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Your new movie The Orange Man
- in a few words, what is it about?
Death by oranges.
So before I ask you any other thing, are you eating your
proverbial "orange a day" (sorry, some stupid things neeeeed to
be asked)? Of course. An orange a day keeps the
doctor away. What were your sources of inspiration for
writing The Orange Man? Most
of my films are wacky ideas that come to me in dreams or just real life
experiences. Then, I mash them together in the wacky world of
Folker-Land and the result is sheer absurd humor! On a serious note,
I wanted to make a slasher movie that wasn't a copy-cat of some teens
getting axed in the woods, and as much as I love The Walking
Dead, I'm beginning to think zombie movies are a crutch for
filmmakers that cannot think of an original idea. Now
in a way, The Orange Man
is your typical slasher movie ... but with all the key characters being in
or even past their midlife crisis - was this at all a conscious decision,
given the slasher normally is a very teen-centered genre? Casting
older talent vs. teens was based off me making a movie for a micro budget
and utilizing a pool of talent I have access to on a local level.
Plus, they're all great actors!
photo by Brian D. Wallace
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The
Orange Man did have its humourous moments to be sure - so do talk
about your film's brand of comedy for a bit? My style of
humor is off-the-wall absurdity. I like to blur the lines of
reality. Comedy is one of the hardest genres to pull off. And
I feel good comedy comes from putting people in awkward situations and
playing its straight. Plus, when I write a screenplay, I try to find
traits in people I know and reflect that in the screenplay so the
performance is an accurate representation of that person. But do
note... some of the things I ask my actors to do are not them in real life.
For example, Reggie doesn't have kidney stones in real life... and he
can walk. A few words
about your movie's approach to horror? How can I entertain
an audience? How can I draw in people who may not appreciate horror? For example, if I asked my mother to watch my film, she may
not want to see it because it's a horror film. And she is not into
watching 'hack 'em up' movies. In fact, my mother loves Lifetime
movies and collecting Precious Moment bears. However, if I told her
that when people get killed in the movie was silly and over-the-top stupid
funny humor... that would make it more appealing. And I take that
approach for everyone. I want the film to have a broader audience.
And a good horror comedy is more than just cutting people up. It's
the entertainment value! What can you tell
us about your overall directorial apprach to your story at hand? My
overall approach to making a movie is don't take everything so serious.
Yes, we have a job to make an entertaining and well executed project.
But, the passion is what drives the performance. We're here to have
fun!
Do
talk about your key cast, and why exactly those people? My
key cast are all part of a regular stable of talent I work with on every
film. And I like it that way. Why reinvent the wheel? Plus, from working with with them for the past five years, I've gotten to
know their style of acting, personal quirks and just how they talk.
That's key when writing a screenplay. What
can you tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? The
shoot itself was brutal. It must have rained almost 70% of the
movie. To keep us dry, we spent many hours sitting in that big green
clunk of junk van you see throughout the movie. Plus, there is one
scene in the movie where the wheelchair lift in the van comes down.
The lift broke after one take. Then, the side door latches, exactly
after the one take we see it open. And to make things more creepy,
right after we finished filming the movie, the van stopped running. A
few words about audience and critical reception of The
Orange Man so far? So far it's been a positive
response. Granted, like any movie I'm sure it may not appeal to
everyone. But then again, does everyone like the color orange.
Some people like blue. So, I may have to make a BLUE MAN... maybe
Blueberries will be the weapon of choice.
Any future projects you'd
like to share? Currently, I have multiple projects in
various stages of production. Keep your eyes peeled on our Facebook
page for upcoming announcements! What
got you into filmmaking in the first place, and did you receive any formal
training on the subject? As a child, I used to make short
films. Eventually, I secured a time slot on the public access
channel and we had our own little TV show. As time progressed, I
eventually got into photography which is now my current career. Yet,
the passion to make movies never left me. So, in 2010, after
reconnecting with an old friend, we made a short film, called The
Mustache Movie. That was enough to re-kindle the fire and from
there it's been burning like crazy! What can you tell us about your
filmwork prior to The Orange
Man?
My work prior to The Orange
Man has been primarily comedy. For example, we made a
web-series called Castle Siege that follows a group of misfit medieval
role-players that just cannot seem to get out of character. We're
actually working on a stand-alone feature film for that right now!
Other than that, we made a post-apocalyptic feature in 2012, which was
a complete 180 from what I normally do. In 2013, we made Field
Freak, which was a comedy / thriller. The story revolves around
a family that moves into a secluded cabin only to be terrorized by a
mysterious creature known as... the Field Freak! That film is
currently slated for a March 2016 release.
Aside from those projects, I currently have six feature screenplays that
are completed. Simply put, my brain doesn't rest.
How would you describe
yourself as a director? Unique & quirky. You
won't find another Stephen Folker. Filmmakers, writers, whoever
else who inspire you? I love Quentin Tarantino's work.
But, I'm also inspired by directors like Peter Jackson. His early
work such as Bad Taste
and Dead Alive are hilarious. Your favourite movies?
Django Unchained, Mr. Bean (original series), What's
Eating Gilbert Grape, Bad
Taste, Dead Alive. I'm sure there's more...
...
and of course, films you really deplore?
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I really don't
have any films I deplore. For any filmmaker to make a movie... it's a
crap ton of work. So, even it's hogwash, I don't feel it's my place
to frown on someone else's work. But if it's a general statement, I
don't care for the endless slew of zombie movies. Your/your
movie's website, Facebook, whatever else?
Thanks for asking.
Official site:
www.stephenfolker.com
Don't forget to like us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/stephenfolkerfilms
Anything else
you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Just
to stay tuned for our latest project! Right now, it's top
secret... but it's sure to be our biggest, wackiest endeavor yet!!! Thanks
for the interview!
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amazon.com
amazon.co.uk
amazon.de
eThaiCD.com
find Stephen Folker at adultvideouniverse.com
