Your new movie OMG...
We're in a Horror Movie - in a few words, what is it about?
OMG...
We're in a Horror Movie is
about seven friends who must deal with the
stereotypes of horror movies after finding out that they’re in one.
Is horror a genre especially dear to you, and how much fun was it
to dissect genre formulas as such?
I
actually don’t watch many horror films. I get scared to easily and
scream in a
manner
unbefitting of the manly persona I give off. I also get tired of seeing
the same
tropes over and over without any changes. So making OMG...
We're in a Horror Movie was fun
because
I got to comment on all the things I see being repeated in every horror
movie
out there. And one of my favorite things to do is to kill clichés, which I
was
able
to do a lot. Other sources of
inspiration when writing OMG...
We're in a Horror Movie?
Well
obviously Scream and Scary
Movie gave
me ideas. I would also say Cabin
in
the Woods was
very inspiring to watch. And oddly enough The
Truman Show.
Each
movie had an element that helped to tell the story of OMG...
We're in a Horror Movie more
effectively. What can you tell us
about your co-writer Tom Hatfield, and what was your collaboration like?
Tom
and I went to school together at CALARTS. He was a musician and I an
actor.
After graduating I was getting fed up with auditioning for roles I had no
chance
of getting or for scripts that were super clichéed and under/over
developed.
So I started writing the concept of OMG...
We're in a Horror Movie, not really knowing anything
about
what I was writing other than I wanted to act in it, and I wanted my
friends
to
act in it. Tom came over and I talked to him about what I wanted to do and
we
began
bouncing ideas off of each other. He added a lot of funny to the script.
He
also
added unique voices to some of the characters that I couldn’t do. Twas a
blessing
to have his help.
Do
talk about your movie's approach to both horror and comedy for a bit!
The
comedy is mainly situational which was easy enough to write given the
concept.
Two black guys trying not to be in a horror movie is just a funny idea so
all
we had to do was write and film it honestly. I didn’t want the movie to
feel like
Scary
Movie in
the use of one and done jokes. I wanted the jokes to help inform
characters
and add to the story. So putting people in odd situations and having
them
come to semi logical conclusions makes for great comedy.
As
for the horror aspect, that was harder. The movie isn’t all that scary,
although
my lead actress couldn’t handle it which made me happy. The horror
elements
had to be figured out on the day of shooting. Writing something like
“Jesse
walks down the hallway, not seeing Kyle sneaking with a knife behind
her,”
is all well and good but it doesn't scare anyone. So I focused on how it
was
shot
and how it was acted to give certain scenes an element of horror.
What
can you tell us about your over-all directorial approach to your story at
hand?
I
think it is safe to say that I’m an actors' director. I focused on how
people spoke,
inflections,
intention, energy, etc. I let my DP, Greg Loebell, go nuts with all the
lighting
and camera angles. When we first started shooting I relied heavily on him
to
find shots that looked interesting. I wanted to spend as much time with
the
actors
as possible so that they at least sounded good. I was also doing a little
bit
of
everything, so I was constantly running from room to room trying to figure
out
how
to get something done. I had a hard time distributing jobs. It was a great
learning
process for me.
You also play one of the leads of OMG...
We're in a Horror Movie - so have you written the character with
yourself in mind, and what did you draw upon to bring him to life? Oh, and
to ask something stupid, what did it feel like wearing this dress?
I
totally wrote AJ with me in mind. It was basically the point in writing
the whole
thing.
None of my friends were booking gigs, so I wanted to write one for all of
them
to be in. And to bring AJ to life I just had to play younger than I am,
but just
as
naively exuberant. And nothing makes a man feel sexier than wearing a sea
goddess
dress from Target. It's strange to see footage of me being all directorial
with
that ridiculous makeup on and that dress. I don’t know how people took
me seriously.
What
can you tell us about the rest of your cast, and why exactly these people?
They
are hilarious! And great people to work with. Shanna, Sharon, and Chris
had
parts written specifically for them. The others Tom and I adapted the
script to
fit
them better. Nils Jansson was a great bad guy. Brendan Mcgowan was the
ideal
male lead. Liz Fenning embodied my ex-girlfriend perfectly. Everyone had a
lot
of skill and great ideas about the script, plus they were all super
committed to
the
project. It’s hard to not cast someone who was as devoted as these guys
were.
Best cast ever! Do
talk about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
I
found that when I direct I focus on the work entirely. For the most part
it was
easy
going. Only when lines were lost was there any sort of tension. But I
tried to
keep
everyone happy and positive. If something broke or went wrong, I didn’t
stew
over it, I just fixed the problem. It’s so much easier to not take
things personally
and keep a happy set. I will say, the crew sometimes were laughing so
hard
that whole takes were unusable. But that’s all in good fun and it meant
that
the
comedy held up. Anything
you can tell us about audience and critical reception of your movie?
So
far both audience and critics alike have enjoyed the movie. I think the
worst
rating
we got was a 7 out of 10 because it wasn’t scary enough. But that made
sense
to me. The movie is a comedy-horror, not a horror-comedy.
Any
future projects you'd like to share?
I
currently just finished another screenplay called Thank
You For Trying. It’s
a
rom
com about an extremely awkward date with people who are too in their
heads
to realize they are perfect for each other. I’m also currently filming a
short
film
I wrote called X Ex-Girlfriend, which
is about three people trying to avenge
the
broken heart of their best friend by paying his ex girlfriend a lethal
visit. AND
the
sequel to OMG...
We're in a Horror Movie is
being written as we speak. What got you into
filmmaking in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on
the subject?
I’ve
been a movie buff since 1995, watching Denzel Washington in Crimson
Tide. I’ve
always wanted to make movies and act in big budget films. It helped that
my
parents
supported me the whole way (best people every). I went to CALARTS to
study
theatre acting and writing. I made OMG...
We're in a Horror Movie to
learn how to film a movie. That
was
a hell of a learning curve.
What can you tell us about your filmwork
prior to OMG...
We're in a Horror Movie?
Before OMG...
We're in a Horror Movie I
didn’t really know much about filmmaking. I had shot some web
series
videos with Chris Hampton and Sharon Wang. I had edited a music video
for
Shanna Malcolm once. I had been in front of the camera way more than
behind
it. So I really didn’t have much experience and I made all the rookie
mistakes
that you can possibly make. Now I only make professional mistakes. So
I’m
much improved. How would you describe
yourself as a director?
Confident
and open I’d say. I try to listen to the advice that everyone gives me
and
make the best possible answer with what I’m going for. I ask other
people's
opinions
when I think we could be getting more. I have a stick I keep with me so
that
when my ego gets to big I can beat it down. I think most people like the
fact
that
I know what I want. I hate working on projects when the director has no
clue what
is going on. I’m trying to become a quicker director, a constant
struggle in
this
profession. Filmmakers, actors, writers,
whoever else who inspire you?
Mom
and Dad! They inspire me. Best people ever for more reasons than you can
imagine.
I made a documentary with them when we went to Indonesia and it
shows
how awesome they are. Aside from them, anyone who has a dream and
fights
for it everyday inspires me. Anyone who can control themselves and keep
in
mind what they are going for inspire me. People who understand the motto
“Better
to do it, than live with the fear of it,” inspire me. And of the people
around
me,
Sharon Mae Wang inspires me the most. The girl fights for what she wants
with
a smile on her face, she doesn’t let her issues get the best of her, and
she
struggles
so hard to make everyone around her better, even when they don’t
want
to be. She’s a great person. Your favourite movies?
So
many. I’ll just name like 2. Hott
Fuzz, Love Actually, Galaxy Quest, Kiss Kiss
Bang Bang, Singing in the Rain, Atonement, Man on Fire,
Star Wars Episodes 4-7, Her, Shaun of the
Dead, Silver Linings Playbook, Dark
Knight, The Mask, Inception, Memento, the Lord of the
Rings, and OMG...
We're in a Horror Movie!
Ok
so that’s more than 2.
...
and of course, films you really deplore?
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I’m
pretty good at blocking out the movies that I hate, but the top of the
list has to
be
X-Men 3. I about killed people once the movie was done. I can’t really
dig the
Harry
Potter movies because I grew up with the books and they cut out my
favorite
parts. I tend to throw a fit when I have to watch those movies.
Your/your
movie's website, Facebook, whatever else?
omghorrormovie.com
is our website. "OMG We’re in a Horror Movie" is our Facebook.
@Omghorrormovie is Twitter.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/omgwere-in-a-horror-movie!/id1063802415
that’s
our iTunes link. Anything else
you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
Check
out the movie on iTunes and leave a review! Also go to YouTtube and look
up
OMG Music video and watch the hilarity! Thanks
for the interview!
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