Sheridan Le Fanu and Edgar Allan Poe. Another movie we recently completed, Tumbili, borrowed heavily from the sensibility of gothic fairytales, and I've always found it way more interesting for a movie to feel more creepy than scary. 15. Are you thinking or planning on filming a movie in France someday? You know what? Absolutely! I was born in Paris and think the city has immense visual scope - I think European locations lend themselves to the cinematic overall. There are beautiful locations all across Normandy and castles in the Loire Valley which I was lucky enough to be introduced to by my mother at a young age. Now I step into a location and instantly ask myself: "What sequence could we write that takes place here?" 16. Last question, did you watch the 92nd Academy Awards (Oscars)? If so, what was your favorite and least favorite moment? I did watch it, we have a tradition of hosting a screening party every year. My favorite part was the overall selection of Best Picture movies, knowing that - despite no female directors had been nominated, unfortunately - 2019 was a strong year for cinema and that is something to collectively celebrate. My least favorite moment was discovering during the "In Memoriam" tribute that one of my USC teachers, Gene Warre Jr., had passed away just a few months before. The man was an incredible ball of energy and stories, and I instantly felt lucky to have learned from him during what became his last semester of teaching before passing. I strongly want to express my appreciation for Brando Benetton for doing this interview. Again, it comes out on May 1 on VOD, including Amazon and Hulu. Don't miss out on this spy thriller that is up to par with James Bond and Jason Bourne movie series. Thank you, readers, for taking your time to get to know Brando Benetton. I hope you keep coming here to read more interviews. Take care and I hope the rest of your day goes great for you. Scott Cooper, who has directed book-based movies such as Black Mass, Hostiles, and Antlers, will now do the same with the psychological horror film titled A Head Full of Ghosts, which is based on a horror novel. The Bram Stoker Award-winning novel was written by Paul Tremblay but the author himself is not writing the screenplay. Scott Cooper, instead, is currently revising the draft.
Similar topic: A horror short story is being made into a feature film Here is deadline's synopsis of the film: When 8-year-old Merry’s older sister exhibits signs of an indeterminate and terrifying affliction, the Barrett family slowly tears itself apart. Now, 20 years later, Merry is confronted with her family’s traumatic past when Rachel, a journalist with a similarly haunted past, delves into the case, causing Merry to relive and reconsider the devastating memories of her childhood. Similar topic: Antlers (based on the short story 'The Quiet Boy') Trailer is here This is the second collaboration between Scott Cooper and the company Cross Creak. The first being Black Mass, which starred Johnny Depp. Source material: Deadline.com
The director of Killing Eve, Damon Thomas, will be directing the movie adaptation of My Best Friend's Exorcism. The screenwriter of this project will be Christopher Landon who also serve as the producer. Mr. Landon was involved with the movie Happy Death Day.
Here is the goodread's story line for My Best Friend's Exorcism: Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fifth grade, when they bonded over a shared love of E.T., roller-skating parties, and scratch-and-sniff stickers. But when they arrive at high school, things change. Gretchen begins to act…different. And as the strange coincidences and bizarre behavior start to pile up, Abby realizes there’s only one possible explanation: Gretchen, her favorite person in the world, has a demon living inside her. And Abby is not about to let anyone or anything come between her and her best friend. With help from some unlikely allies, Abby embarks on a quest to save Gretchen. But is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil? Pick up a copy of the book today! Source material: www.joblo.com/
UPDATE:- Ms. Carol Dysinger and Elena Andreicheva won the BAFTA Award for Best British Short Film. This phone interview with Ms. Carol Dysinger was prior to the BAFTA and Oscar ceremony. Again, congrats to Ms. Carol Dysinger and Elena Andreicheva.
Another Update:- Congrats to Ms. Carol Dysinger and Elena Andreicheva yet again. This time they won the Oscar Award for Best Documentary Short Subject. Carol Dysinger's About section from her website: Carol Dysinger directed the short documentary LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL) which won Best Documentary Short at Tribeca Film Festival 2019. Dysinger is also known for her feature length documentary CAMP VICTORY, AFGHANISTAN, compiled from 300+ hours of footage gathered over the course of three years. It premiered in competition at SXSW 2010, and played at the Museum of Modern Art Doc Fortnight and the Human Rights Watch Film Festival. Funded by Sundance Doc Fund and Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the film later appeared on Public Television. Prior to directing docs, Professor Dysinger edited many documentaries and features, including DEADLINE for Big Mouth Productions (Sundance, and NBC), RAIN for Lola Films, M.Scorsese Executive Producer (Sundance, Venice International) SANTITOS for Springall Pix, John Sayles Exec (Sundance, Guadalajara, San Sebastian) and PUNK (Warners) which was a finalist for a national Emmy. As a screenwriter in Los Angeles, she co-wrote several scripts for Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox and Sam Goldwyn Productions, and A CHRISTMAS STAR with Fred Gwyn and Ed Asner for Disney. She wrote several independent features BURNTOWN for HBO Independent, and FAT GIRLS FROM HELL for Sheila Mclaughlin. Her short films screened widely and won several awards including the Student Academy Award for Best Dramatic and the Hugo Award. She is the recipient of the David Payne Carter award for excellence in teaching. Carol was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, and is currently developing a semi-autobiographical interactive piece depicting her experience with war. I hope you enjoy the phone interview I had with Ms. Carol Dysinger. Get to know this brilliant director and discover why her documentary short deserved both a BAFTA-nomination and Oscar-nomination. 1. First off, how did you celebrate the New Year/ New decade? 2. What was the genesis of your documentary short film? 3. Were there other titles you came up with before Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you’re a girl)? If so, what were they? 4. What challenges did you face while filming the documentary short? 5. what is your favorite moment in the documentary short and why? 6. What is the biggest surprise that you experienced after directing it? 7. If you had to describe Elena Andreicheva using three words, they would be? 8. After Filming the documentary short, how has this experience affected your life personally? 9. Congratulations on the BAFTA and Oscar nomination for your documentary short. What a way to start off the new decade, Yes? My question is….Where were you when you discovered that the BAFTA nominated your documentary short? 10. Where were you when you discovered that Oscars nominated your documentary short? 11. Who are you excited to meet or see at the BAFTA and Oscars ceremony? 12. If you win the award, are you going to have a speech prepared or are you going to wing it? 13. If you could sit down with any three people in the world and have a chat with them, who would they be and why? 14. If you could write and direct a film-adaptation of any novel/novella/short story, which one would you like to adapt? 15. Last question, which film do you predict would win the Oscars for Best Picture? I greatly appreciate her time to answer my questions. Wishing all the best and I hope the BAFTA and the Oscar ceremony will be a fantastic experience for Carol Dysinger and everyone involved with the project. Thank you, readers and visitors, for taking your time to get to know Carol Dysinger and I hope you check out Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) , which is on AETN.com and VOD. You can check out her other projects(website) as well. Take care and have a fine day. IMPORTANT:- Click the link (name) to read the interview I had with the producer ( Elena Andreicheva) of Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone(if You're a Girl).
Story line of In Her Boots from IMDb:
Hedi is experiencing strange things. While her granddaughter is visiting, she suddenly embarks on a hiking journey, to the deepest parts of the Alps, revealing the reason for her devoted attachment to her hiking shoes. The director/animator of this wonderful animated short is Kathrin Steinbacher. She is also an illustrator and a picture book maker. Her work has been screened in numerous film festivals across the world. She loves to tell stories through animation and narrative illustration. she is also motivated by raising awareness for social issues. In Her Boot is her latest animated short and now it has received a BAFTA nomination for Best British Short Animation. I hope you take the time to get to know her and her work that has now gotten the film elites' attention. 1. How did you get the idea for In Her Boots? The film was inspired by my grandmother. I grew up in a very little village in Austria and it always bothered me that people care so much what others think about them. My grandmother had these old hiking boots she was very attached to. They were old and almost falling apart but she refused to get new ones. This obsession that people didn’t seem to understand was the inspiration for the film. So, in the film the old hiking boots represent something fundamental about the main character Hedi. She seems a bit silly and confused but she is pretty self-confident and a strong woman and the hiking shoes represent something fundamental about her: Her strength, her independence and her ability to maintain her autonomy despite her old age. 2. Was In Her Boots the original title or were there other titles? I spent ages deciding on a title. But I liked the metaphor. I always aim to make the invisible a bit more visible and the unrelatable more relatable in my films. And I think animation is a very powerful tool to make subjective experiences and rare human conditions, states that are alien to most people, more concrete and thus more perceptible and understandable by the audience. And the metaphor ‘In Her Boots’ kind of serves as a metaphor to share a particular experience with the audience. 3. What influences (if any) helped you with writing In Her Boots? Location Drawings I did in Austria, the books I read as a part of my research, especially Elisabeth is missing by Emma Healey. Interviews I conducted with elderly people. And my own personal and social environment in Austria. And of course my own grandmother. 4. What is your writing habit in general? Do you write in the daytime or night? I do not really write a script. I storyboard though. I mainly work with visuals and I am most productive in the morning. 5. Are you thinking of making In Her Boots into a feature-length film? If I get funding :-) 6. Which novel/novella/short story have you read that you would like to make into an animated film adaptation? There are too many and it is impossible to decide. But I recently finished a book by Eckhart Tolle called “The Power of Now". It’s about how to live in the present and I would like to make a film that focuses on time and perception of time. 7. Major congrats on getting a BAFTA nomination for Best British Short Animation for In Her Boots, who are you excited to meet or see at the ceremony? I am mainly excited to meet the other two directors who also got nominated in the short animated category. But would also love to speak to Joaquin Phoenix and Leonardo DiCaprio because firstly I think they are great actors and secondly I deeply respect their fight against climate change. 8. If you win the BAFTA Award who would be the first person you’d like to thank? My husband because he had to deal with my moods the most whilst I was working on the film. 9. Did you always wanted to be an animator growing up? Also, who inspired you while pursuing your dream? No, I never really knew that animation was something you can do as a profession. I always wanted to work as a creative but I ended up studying animation almost by pure coincidence. To be honest, I never thought that I was especially talented or particularly good at drawing. But I started my art and design Foundation at Kingston University and had amazing tutors. In the beginning, I was extremely overwhelmed and intimidated by all the amazing people on the course who were all so extremely motivated and talented. And then one day the tutors forced us to do some location drawings and it was my biggest nightmare. But it turned out to be the best thing because I started to draw the world how I saw it and kind of naturally developed my own visual language and the tutors noticed that immediately and supported me and gave me the confidence I needed. I started to enjoy illustrating and drawing and decided to study Illustration/ Animation. I later specialised in Animation because I found it so much more interesting to make my illustrations move. It was basically the next step. 10. Do you recall the very first animation short you ever did? How could I forget? It was horrendous. It’s a 2-minute long clay motion animation I did when I was I think 18. I created it as part of an application process for an Austrian university. 11. Which of your children’s books would you like to see made into an animation series or animated film? The Bogeyman :-) 12. What is your favourite Disney movie as a child? What is your favourite Disney tune as well? Alice in wonderland and my favourite song is Hakuna Matata. 13. Could you give a sneak peek of your next project? I am currently working on an animated documentary about women in animation together with my dear friend and colleague Emily Downe. 14. What piece of advice do you have for aspiring animators starting out? Have trust in your audience and yourself. Don't change anything in your film that feels wrong to you. And probably most important, NEVER compare yourself to others! 15. Last question, if you must wear a t-shirt with one word on it for the rest of your life, which word do you choose? Humongous I hope Kathrin have a very memorable experience at the BAFTA ceremony. All the best to her as well. I really appreciate her for taking her time to do this. Also, I want to thank those that are reading this interview. I hope you were well-informed and enjoyed the content too. Have a great day and take care! |
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