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Your new movie The Tortured
Soul - in a few words, what is it about?
The
Tortured Soul is a short psychological thriller about a young woman who
confronts the serial killer who murdered her husband a few years prior.
It’s a dialogue driven film that examines issues like good vs. evil,
mental health, depression, humanity, empathy and whether human beings can
change for the worse if tragedy befalls them.
With The Tortured
Soul being a revenge thriller, is that a genre you're at all fond
of? It’s definitely a genre I’m very fond of! Four of my short films
(Just One Drink, The Twisted Doll, Queen of Hearts and
The
Tortured Soul are all revenge films. I’m also in development
with a revenge horror feature which I’m hoping to get off the ground in
the very near future! I am fascinated by the genre as I think that despite
how futile revenge ultimately is, it’s a powerful human emotion. (Other) sources of inspiration when writing
The
Tortured Soul?
I would say many of the inspirations are Korean revenge films I grew up
fascinated with. Films like Oldboy and
I Saw the Devil
immediately come to mind. I like to write material that questions the
nature of good vs. evil and how deeply moral people can become immoral
when tragedy befalls them. What can you tell us about The
Tortured Soul's approach to the thriller genre?
In terms of an approach, I would say that I tried to bring a lot of
tragedy to the genre. There isn’t too much suspense in the film (apart
from the end) so it isn’t a traditional thriller film per se but
somewhat of a drama set within the context of a thriller. The film is
partly a very lengthy monologue. However, in terms of the cinematography
(low key dark lighting) and soundtrack, we tried to give it a thriller
persona. With
the whole of movie set in just one room and being carried by monologue
rather than action, what were some of your techniques to keep your movie
visually interesting?
We tried to do a variety of shots to keep the film engaging. For example,
there are some Dutch tilt shots that examine Tamara’s fractured psyche.
Another way we tried to make it interesting visually was through red
colors which you’ll see often in the film. In the second half of the
film, we also tried something with the cinematography in which Tamara’s
face is lit differently!
A few words about your overall directorial approach to your story
at hand?
Having started in the entertainment industry as an actor, I enjoy working
extensively with actors in rehearsals beforehand. Before the shoot, I
worked with Bianca Stam (our lead actress who plays Tamara) through Zoom
calls going through all the dialogue with her as well as her character’s
backstory and motivations in the film. Do talk about
The
Tortured Soul's cast, and why exactly these people?
In terms of cast, our two actors are Bianca Stam and Nick Sidley. Bianca
is quite well known in Hong Kong where she is in the TV show OCTB
and has had a lot of overall experience as an actress! I looked at several
video auditions of actresses for the role and although many were great,
there was something about Bianca in which I could really see potential in
terms of her playing Tamara. Nick Sidley plays our masked serial killer.
He’s actually my father and although he’s worked on some of my
projects in the past as an assistant director, I gave him his acting debut
in this film! What
can you tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
In terms of an on set atmosphere and the shoot, it was quite a rigorous
shoot in all honesty. We had a very low budget and thus shot the entire
film in just one day. It was quite challenging for Bianca who had to be on
her feet all day reciting lengthy monologue after monologue. Our
cinematographer Matt Fore, who I’ve worked with previously on my sci-fi
feature film The Bestowal, was cinematographer on this shoot. We all
got along really well which is always nice! The
$64-question of course, where can The
Tortured Soul be seen?
It’s currently on the film festival circuit but the film will more than
likely be released on our YouTube and Vimeo channels for Sacred Ember
Commercials on Halloween! Anything you can tell us
about audience and critical reception of The
Tortured Soul?
In terms of a reception, it’s been well received by audiences and
critics. Including yourself, so far it’s been five out of five positive
reviews from critics! Texas Chainsaw Massacre producer Shintaro
Shimosawa called it “fascinating and tragic”! It also screened on the
big screen at the 2022 McMinnville Short Film Festival in Oregon. Although
I couldn’t attend, I was told it was well received. Any future projects you'd like to
share?
In between film projects, I’m fortunate to produce and direct
commercials through my advertising agency Sacred Ember Commercials. I’m
also currently in the process of launching a psychological thriller film
called The Twisted Doll that I’m hoping to shoot by the end of the
year! What got you into filmmaking in the first place,
and did you receive any formal education on the sbject?
I first got into filmmaking professionally in 2015 when I decided to
produce and direct the short thriller film Just One Drink which I
also acted in and wrote. After seeing how much I enjoyed directing it as
well as how well it was received (it scored a 100% critic score on Rotten
Tomatoes), I decided to focus more on producing, writing and directing! I
didn’t graduate from film school but when I was at Pepperdine University
I took a few film theory and video production classes!
Besides
writing, directing, producing and whatnot, you also appear in front of the
camera every now and again - so what can you tell us about Andrew de
Burgh, the actor? And which side of the camera do you enjoy more,
actually?
I actually started out in the industry as an actor in 2012! My biggest
role was in 2015 when I was cast as a series regular in the Emmy nominated
web series Youthful Daze where I appeared opposite some famous faces
including Chrishell Stause, who has become very well known in the Netflix
show Selling Sunset! I also acted with the likes of soap opera
legends like Melissa Archer, Sarah Joy Brown and Sean Kanan. I enjoy both
sides of the camera but I would have to say I enjoy filmmaking more as it
gives me the opportunity to shape the world of a film. What can you tell us about your filmwork prior
to The Tortured Soul,
in whatever position?
I’ve been lucky to have had quite a bit of success over the years. In
2018, I wrote, produced and directed a science fiction feature film called
The Bestowal. It scored a 78% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes,
screened and won awards at film festivals globally and was released by the
distributor Indie Rights on Amazon Prime, Tubi, Google Play and YouTube
Movies! Another film highlight for me was the 2020 animated short film The Legend of Santa, which qualified for a
BAFTA through DokuFest
and screened at multiple other film festivals! I’ve also been very lucky
to have produced and directed several other short films and commercials
since 2015! How would you describe yourself as
a director?
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I’m very passionate. I believe greatly in the power of cinematic
storytelling to inspire and shape the human mind for the better. I prefer
a collaborative approach with all actors and crew and if they have ideas,
I am always eager to listen. Filmmakers who inspire you?
Some of my favorite directors include Christopher Nolan, Peter Jackson,
Matt Reeves, Akira Kurosawa, Nicolas Winding Refn, Georges Méliès and
Orson Welles. Your
favourite movies? These
are some: The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Batman Begins,
The Snowman, Drive, Interstellar, La La
Land, The Dark Knight,
The Batman, I Saw the Devil, The Wailing and
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the
Sith! ... and of course, films you really
deplore?
I wouldn’t say I hate any films as I know how much effort goes into
making them but my least favorite films are films with no soul and that
were made purely to make money without any passion whatsoever! Your/your movie's website, social media,
whatever else?
Our commercial agency website is secommercials.com and
our Instagram is @secommercials! The
Tortured Soul is also on IMDb: imdb.com/title/tt14741044/ Anything else you're dying to mention and
I have merely forgotten to ask?
Just want to say thanks for the interview, it’s much appreciated! Thanks for the
interview!
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