Category: Director - NovelPro Junkie

Scott Cooper will direct psychological-horror 'A Head Full of Ghosts'

2/15/2020

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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

My Best Friend’s Exorcism novel by Grady Hendrix gets an adaptation

2/5/2020

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/

Interview with Carol Dysinger, director of the BAFTA & Oscar-nominated Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl)

2/4/2020

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).

Interview with Kathrin Steinbacher, director/animator of BAFTA-nominated In Her Boots

1/30/2020

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!

Interview with Sasha Rainbow, director of BAFTA-nominated Kamali

1/29/2020

Here is the story line of Kamali from Sasha Rainbow:

Seven-year-old Kamali is the only girl skateboarder in a small fishing village in India where, by chance, a skate ramp happened to be built right outside her house. Kamali's timorous mother, Suganthi, gives in to a burning desire to escape her past and decides to take a pilgrimage in a quest for self discovery. As mother and daughter are separated for the first time, they both must find their freedom as they dare to step outside into a man's world.

Kamali was nominated for Best British Short Film for the 73rd British Academy Film Award a.k.a BAFTA. Sasha Rainbow is the director. She has already won Best Director at The Mumbai International Short Film Festival for Kamali as well as Best Short Documentary at Atlanta Film Festival. Her Wild Beasts 'Alpha Female' music video featuring women skateboarding in India was shared by Tony Hawk. A BBC interview about the music video went viral( 600,000 people viewing it within a week). Now, she is working on her first feature length documentary, which is about one of the world's biggest electronic waste dumps. So, get to know this brilliant storyteller and read this to see why her latest documentary short, Kamali, deserved the nomination.

1.     What is the genesis of the short film Kamali?

I was making a music video for a song called Alpha Female by British band the Wild beasts focusing on the burgeoning female skateboarding movement happening in India. During my research I stumbled across this image on the internet of a six year old Indian girl in a dress, barefoot, speeding down a ramp on a skateboard. I had always wanted to make a documentary on the side of the music video about the skateboarding scene, but when Kamali and her mum stayed with us for the duration of the music video I got to know about their personal journeys and just how much skateboarding meant to them. I think Kamali's mother's story resonated with me so much as I am an immigrant with a refugee mother and have always been conscious of how much of my existence is due to the hard decisions that were made by my family before my time. It felt amazing to stumble upon a woman making those same kind of choices right now.

2.     What was your writing process like for Kamali?

For months our small team met and watched films and discussed potential story lines for the film, which of course we had to throw to the wind the mintute
we arrived. Our editor David Higgs travelled with us and would process all the footage from the day then we would meet and discuss the story potential for the next day.
Translating was a lengthy process, so on the other side of the shoot we spent a lot of time with the transcripts, cutting and pasting them into several orders to see what
stuck. At one point the room we were working in looked like it was decorated in Christmas decorations.

3.     Could you give an interesting fun fact about any individual in Kamali?

I can't think of anything about any of the subjects that would surprise you, but I can tell you I not only chose cinematographer Jake Gabbay on his merits as
a DP, but also because he had had a dream that he had made a film about a young girl skateboarding. You can't beat that!

4.     What is the biggest surprise that you experienced after making Kamali?

The biggest surprise was discovering that a good story was all about relationships, a concept that seems really obvious now. I am a self taught filmmaker and have read most books on filmmaking, but none of them truly made sense till I started cutting in the edit room, which is when the ideas came alive and flowed, like a piece of music.
Now I feel this instinctively, in my bones.

5.     Have there been any criticism of Kamali since its release?

I am not aware of any criticism of Kamali since its release.

6.    What message would you want the audience to grasp after viewing Kamali?

I didn't make Kamali to convey a particular message, but if anything, I would love if any women in an abusive relationship see this to feel inspired by Suganthi to leave them, and any parents bringing their boys and girls up differently to see Kamali and realise the huge potential for their daughters when girls are allowed to play and discover their passions. Really, it's an ode to motherhood, and the power any given individual can have when they decide to tread their own path.

7.     Which filmmakers do you admire or inspired your work?

It might surprise you but I was hugely inspired by Spike Lee's 'Do The Right Thing,' a film about racial confrontations on a block in New York City on the hottest day of summer. We knew from having already met Suganthi that the village were opposed to her allowing Kamali to skate and that the family were fairly ostracised because Suganthi was a divorced woman, but when we got there, people behaved as though they were very supportive. This sort of forced us to focus on the family more and in the end make a more intimate film about a mother empowering her daughter, and inadvertently empowering herself in the process.

8. Huge congrats on getting nominated for the BAFTA Awards (Best Short film), which celebrity/celebrities would you like to see or meet?

Kamali was made with a very small team, who above all else, made it with love and a passion for filmmaking. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that being
nominated for a BAFTA was beyond all of our expectations,  so just being in the room, and having the opportunity to meet other creatives at the top of their fields is very special.

9. Where were you at when you discovered that Kamali was nominated for BAFTA Awards?

I was in New Zealand with a couple of very old friends in a place called the sound shell, an outdoor park in the botanical gardens when the BAFTA
announcements were being made. It felt like an incredible homecoming.

10. Which past BAFTA nominated film is your favorite and why?

I'm a huge fan of American Beauty and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's nest.  I guess both are about the unravelling of the human condition, something I am fascinated by.

11. What was your very first short film? What were the challenges you face and how did you overcome them?

My very first short film was called Kofi and Lartey  which I am currently developing into a feature film. Kamali was my second film. I think the major challenge was
the amount of time we had on the ground, which meant there wasn't much flexibility to delve into the story when we finally found it. But documentary is always like that, there's a magic to it, following a thread and your collective instinct, and it always works out in some way.

12. What do you wish you had known when you were starting your career?

Don't wait for anyone to give you permission to create.

13. Which novel/novella/short story have you read that you would like to do a film adaptation?

I am currently attached to a book Jack and Rochelle   produced by Neal Edelstein which is a love story between partisans in the forest fighting for their life in WW2.
It's incredibly moving but also a perspective I haven't heard before, with a huge focus on the female experience of war.

14. If a self-published author is seeking a director, how would one get you to read his or her story to see if it would make a compelling short film or movie?

Writing a short one page description of  the concept with a script attached would be the best way to get it in front of a director.

15. What show would you like to make a cameo or direct?

I'm a huge fan of Mind Hunter and End Of The Fxxxing World.

16.  Do you skateboard? If so, have you skateboard with Kamali?

I started skating in India three years ago when I made the music video about the female skateboarding movement there.
I did skateboard with Kamali when I was in India. I think she's much better than me.

17. Last question, which film do you predict would win for BAFTA’s Best Film and Outstanding British Film?

There are so many great films, we'll have to wait and see!

All the best to Sasha Rainbow as she attend the ceremony. I hope she has a great time and enjoy the moment. I'll like to thank her for answering those questions as well. As for my followers/readers, thank you for stopping by. You too can participate along with the festivities by watching the BAFTA awards which will air on BBC America at 9:00 PM ET (Sunday, Feb. 2nd).

Interview with Brian Baugh, the director and screenwriter of The World We Make

10/18/2019

Brian Baugh began his journey as a filmmaker at University of Southern California in which he earned USC school of Cinema Distinguished Scholar Award. At the mere age of twenty five, he made his first feature film. From there he made and got involved in several films such as The Ultimate Gift, Jack & the Beanstalk, An American Carol, To Save a Life, I'm Not Ashamed and so much more. His latest project is titled The World We Make. So, please take a break from whatever you're doing and get to know this superb director and screenwriter. Get to know his writing experience and most of all go check out The WORLD WE MAKE.

1. What is the genesis of The World We Make?

The story started with initial writer and producer, George Escobar, who approached an executive producer he knew with the idea. The exec producer had an interest in the material thematically. They started to build the team with another producer and started developing and casting the film. I was brought in later in the process by the lead producer, Ken Carpenter, to do a re-write and direct the film.

2. Did you have writer’s block on The World We Make screenplay? If so, how did you get over it?

I had to re-write it quickly, so there was no time for writer’s block. ha ha.
I don’t like the concept of writer’s block. Maybe the better way to say it is that I can get “good writing block”. But I don’t solve that by not writing. As the quote says, “You can’t steer a ship that isn’t moving.”   I almost always start a writing day with a page goal and a write to that goal – even if it’s junk. Usually that junk is a starting point for something better. I find most professional writers just force themselves to write something and trust it will eventually get good because they have put in the years of work to become skilled at their craft and trust the process. I just have to punch the clock and have the discipline to write something – even if I don’t like it. I find the process of putting words on the page unlocks ideas that I wouldn’t get by just sitting around thinking.

3. What is your favorite line from The World We Make?

I honestly think my favorite line would be the action lines in scenes where there is no dialog. One of my favorites is a scene at the end of the film where Thomas (Gregory Allan Williams) comes to a peace about his son’s interracial relationship. I love it as a filmmaker when you can communicate something with character’s actions without relying on dialog. Those are often the most challenging scenes to write and it’s a joy when they work on screen.

4. Where and when do you write in general?

I’m a quiet space guy. No coffee shops for me. I have a quiet office with a view of a forest and a good sound system. When I write can differ greatly. I have learned to not be picky about the environment or time because sometimes you need to write in the middle of night in a hotel room, sometimes on set at lunch, and other times you get to write from the comfort of your office. Most typically, I’ll try and get to the office around 7:30 and I’ll write as much as I can before the calls and interruptions start. My ideal day is writing all morning until mid-afternoon and then I’ll spend the rest of the work day doing research or catching up on other aspects of the film.

5. Could you give a fun fact about your experience working with Caleb Castille and Rose Reid?

Caleb and Rose were both fantastic to work with on this film. One interesting thing is that they are both very good at what their characters were pursuing in the film. Caleb is an excellent football player and was apart of the Univ. of Alabama football team before he chose to pursue acting full time. And Rose is a talented horse rider who used to barrel race and did all her own horse riding in the film.

6. What recently moved you?

I recently directed a film that we shot in Ireland, and I was moved by the talented musicians playing traditional Irish music in the pubs. So beautiful and soulful.

7. Which screenplay of yours took you the least amount of time to write?

I’ll assume you mean the first draft (because the re-writing never feels fast). I have one in development called “My Real Life Summer” that I wrote in just a few weeks. It is a really fun script filled with middle school banter that came out of the brain rather quickly.

8. What movie have you seen that made the most influence in your life?

There have been several. But I would have to say in very tangible way that seeing “The Power of One” as a kid inspired my interest in wanting to help with some of the issues in Africa that later led to post graduate fellowship at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and a degree in African studies.

9. If you have your own talk show, who would your first three guests be (besides me, of course)?

Bill Belichick
Warren Buffett
Jean-Pierre Jeunet

10. Do you recall the very first short film you ever did?

Definitely. After 2nd grade, my father took me to a pawn shop to buy a Super 8 camera so that I could spend my summer doing stop-motion animation with my models and Star Wars figures. I ended up with a 3 minute film at the end of the summer – 1 frame at a time.

My first legit short film happened was when I was 19 with a close friend I met at film school. He and I literally did every role from camera loader, to lighting, to wardrobe, set dressing and oh yeah, directing. I mainly remember how tired we were. I guess it paid off, because we are both making a living directing, writing, and producing now.

11. If a self-published author is seeking a screenwriter, how would one get you or any experience screenwriter to read his or her story to see if it would make a compelling movie?

I think having a 5 to 10 page summary/treatment is very helpful. Rarely does a working writer, director, or producer have several days to devote to reading a self-published book. But if an author can write a summary that gives a good sense of the book that can be read in 10-15 minutes, then that greatly increases the chances that a filmmaker will give it a read. At that stage, it’s usually more about the premise and if that filmmaker can get that premise funded. The author would be well served to explain to the filmmaker why their story would put butts in seats at the theater, or be attractive to click on while someone is surfing around in Netflix.

12. Could you give a sneak peek about your next project?

I just finished shooting the feature “There You’ll Find Me” in Ireland that I wrote and directed. It’s a comedic romance with lots of heart about a young woman who goes on a college exchange program to Ireland and ends up meeting one of the biggest young movie stars in the world.   The cast was amazing and shooting in Ireland was delightful. I’ll be in post the rest of the year and we expect to release it in 2020.

13. What’s your motto in life?

It would probably be something carpe diem-ish.
Make the most of each day. Experience every moment on the journey deeply and pursue the epic life.
I want to get to the finish line exhausted and spent because I took advantage of every opportunity to have joy, love, and grow to be the best version of myself.

14. Last question, what piece of advice do you have for aspiring directors starting out?

Learn everything about everything. Take the time to experience life first hand. Travel, study your quirky interests, learn history and classic literature, befriend people different than you, play hard, use your talents to serve others, etc. Eventually you will learn the technical aspects of filmmaking, and then it becomes far more about understanding humankind and the world, and having an interesting perspective. All with the aim to tell authentic stories that move people.

I truly appreciative to Brian Baugh for giving up his time and energy to take on my interview questions. You should give The World We Make a try right now. It's available on Netflix, DVD and digital. You can also watch it through amazon if that is your preference. So, that is all for now. Thank you for reading this and I hope to see you tomorrow for next interview. Take care!

David Slade directs the film adaptation of Dark Harvest

9/15/2019

Mr. David Slade (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, 30 Days of Night) is directing the film adaptation of Dark Harvest. Michael Gilio is adapting the screenplay while David Manpearl and Matt Tolmach is producing the project.

Here is the goodread's synopsis of Dark Harvest, written by Norman Partridge:

Winner of the Bram Stoker Award and named one of the 100 Best Novels of 2006 by Publishers Weekly, Dark Harvest by Norman Patridge is a powerhouse thrill-ride with all the resonance of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery."

Halloween, 1963. They call him the October Boy, or Ol' Hacksaw Face, or Sawtooth Jack. Whatever the name, everybody in this small Midwestern town knows who he is. How he rises from the cornfields every Halloween, a butcher knife in his hand, and makes his way toward town, where gangs of teenage boys eagerly await their chance to confront the legendary nightmare. Both the hunter and the hunted, the October Boy is the prize in an annual rite of life and death.

Pete McCormick knows that killing the October Boy is his one chance to escape a dead-end future in this one-horse town. He's willing to risk everything, including his life, to be a winner for once. But before the night is over, Pete will look into the saw-toothed face of horror--and discover the terrifying true secret of the October Boy . . .

"This is contemporary American writing at its finest."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Dark Harvest.

Source Material: deadline.com

Interview with Mr. Jacob Estes, director and screenwriter of Don't Let Go

8/30/2019

From his critical acclaim movie Mean Creek to The Details starring Tobey Maguire, Mr. Jacob Estes has directed a science fiction thriller like no other: Don't Let Go.

Storyline from IMdD:
After a man's family dies in what appears to be a murder, he gets a phone call from one of the dead, his niece. He's not sure if she's a ghost or if he's going mad, but as it turns out, he's not.

So, get to know the creative director and screenwriter of this movie, Mr. Jacob Estes, and see why Don't Let Go should be the movie to seek for your entertainment this weekend.

1. First off, list three adjectives to describe Don’t Let Go?

Emotional and stressful. You will have to go see it and name the third adjective for me because I can’t think of one.

2. How did you come up with the story for Don’t Let Go?

The idea that a grieving man could receive a phone call from a member of his dead family struck a very hopeful note for me. I read that idea in a screenplay that was otherwise a horror movie about monsters and ghosts. I didn’t want to do a horror movie about monster and ghosts, but I found that idea to be very beautiful and worth fighting for. So I wrote about it.

3. Were there other titles you came up with before Don’t Let Go? If so what were they?

The original title of the screenplay was Only You, because the character Ashley, who eventually would be played by Storm Reid, made a music video to the song Only You by Yaz, from Upstairs at Erics. Ultimately, when I cast Storm, I changed the song to be by a band culturally specific to her family, a song not called Only You by a band called ESG. So the title Only You ceased to make sense. Then I went on a long, winding journey to finally decide on the name Don’t Let Go — which speaks to the idea that David Oyelowo’s character can not allow his niece Storm Reid who, over the course of the film is dead but somehow able to speak to David by phone from a few days before she died, he can not allow her die again.

4. On average, how many draft scripts do you find yourself writing until you are happy and satisfied with your work?

I am never happy or satisfied with my work. And I just keep writing constantly from the moment I begin, until the last day of production and, later in the edit room, that too is a lot like writing. There is no way to count drafts. There are hundreds of changes being made all the time from the moment the idea is conceived until the moment you lock picture.

5. Do you ever get writer’s block? What do you do to get back on track?

Writers block is about anxiety. Or fear. I have anxiety and fear. I do whatever it takes to find focus and write. Sometimes exercise helps. Sometimes talking to friends helps. Sometimes deciding not to write for a while helps.

6. What was your writing schedule when you wrote Don’t Let Go?

I spent hundreds of hours plotting the movie with one of my producers, Jay Martin. Then I wrote the script for about ten weeks straight, from 6am to 3pm every day. Before bed I would imagine what I wanted to attempt to do the next morning. Then I would start that process up again at dawn, after coffee.

7. What is your favorite line from Don’t Let Go?

“The answer to all your questions is in that jar of bubble gum.”

8. Which filmmakers did you admire growing up?

Sidney Lumet. Wim Wenders. David Cronenberg. Martin Scorsese. David Lynch. Woody Allen. Stanley Kubrick. John Carpenter. Carl Reiner…

9. Could you give a fun fact about your experience working with David Oyelowo, Storm Reid, Bryon Mann, and/or Brian Tyree Henry?

What about Alfred Molina and Mykelti Williamson? They’re both in my movie and full of fun facts. Alfred Molina, for instance, does not like to be called Alfred. He prefers to be called Fred. And Mykelti likes to be called T.

10. Do you recall the very first short film you ever did? What lessons did you learned from it?

I made a music video of myself dancing to Aha’s Take on Me and the biggest lesson I learned was not to leave a very embarrassing videotape of yourself dancing to a pop song laying around or the people who watch it may tease you mercilessly.

11. 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?

I would write them a very compelling letter and mail it to them in the mail so it could not be electronically ignored. If I could not find the director’s mailing address, I would send the letter to his or her agent.

12. You have adapted a novel into a screenplay before (Nearing Grace), how did you discover Scott Sommer’s novel?

The director Rick Rosenthal (Bad Boys) asked me to adapt it for him.

13. What advice do you wish someone had given to you when you were younger about the industry?

Take your time and figure out exactly what you want to do and say, then do and say those things methodically and careful. Do not rush. It matters not how fast you do your work, what matters is you do your work well.

14. What is the one thing everyone should eat or drink if one should visit California?

Green juice?

15. Last question, if you could pick a day to relive over and over again, what day would it be and why?

I wouldn’t relive a single day over and over again. I would always prefer a new day.

I just wanted to thank Mr. Jacob Estes for answering those questions. I hope you guys would check out this thrilling film. It's also a time travel movie for those who love movies with time traveling plot( I sure do). The movie release date is Aug. 30th which is today. Take care and I hope you have a wonderful day and especially a great movie experience with Don't Let Go.

Paramount takes Jacob Chase's Thrilling Spec Script

7/24/2019

Writer and director, Mr. Jacob Chase, has gotten his spec script purchased by Paramount Pictures. He will also direct the untitled project. Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman will produce the project under The Picture Company. They are the same producer that worked on Jacob Chase's upcoming film titled Larry. So far this untitled project is about a family man who took his family to a trip in order to protect them from something horrific.

Jacob Chase has sold other spec script such as Infinite to Sony( he's also executive producer of numerous project including They Hear It(Legendary) and Whisper(Amblin).

You can check out my past interview that I did with Jacob Chase about his upcoming film Larry by simply clicking here.

Source Material: Deadline.com

Interview with Mr. Richard Shepard, filmmaker and co-writer of The Perfection

7/4/2019

Happy 4th of July everybody. I hope you're enjoying this day with your loved ones. Here is an interview from the mind of Mr. Richard Shepard. He has worked on such movies like The Matador, The Hunting Party, I knew it was you, and Dom Hemingway. He also worked on television shows such as Ugly Betty, 30 Rock, Girls, The Twilight Zone,and Sweetbitter. So, read his experience with his latest film The Perfection.

1. What is your favorite Brian De Palma movie? And have you met him in person?

Well, I’m a big fan of Brian De Palma and he was definitely an influence on The Perfection. My favorite Brian De Palma movie is called Dressed to Kill from 1980. It’s a deeply, stylish, incredibly weird, dark movie. I think it’s his best movie.

2. Have you met him in person?

I haven’t though I’m a big fan. Have you?

Me (Interviewee): No, I haven’t.
Mr. Richard Shepard: What’s your favorite De Palma's movie?
Me: Um… I have to say, probably, Carrie.
Mr. Richard Shepard: Have you seen Dressed to Kill?
Me: I’ve seen it on YouTube, clips of it, but I haven’t seen the whole movie.
Mr. Richard Shepard: You should really watch it. It’s pretty cool. It’s a pretty crazy movie.
Me: Awesome. I’ll definitely check it out.

3. Was The Perfection the original title or were there other titles?

That’s a good question. We didn’t have a title for a while when we were writing it. Sometimes it’s hard to come up with a title, but as we were writing it, we used this piece of dialogue in the film when he was talking about The Perfection and then we were like, that would be a good name for the movie. So, we named it The Perfection and then we worked it in the script even more so that it was all sort of tied together. Titles are strange. You never quite sure about the right title until it happens and then you’re like, oh yeah it could be called nothing else but this.

4. If you had to describe The Perfection using three words, it would be…

Um… totally, crazy, bonkers

5. What drew you to direct The Perfection?

Well, I co-wrote the movie. I’m a director and a writer. For me, as I was writing the film I started falling more and more with the possibilities of what we could do with this film. So, by the time the script was done, I was like, oh I have really, really have to make this film. Of course wanting to make a film and getting the movie made are two separate things, because it’s so hard to get a movie made, but I’m very thankful that we were able to put it all together. So, because I wrote it the whole time, I was expected to direct it.

6. What is your writing schedule in general?

When I write a script on my own I try to write five pages a day. It’s not easy. When you’re writing a script with two other people, like I did on The Perfection, with Eric Charemelo and Nicole Snyder, we spend a lot of time breaking the story and figuring out all the twist and turn of the story. Then we wrote the script very, very quickly. We sort of divided it and wrote it. When I do it on my own, it’s five pages a day because I feel like it’s a doable amount, but yet when you put your head down and view it you can have a first draft in a month. It may not be very good but you, at least, have something to work with.

7. Are you a morning writer or night?

I write anything, anyplace, anywhere. I can write in a crazy, crowded coffee shop or absolutely quiet room. I can write in the morning, I can write in the night. Sometimes I’m inspired late at night, sometime I’m inspired in the morning. When I’m trying to do five pages a day I’m motivated to try and get it done as quickly as possible. So I tend to do it in the morning so that I can have the rest of the day free to go to the movies or whatever. In general, I’m a morning writer.

8. What is your favorite line from The Perfection?

That’s a toughie. As a filmmaker I love every single moment of my movies, so it’s hard to pick one in particular. So, it’s just very hard for me to just pick one line of dialogue. This movie is just so filled with twists and turns. It’s like there’s five movies in one movie in a way so it’s hard for me just to pick just one.

9. What has been the best compliment you heard about The Perfection?

The Perfection has been very polarizing. Some people really loved it and some people really hate it. What I’m most proud about is that there are not many people in the middle. I’m very happy with all the nice reviews the movie has gotten and some of the reviews have not been so nice. In general, people seem to have a strong opinion about this film and I think that movies that cause a strong opinion are the ones that actually are the most interesting so that was what I think is the best compliment I’ve gotten.

10. Could you give an interesting fun fact about working with Allison Williams and Logan Browning?

I asked both of them to learn how to play the cello to do the movie. They both play cellist in the film and I really thought it would be interesting if they play the cello for the movie so that they have a understanding of what it was like to be a professional musician and the amount of work it would take and also they would understand the sort of painful art thing that goes into learning an instrument from your fingers bleeding to your back hurting. So, both actors set out to learn the songs in the movie and they trained several days a week for months until we shot the film. That’s why their scenes where they were playing the cello in the movie were so authentic-looking. We didn’t use hand double or special effect; it’s really the actors playing the instrument.

11. What was your reaction when you first watched the trailer?

Well, I’ve seen the trailer, obviously, because I am the director. Netflix showed me various cuts of the trailers until we found the version that we liked and there was a big question of how many spoilers we would show on the trailer. I have them remove a few shots that I thought would give away too much. We still gave away a little in the trailer, but we have to do that in order to get people interested in the movie. I’ve seen a lot of people on the internet that they don’t watch the trailer and just go in blind. I think you can watch the trailer and still completely enjoy the movie. I’m very proud of it. It’s a very cool trailer for the film.

12. What TV show have you binge-watched lately?

I love Escape at Dannemora which is a ShowTime show that Ben Stiller directed. It’s a true life story about a prison escape that Benicio del Toro was in and Patricia Arquette. I thought it was fantastic.

13. What advice do you wish someone had given you when you were younger about the industry?

This is a tough question. It’s one of those decisions where you really have to be able to endure the ups and downs of it, because you can have real big highs and then real big lows. You have to manage that. You have to understand that there’s going to be times where you may not make any money and work for a period of time and it could get very depressing. Then there are moments when you’re busy all the time and it’s amazing. You have to understand it’s a real marathon and not a sprint. I’ve been basically lucky enough to be working in the business for close to thirty years now. I have my ups and downs without a doubt, but, you know, If I’ve known then that I would’ve survived those down moments it would’ve help get me through them certainly. It’s all about doing the work. I’m a writer as well as a director. And being a writer, I’ve been able to write when no one else would hire me. I could write and that was a big thing that helped me get through the period of time when I wasn’t getting employed. It’s a marathon and you can get through the dark period.

14. If a self-published author is seeking a screenwriter or producer, how would one get you to read his or her story to see if it would make a compelling movie?

It’s very hard to get stuff send to the directors because, in general, we tend to not want to read something that was just send to us in the mail. You never know who might sue you later on. I know that sounds crazy, but if you wrote a book about a kidnapping and then I made a movie ten years from now that has a kidnapping in it. There is a rule where you say, “Yeah, I send you this book and you read it and there are similarity in your movie.” So, in general, it’s very tough to kind of send unsolicited material to directors. Now that said, we are always on the hunt for stuff. So, it’s a double-edged sword in a way. I think it’s always helpful to try and get an agent for your writing so that there’s a buffer between you and the artist you are trying to send it to, because if an agent sends the material to a director then he’s, at least, sort-of protected from a lawsuit. The fact is if a person is a writer and there are writing short stories or books if they keep writing them at a certain point, they would attract attention, because Hollywood is always looking for new stories. It’s sometimes hard to break in, but I always recommend to just keep writing, and at certain point, Hollywood will find you.

15. The movie that you wrote and directed, The Matador, got Mr. Pierce Brosnan nominated for the Golden Globe Award, could you express your experience working with him?

That was amazing experience. He (Pierce Brosnan) had just finished playing James Bond and The Matador was certainly a movie that sort-of rip from the idea of that. He was perfect for him to play that role. It was comedy and it was different from him than stuff he was doing. He was excited to do it. I only had pleasurable memories of doing that film. And, actually, he wrote me after seeing The Perfection to tell me how much he liked it and that was a real thrill. He is still one of my favorite people I’ve worked with.

16. In the memorable scene from The Matador when Pierce Brosnan was walking in his underwear in the hotel, was that in the first draft of your screenplay or after revising it?

There was a version of it, originally, and then I cut it out. Then, when we were at that hotel I said to Pierce, “You remember when we had an idea that he is drunk in the morning. What about the idea that he was walking in the lobby in his underwear?” And he was like, okay I like that idea, but I’ll only give you one take. So, we did it in one shot, and in fact, some of the people in the background were real guests of the hotel. No one knew it was going to happen. He took off all his clothes and just did it in one take. It was really fun to do. It was obviously one of the funniest moments in the movie. You know, that was certainly the situation where—at that point of the process—he trusted me and was willing to do it. It became an iconic shot without a doubt.

17. What was your overall experience directing The Wunderkind episode of The Twilight Zone?

I’m really a fan of The Twilight Zone. It’s one of my favorite TV Shows and I was excited to be able to direct an episode of the new version of it. The finished product is not necessary the episode that I wished it was, but you know, sometimes that happens, because the producers end up re-cutting and turning it into the episode that they want. So, for me, it was not the greatest experience, but I’m still glad that I got to do it.

18. Last question, if you could meet Park Chan-Wook, what would you ask him?

I would be out-of-my-mind excited to be able to meet him, because he is one of my favorite filmmaker of all time. I think I would always be nice to just hear stories as oppose to asking a specific question. So, I would just like to hear him tell me how he came about writing Oldboy and what his experience making that movie was like. Every director goes his or her own challenges making a movie that it’s almost impossible to understand or impossible to ask specific questions. I tend to like to hear directors tell stories about the making of the movie especially something as ambitious as Oldboy. I’m sure he got a lot of interesting stories.

I really like to take this time to thank Mr. Richard Shepard for having the phone interview with me. . I hope everyone is having a fantastic fourth of July and to my international readers I hope you have an amazing day. Thanks for stopping by here and I hope to do so again.