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Your In
Fear of-episode Toxiphobia: Fear Of Being Poisoned - in a
few words, what is it about?
Toxiphobia: Fear Of Being Poisoned
is about a woman who basically has been starving herself because of an
eating disorder that causes her to always suspect her food is poisoned.
In this short we see her loving husband taking on the tedious (and
somewhat dangerous) task of coaching her through a meal. How did the project get off
the ground - and how did you get involved with In
Fear of in the first place? I met
Scott Perry [Scott W. Perry
Interview - click here] through Jeremiah Kipp [Jeremiah
Kipp interview - click here] on the set of Fear
of Being Touched.
When Scott found out I was also an indie director he asked me if I’d
like to take on directing one of the In
Fear of-episodes. I
was happy for the opportunity to be a part of a horror series so I gladly
accepted!
The fear of being
poisoned - something you can actually relate to, and what are your own pet
phobias, actually? I knew right away that
Toxiphobia was going to be the fear that I’d tackle because I have a
friend that has this condition. He’ll buy a sandwich and then
throw it out when he gets home because he’ll think it’s been poisoned.
He’s always been aware that his thoughts were illogical, but eventually
he ended up having to be put on medication to keep them under control.
Watching how my friend coped with this fear was really my inspiration for
writing Toxiphobia. I definitely don’t have this phobia
though. Not much can stop me from eating! My problem is
I am severely claustrophobic. I hate elevators and I don’t
like being in large crowds for long periods of time. I like my
space. I NEED my space! LOL. I have found that it
is often necessary to explain to others that this is your nature so people
aren’t offended when you’re not overly social. Do talk about your episode's look and
feel for a bit?
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Pete Mizzo |
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Kelly Rae LeGault, Manoush |
Steven-Mark Glassner (cinematography) [Steven-Mark
Glassner interview - click here], Scott Perry (producer) [Scott
W. Perry Interview - click here], and myself talked for hours
before shooting on the look of the film. One of the challenges that
came with working on Toxiphobia was needing to show 3
different states of reality. Each state had to have its own unique
look. We used altered colors, contrasting images, and a few
fairy tale references to create a type of crossroads between the worlds
that we made. In the end Toxiphobia comes across as a serious toned
dark fantasy. Mike Polizzi [Mike
Polizzi interview - click here] gave us an amazing music score which
really drove the dark fantasy theme home. What can you tell us about your key
cast, and why exactly these people? I also
met my female lead, Kelly Rae LeGault [Kelly
Rae LeGault interview - click here], on the set of Fear
of Being Touched. After watching Kelly on set I knew she would be great
for the part of the wife. She had the right look, intensity, and
possessed a certain natural flare that made her perfect. Pete Mizzo
was referred to me by a good friend. Pete’s a very talented actor.
He does a great job portraying a husband that remains loving and
supportive, but is extremely tested by his wife’s condition.
I’ve always been a fan of Manoush so I really wanted her to play the
role of the witch from the start. The character of the witch is very
dark, but it’s also extremely passionate and powerful. Manoush
nailed it hands down. What can you tell us
about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? The
on-set atmosphere was pretty warm and laid back. We shot in a very
comfortable location and most of us had worked together before so
everything flowed well. It was a long day but we all had a lot
of fun on set. Those are the kinds of shoots I enjoy the most.
Heather Drew, Thomas Norman, Kelly Rae LeGault,
Steven-Mark Glassner, Pete Mizzo on set of Toxiphobia |
Any
idea when Toxiphobia: Fear Of Being Poisoned will be released onto
the general public yet?
Toxiphobia
will premiere online sometime in late spring/early summer.
We are currently still looking for an online venue to
showcase In
Fear of. Any future projects you'd like
to share? I have a few screenplays that are
works in progress. They include a zombie period piece, a
vampire drama, and a horror short set to dark poetry. I’m not sure
which one I’ll bring to the screen first. What got you into filmmaking in the first
place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject? Well,
I always really enjoyed acting and writing short stories. One day I
was offered a main role in a local independent feature film (a film I will
never publicly admit to being associated with). I can’t say I
was happy with the finished product but my experience on set showed me
that I could actually bring one of my short story ideas to the screen.
I had no formal training but I was now connected to all the technical
talents I needed. That gave me the drive to try directing a film
myself. Do
talk about your short Gitchy for a bit?
Ah yes, Gitchy. Gitchy will probably always be the film I’m
most known for. Gitchy is a horror comedy (although the
comedy aspect of the film is often debated) about a 6'5', 400 pound clown
that kills people by tickling them to death. Gitchy is really
the film that put my name out there in the indie horror scene. At
this point the film has won multiple awards and also has developed a small
cult following. I currently don’t have a fear of clowns, but when
I was younger I hated them. The idea of Gitchy actually came
from a nightmare I had in second grade. The whole concept of a
killer tickling clown sounds completely silly, but I always knew it could
work as a psychological type of horror. I truly do see Gitchy as the perfect nightmare creature. If anyone is interested in
watching Gitchy they can purchase the DVD from the Gitchy website: www.gitchytheclown.com
Gitchy
can also be rented and streamed online at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004W7PLTC/researmytras-20
Just Like You... |
What can
you tell us about Just Like You...?
Just
like You… is a micro horror short that I wrote
and directed. The film’s runtime is approximately 2 minutes.
I’ve often thought about how crimes of passion are not rare occurrences.
We all have felt the same very emotions that have caused others to commit
murder. Just like You… tells a tragic story in an intimate
setting involving just the audience and the main character. It’s
currently available to watch online for free:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr3vr9BEmUo
Any other
films of yours you'd like to talk about? The
first film I directed was a 30 min short called Mad Mad Margaret.
This film definitely had its flaws but I learned a great deal from the
whole experience. The story is about a man whose wife has been
driven insane by some unknown presence. The film is online
somewhere. Your films
never seem to stray far from horror - a genre particularly dear to you,
and why (not)?
I am
definitely a huge horror fan. Psychological horror has always been
my favorite. I can still enjoy some good gore but I think the best
slasher films are ones with strong psychological elements.
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Thomas
Norman in Glossophobia |
The
horror genre is definitely what drew me to film making. My
mother was also a horror fan so I was introduced to it at a young age.
Some of my best childhood memories are of when she used to read me Edgar
Allen Poe at bedtime. I remember loving how his poetry would use
these insanely dark and intense themes. Some of the images were
horrible but they were described with such artistic genius that they
created this amazingly morbid place that I just loved to be in. It
was like a dark wonderland for me. I was hooked. I wanted to
spend more time in this magically place. I wanted to help
create it.
How would you describe yourself as a
director? I know what I want but I’m
pretty laid back in general. I try to give everyone involved enough
room to be creative. When you allow some artistic freedom your
project is able grow into something bigger and greater than its original
design. That’s exactly what I always want to happen. Filmmakers who inspire you?
Lucio Fulci [Lucio Fulci bio
- click here], John Landis, Lee Daniels, and Quentin Tarantino. Your
favourite movies? City of the Living
Dead,
The Burning, Halloween,
Nightmare on Elm
Street, An American Werewolf in London, Kill
Bill. ... and of course, films you really
deplore? Films that destroy the images of
classic monsters like vampires and werewolves. Yeah... those films. I
hate them! Your website, Facebook, whatever else?
I’m
on Facebook, feel free to send me a friend request:
https://www.facebook.com/thomas.norman2
Gitchy
website: www.gitchytheclown.com
In Fear
Of website: http://www.infearoftheseries.com/
Anything
else you're dying to tell us and I have merely forgotten to ask? Look
for my cameo as a zombie in Glossophobia: Fear of Speaking in Public
:) Thanks
for the interview!
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