1. What is the genesis of your horror short film, Larry?
Well, I was a creative director of a haunted house called Sherwood Scare in L.A. for several years. It's one of my favorite things to do, but it was time-consuming as I was started working more in film. So one Halloween--I still wanted to scare some people--I decided to make a short film instead of spending months it took to do a haunted house. I really wanted to try to make people scared of something otherwise ordinary in the vein of Jaws or Poltergeist. Basically things that make you afraid of normal, everyday occasions. So, that's the early genesis of Larry and it grew from there.
2. What is your writing process when you wrote Larry?
I parked somewhere and I thought about how it must be really lonely in a parking attendant booth at night. I thought that would make a good setting for this film. I wrote the short in a couple of hours and then shot it. It was a relatively short script.
3. Congratulations on Larry being made into a feature-length movie, what advice would you give new filmmakers on breaking into Hollywood?
I've been doing this for a very long time. I've been writing scripts for many years. The practical and honest advice is to keep writing or filming or whatever you're passionate about. Keep doing it no matter what. No one can stop you. Write the next script and so on until you have a huge repertoire of scripts built up. You never know when one of those scripts would be a hit.
4. Would you like to make a cameo?
(with a chuckle) I don't think making a cameo is generally for me, but maybe you never know. That's the first time i've ever thought of that.
5. Are you going to write the screenplay to the feature-length of Larry?
Yes, I'll be writing the script for Larry.
6. Congrats on your commercial Doritos Dogs winning the 2016 Super Bowl Contest(link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNRAdrB9TSs), could you give an interesting fun fact about making that commercial?
Well, an interesting fun fact about that commercial is that my (and girlfriend's) dog stars in it. Miz is the little white dog in the commercial.
7. Could you express your mentorship experience with director Zack Snyder?
My experience with Zack Snyder was so amazing. He was so gracious with his time. I got to be on set while they were shooting Justice League for a couple of weeks. i really got to experience what it was really like to shoot a movie of that scale. It was incredible. Zack, his staff, and producing partner were so incredible. They open the set to me. It felt like I made new friends and I learned an incredible amount doing that mentorship.
8. Which filmmakers do you admire growing up?
Steven Spielberg was huge for me. Paul Thomas Anderson, Orson Welles. Mike Nichols was really huge influence for me.
9. What is your favorite movie as a child and what is your favorite movie now?
That's a good question. I love Con-Air growing up. I love the adventure of it. My favorite movie would be The Prestige or Magnolia. Inside Out would be another favorite of mine.
10. Do you recall the very first short film you ever did?
I do, very well. It was fifteen minutes short film I made in my senior year of high school. It was the first time I've written a script and friends, who are good actors, read the script aloud. That feeling--I'll never forget it--of hearing your words aloud by good actors changed my life. We then made the short. I was a high school kid so technically it wasn't the most amazing thing in the world, but it was still a successful short at the time and I learned a ton. I've made countless shorts since then.
11. What is your writing habit in general? Do you write in the daytime or night?
I write during the day. I have a really hard time writing at night time unless, for some reason, I really have to. I wake up early. I treat it like job, more or less. I try to write everyday.
12. Last question, if you could direct a film-adaptation of any novel which one would you like to do?
(with a chuckle) All the books I love are actually already made into a film, but I would love to adapt a feature film version of Dinotopia series. It has already been made into a television series. When I was a kid the very first script that i ever wrote was for Dinotopia. I loved the series and that world.
I simply can't wait to see the feature-length film version of Larry. I hope to hear more news and updates about the development of it as well. For now we simply have to marvel at a great short. Thanks once again to Mr. Jacob Chase for taking his time to speak to me. You can check out his other shorts/ clips at his website:www.jacob-chase.com/. All the best to him and his other endeavors. Thanks to you guys as well for stopping by to read my latest post. Take care and have a great day.