Your film Familiar
- in a few words, what is it about?
It's rather hard to give an in depth
synopsis without giving too much of the story away, but essentially it's
about a family man, and we see through a series of tragic events how this middle-aged man grows to suspect the negative impulses plaguing his mind may not
be his own.
How did the project
come into being in the first place?
When
it was time to produce our next movie myself and Richard Powell [Richard
Powell interview - click here] started to think
and brainstorm ideas for our next short film. Richard had came up with
this idea for Familiar,
and the rest is really history.
Familiar
tackles a very similar topic to your previous short Worm
(though to vastly different results). What convinced you it would be a
good idea to pick up the subject once more?
These
films that Richard writes are about actual, real characters that do live in this
world, some of them you've already heard about on the news and some you
haven't heard of yet and who knows maybe you won't ever hear about them -
SCARY. So when Richard is creating these characters, and they are in
everyday scenarios, we put ourselves in their shoes - What would they be thinking? What would they say?
- and try and become these characters
Richard creates.
What can you
tell us about your collaboration with Familiar's
director Richard Powell [Richard
Powell interview - click here], and how has your professional
relationship evolved/changed over the years? And what can you tell us
about recent developments at Fatal
Pictures, the company you run together?
My
collaboration with Richard Powell only gets better as the days pass. Whether we are on set or on the phone shooting around ideas for our next
project. I would definitely say things genuinely get better and stronger
and we work better as a team as time passes, because we are essentially
getting to know one another THAT much more. What he lacks I bring to the
table and vice versa - which I feel is extremely important. We met in film
school ... WOW, 10 years ago now in 2002. We created our production company in
2007. Our most recent film entitled Familiar
(2012) just had
its WORLD PREMIERE March 2nd in Toronto via Fangoria's Fright Nights
- Familiar screened before the very controversial Japanese film
Battle Royale. And is currently on the film festival circuit.
Connected
to the last question: What kind of a producer do you consider yourself to
be, one who reserves himself the right to overrule certain aesthetic
decisions or one who hires only people he knows he can trust infinitely?
I
would say maybe a little bit of both, being independent at this time I sometimes have to wear multiple hats, and
I can usually trust myself
infinitely.
Familiar
also involves quite a few special effects. To what extent was that a
challenge for you as a producer?
Well,
being a body horror type film, lots of blood and effects were needed. I
knew that was an extremely important element to the film. Over the years
of making films I've built a great relationship with an effects company
based out of Toronto entitled The Butcher Shop. Who I had worked with on a
few films in the past. So luckily it wasn't much of a challenge, but only
because I had already built a great rapport working with a great effects
company in the past.
As far as I know, Familiar
has thus far played only a handful of occasions. Where has it played,
where is it going to play in the foreseeable future, and what can you tell
us about audience and critical reception so far?
The
film opened in Toronto via Fangoria's Fright Nights, on March 2nd. The
film screened before the very controversial Japanese Film Battle
Royale (the Directors Cut). It had a wonderful response in the theater and afterwards
in the lobby people responded really really well, I couldn't really have
asked for better. The film than played A Night Of Horror in
Australia and the next screening will be in Chicago April 14th via ChicagoFearFest
- and please check out www.fatalpictures.com
for all upcoming
screenings near you !
The
$64 question of course: Is there a DVD-release of Familiar
on the horizon to introduce the movie to a larger audience?
Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned)
The
film is currently on the film festival circuit, and I would imagine after
its run I will make it available to everyone, most likely on the web.
The
last time we talked [click here],
you mentioned there might be a feature version of your previous short Worm
in the works some day soon. Is that still on the radar?
Yes.
The Worm-feature will be Fatal
Pictures' debut feature film.
Robots and rats,
demons and potholes, cuddly toys and shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between, Tales to Chill Your Bones to is all of that.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to -
a collection of short stories and mini-plays ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle,
all thought up by the twisted mind of screenwriter and film reviewer Michael Haberfelner.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to
the new anthology by Michael Haberfelner
amazon.com
amazon.co.uk
amazon.de
eThaiCD.com
find Zach Green at adultvideouniverse.com
