|
Your new movie Alchemy
of the Spirit - in a few words, what is it about?
It’s about a man who wakes up to find his wife has died overnight, the
the journey of grief and true love that follows. What
were your sources of inspiration when writing Alchemy
of the Spirit, and is any of it based on personal experiences?
Lead Xander Berkeley told me to read a fantastic book called Unobstructed
Universe about a man communicating with his dead wife through a
psychic. It’s an undisputed classic in the field of psychic
exploration. That, and when Karen Black was dying she told me the true
meaning of knowing you’re alive is in the unknown. Because when you go
down a path you’ve already been down, you know what’s coming, and
you aren't very present. But if you’ve never gone down the road before,
you have no idea what’s coming up, so you are very present. Because
you don’t know. And that’s when you know you’re truly alive. She
said there’s no better place to be.
Alchemy
of the Spirit is an interesting genre mix that refuses to follow
any well-established genre rules - was this a conscious decision from the
beginning, or did you just let the story flow by itself?
I let the journey of the unknown guide the story. Like Karen had told
me. So the film starts, and just when you think you know where you’re
going, it changes. And then, when you think you know where it’s going,
it changes again. That’s the lesson of life and death. It’s true
experience.
You've
developed the screenplay for Alchemy
of the Spirit together with the film's stars Xander Berkeley and
Sarah Clarke - so what was that creative process like?
In the spirit of the unknown, we had a very strict outline and set of
situations that we needed to create, but we allowed ourselves the
freedom to create on a whim, to improv, shake it up, have freedom with
the brush and the canvas.
You
also have to talk about the artworks shown in your movie, created by as I
understand the lead Xander Berkeley himself - now how did you come to use
his art, and was it created especially for the film?
Some of it was created especially for the film. And the death mask was
created by our special makeup effects guru Jake Jackson. You know that
painting that Xander carves away on—his self portrait? He has been
working on building up those layers for like 20 years or something.
Truly extraordinary. Do
talk about your directorial approach to your story at hand! My master cinematographer Hanuman Brown-Eagle and I described that we
wanted the film to be a sensory experience, which is truer to cinema and
the feelings of life. A lot of the effects you see were created in
camera during filming, not altered in post. That was super fun. ;
What
can you tell us about Alchemy
of the Spirit's cast, and why exactly these people? Xander and Sarah are married in real life. I knew they’d tap into
something more sincere than simply playing husband and wife. And Mink
Stole is a legend and a total pro. She’s also not a diva and I just I
love working with her. Her sister is also a NY art dealer, so she knew
exactly how to play that person.
A
few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
It was a blast. Very small crew and very intimate. And also incredibly
cold because we were filming in Maine and there wasn’t any operating
heat in the location! Anything
you can tell us about audience and critical reception of Alchemy
of the Spirit? I’m honored about the reaction. Out of all of my other films, this one
has won the most awards which is amazing. And humbling. I’m also very
honored that a sensorial story about grief and death is welcomed. I sort
of suspected people would revolt against it. But you never know, right?
It’s all unknown. All of it.
 |
Feeling lucky?
Want to
search
any of my partnershops yourself
for more, better results?
(commissions earned) |
The links below
will take you
just there!!!
|
|
 |
Any future projects you'd like to
share?
I’m currently in post on Bloody Famous which is a satire on reality
dating shows, and the price people will pay willingly to get fame. Your/your movie's website, social media, whatever
else? https://linktr.ee/balderson
has all of them! Anything else you're dying to mention and I have
merely forgotten to ask?
Thanks so much for this opportunity to visit! Cheers! Thanks for the interview!
|
amazon.com
amazon.co.uk
amazon.de
eThaiCD.com
