Your upcoming movie Twisted: The Devil in Her Mind - in a few
words, what is it about?
The best way to describe Twisted: The Devil in
Her Mind is imagine Alice in Wonderland meets
Jacobs’s Ladder on the
planet Misery. How did you get involved with
the project in the first place? I was
directing a scene for the long-winded Essex Warriors (my fault, but
it's
coming) at my spiritual home The Sunrooms in Southend. Mel Denholme (lead
and producer of Twisted: The Devil in
Her Mind) [Melanie
Denholme interview - click here] had popped down from Wales to audition for a role
in Undercover. After watching me direct a scene, the next day she asked if
I could look at her script for ideas. I looked at the then 15 pages of Twisted:
The Devil in
Her Mind and immediately asked if she wanted me to add to it and direct it.
Two weeks later it was 80 odd pages long and we were planning production
with me as director. What can you tell us
about your lead actress and producer Melanie Denholme [Melanie
Denholme interview - click here], and what was your collaboration
with her like? A
baptism of fire, tears and cheers lol. The most amazing part of working
with Mel is we both are passionate about our work. Mel will go the extra
110 percent to make it work. I know this because a lot of my additions to
the script are fucking DARK. Mel smashed this film with her performance.
Baz Salam, Melanie Denholme |
Do talk about the rest of your key cast,
and why exactly these people? Baz Salam
is amazing as the ‘troubled lover’. Baz was great, he has the classic
lead look but pulls off the role as well, let’s just say everyone has a
dark side. Max Hunt and Benedict Wolf are great as leads, to be honest
check IMDb and see the gems in this film. But Porschia Cleaver as the young
Grace is 11/10, an 11 year old star in the making. As far as I know, Twisted:
The Devil in Her Mind is based on a story by Michelle Gent [Michelle
Gent interview - click here] - so how close did you remain to your
source material? The lead in
Michelle’s version is a tortured soul. I added the fantasy horror to
this, but a creepy fantasy. A lot of this film is beyond dark but fuck me
it's classic indie filmmaking in my opinion. What can you tell us about your movie's
approach to horror? I
love horror ever since I've watched The
Exorcist with a babysitter and shit my
pants at 13 lol. Horror is all about imagination like when you go on a
rollercoaster, let yourself go and you enjoy the ride more, this is all
about the mind-fuck, not the gore and the human darkness.
Do talk about your directorial
approach to your story at hand for a bit?
My
directorial approach was and will be forever hands on, one on one with all
the actors. Passion should drive a director not a team of ADs doing all
the work. What can you
tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? Well
there is a scene in a lap dance club lol … just wait. My approach was no
rest for the wicked, people fell apart cried and hated me, but as a team we
done it together. This was a place where people could not have time to
think about what we were doing as they would hate the script and their
roles they were playing as 90 per cent are evil bullies. The
$64-question of course, when and where will Twisted: The Devil in Her
Mind be released onto the general public? Tunnel
Shark, my new found editors are on it, hopefully it will be ready by
May/June 2016 What got
you into filmmaking to begin with, and did you receive any formal training
on the subject? Fuck
me, the start of my financial downfall LOL, it started in 2002 when a young
lady called Angela Gunsten was working behind the bar at my nightclub and
she asked me to be lead in her uni production of Pinter’s One For The
Road, as she thought I was a character. I said yes because them days I
spent more time self medication instead of thinking, and hey presto I’m
on stage at Bretton Hall campus performing and smashing it… BOOM. Then I
just fell into directing because like when I had a club and a techno label
it has to be a way of life for me, and directing a film is the same as
creating a record label or a true techno night club. It has to be real. What can you tell us about your filmwork
prior to Twisted: The Devil in Her Mind? Prior
to Twisted: The Devil in Her Mind it was my directorial debut Essex Warriors soon to come and
worth the wait, this looks and is amazing.
Any
future projects you'd like to share?
behind the scenes at Talk
of the Dead
Rachel Brownstein, Eddie, Alexander Fernando, Lynn
Lowry, Michael Haberfelner |
Yeah
I have just directed Talk
of the Dead, the first leg of There’s No Such Thing as Zombies, written
and produced by some
French bloke called Michael Haberfelner lol [who would actually be me
and I AM AUSTRIAN, you stupid git, lol - the editor] [Michael
Haberfelner interview - click here], and co-produced by Eirian Cohen (Super
Agent) [Eirian Cohen
interview - click here], getting
lots of exposure for Eat My Rainbow TV - check it out I’m co-producing it
via my company ESG Media, This Car Rocks, a music film starring Johnny Gunner,
and Revenge Soul are in the mix, talking to TV studios regarding Undercover,
Allotment Life soon to be aired on Essex TV, and June I start a Howard Stern-style
talk show called Slow Motion Riot, and Vegas Dirt filming both in Las
Vegas, not to forget the vampire film. How would you
describe yourself as a director?
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Er
how would I describe myself… Passionate mouthy cunt with a vision to
create and a talent that is worth betting on. Besides directing, you
have also done your fair share of acting - so what can you tell us about
that aspect of your career? Well I have
done theatre five times - love it, I am a natural actor it’s not work to me
but absolute pleasure. On TV and film I enjoy whenever I get a role, I
put 110% everything into it. It was acting that led to directing as I got sick
of not being directed so I clubbed together people I have in my heart a
high regard as actors. I said let’s do this on a budget it can work, it
can be done, we are good enough to do this. Filmmakers, actors, whoever
else who inspire you?
De Niro, Washington, Oldman are my fave actors and
then along came Bale. Diaz and Juliette Lewis are my fave female actresses.
Directors
Stanley Kubrick, Tarantino, Coen Brothers, Scorsese, Spike Lee, Walter
Hill, Cameron, Fuqua.
Your favourite movies? Best
film ever, Clockwork Orange will never be beaten ever, then Pulp
Fiction, Scarface, The Exorcist,
The Warriors, Aliens, The Wolf of Wall Street, Rumble
Fish, Boyz n the Hood, Airplane, End of Watch, Rosencrantz &
Guildenstern Are Dead and Do the Right Thing. Your/your
movie's website, Facebook, whatever else? My
web site: esgmedia.org Anything else
you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Yeah
Eiran Cohen’s [Eirian Cohen
interview - click here] soon to be released film Inside Fear
- I can’t wait for
its release, peace, my character Parker ROCKS! Thanks
for the interview!
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