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An Interview with Wesley Alley, Co-Director of The Voices

by Mike Haberfelner

May 2020

Films directed by Wesley Alley on (re)Search my Trash

 

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Your new movie The Voices - in a few words, what is it about?

 

The Voices is a movie about Grace, who catches her fiancé cheating on her, on her birthday, and spiraling out of control she goes to stay with her sister at their father's old hunting cabin. When she arrives she finds that her sister, Catherine, is less than warm and hospitable, and dealing with her own issues. When weird things begin happening she discovers that her sister is suffering from a mental disorder, just like their mother who took her own life while Grace was just a child. While Grace struggles to come to terms with her issues, her past, and her sister's state of mind, she uncovers a little secret that leaves her questionioning her own sanity. As the lines between reality and dreams blur, her sister's actions become increasingly erratic. Grace's own sanity becomes more of a question, and she must desperately fight to save her family before its too late.

 

Now how did the project come into being in the first place?

 

Bradley Fowler, the writer and co-director of the film, and I have been friends for a few years. Bradley is an amazing actor besides a fantastic writer, and I had directed him in several small projects before this. Three Tales had already found funding for the film and Bradley had approached me to see if I was interested in directing. At first I was hesitant to accept the project. It would be my first feature length movie as a director, so I wanted to make sure that the script I chose to make as my directorial debut was the right story to tell to make my entrance as a movie director. I have had success with several short films in the past but I knew that my first full length movie was very important and I wanted to make sure that the story would help to send my career off in the direction I wanted it to go in. Brad sent me home with the script and I immediately fell in love with it. The story sucked me in. I had an interview the production company was so inviting and supportive to my ideas and vision. They welcomed me into the project and it felt like a perfect fit. After that it happened so fast, the next thing you know we were shooting. It was honestly such an amazing start to this project.

 

What can you tell us about The Voices'  writer and co-director Bradley Fowler, and what was your collaboration like?

 

Like I just said, Bradley and I were friends before starting this project, and he was actually the one who introduced me to the producers and had asked me to come on board. Bradley is a great actor who I really enjoy working with as a director, and he wrote a great story. We had a great collaboration. We decided right away that we needed to show a solid united front with everything, and then when we started diving into the script and prepping and developing, we really were on the same page. It was like we finished each others... Well if he were here he would have said "sentences". He was very supportive of my vision as a filmmaker and I was of his. Before we started prepping and before I took the job, we had long long long meetings and phone calls about the story, what it meant, and how we wanted to tell it. Brad supported my ideas with the story just as I did his. We complimented each other well. He leaned on my directing, producing, and general filmmaking experience, and his experience as an actor, as well as his understanding of the finer qualities and skills of acting, helped me learn and grow as a director as well. Amanda Markowitz and Victoria Matlock, who were the stars of the film as well as producers with Bradley and I, were both very creative and collaborative. Three Tales Productions is the name of their production company, which includes Bradley, Amanda, and executive producer Andy Wizenberg (get it, there is 3 of them). It is the most collaborative production company I have ever worked with, and we worked so well together, that we worked on several other projects after we finished The Voices as well.

 

Now The Voices isn't your first time working with Bradley Fowler - so what can you tell us about previous collaborations, and how did you first meet even?

 

I had brought in an intern on a movie once, who was fresh and in college earning his degree in film and I was helping him learn the ways of filmmaking. He an Bradley were friends before this, and Bradley and I both happened to be at his birthday party. We both also happened to be the only old married guys who didn't know anyone and felt weird surrounded by younger kids and just wanted to go home, so naturally we gravitated towards each other. We discussed his passion for acting and story-telling, my passion for directing and story-telling, and just hit it off. We then became friends. I cast him in a few small projects, and one thing led to another before The Voices came up. Since wrapping The Voices we've continued to work on several other projects.

 

Let's get back to The Voices - what can you tell us about your movie's approach to horror?

 

The approach to horror was sort of a point of contention in our film The Voices. I don't mean that it was constantly an argument, but it was something we had to discuss and figure out in prep so that we could proceed on a united front. Brad wrote the movie to be a horror movie. I am no stranger to horror, and at that time most of what I had directed had been horror-related. The consensus of the production company was that they wanted to make sure this film was a "thriller" and not really a horror. I don't love when people treat horror like a four letter word, or think that the only horror that is worth watching is when you have to call it elevated horror, or when you say "it's not really horror, it's a thriller." I mean, some of the most critically acclaimed movies of all time were horror films, and if you were to walk into a video store (I know, what's that?) you would find most of the "thrillers" in the horror section with the rest of the horror. So with some long conversations and some good collaboration we decided as a group of storytellers to embrace the horror and use it in our movie. The story really lends itself to horror so well, and Bradley really crafted this script to include some amazing horror elements. Without giving too much of the film away, here are a few examples of horror elements we embraced that were very masterfully written. **There will probably be some spoilers here** In my summary of the movie I explained that Grace finds that her sister Catherine is dealing with her own psychological disorder. It turns out that Catherine is suffering from a form of paranoid schizophrenia. Brad was able to masterfully weave historical horror elements associated with that disease into the script. For example, in history, the disease has been associated heavily with religion. Misdiagnosed hauntings and possessions are things that were so heavily assocated with this disease through out history. While staying respectful to the disease, we weaved these horror elements into our "thriller" so at some point you're not sure if the house is haunted, if Catherine is possessed, or if it's something else. There are lots of small elements like that that we planted throughout the film, really embracing the genre and leaning into it.

 

You just have to talk about your location in The Voices, and what was it like filming there?

 

The location was amazing! When I was first brought on board, the film was actually being prepped to be shot up north from LA somewhere near Sacramento. The production company had some friends that had this great property in the red wood forest. The idea of the red wood forest for the backdrop of our movie was a pretty beautiful dream, but ultimately we decided to shoot local to LA. Myself as well as the other filmmakers have all worked in the industry for years and have some wonderful connections locally. The cost of doing this movie as a "distant location shoot" we felt would greatly inflate the budget. I also have many friends who are crew on movies who I want to involve. I wanted to include so many people that have helped me in the past, and have them by my side in my biggest project yet. It also made it possible to get Lin Shaye to come be in the film, and Brendan Sexton III to sign on as well. So many people here were willing to help, and I am still returning favors to this day, and I know that Bradley, Amanda, Victoria, and Andy are as well! It wouldn't be the redwood forest, but we weighed out the pros and cons and decided to look for a location where we could shoot locally. Once we made that decision we decided that we needed a place that could be an equally amazing back drop as the red woods would have been. Amanda Markowitz, the lead actress and producer actually found us this amazing property, a huge ranch in Fillmore, CA, with an amazing house on the property. It had been a record breaking year for rain for like a month or two  prior to shooting, and there was an access road to the house that was washed out. In order for us to shoot at this house we had to walk/carry every piece of gear/prop over this 100' rope suspension bridge that hung over a river. So we literarily spent an entire day carrying sandbags and lights, camera gear, furniture, etc. EVEN A CHAPMAN DOLLY over this suspension bridge which was prob 50' in the air over this river.  When we scouted the location, we loved the bridge so much that Brad did a small rewrite and figured out a way to write it into the film. It really was amazing.  I love the idea of shooting in the red woods, something about that just looks beautiful in my mind and would add a gloomy element to the film, but I was so happy with the property we found, that I think it helped us make a much better film. The house itself acts almost like a character in the film. It's such a strange old house that it it really fits our film as if it was built on a sound stage just for this movie. We have a ton of great and funny crew stories about this house and property. Looking back at making this film I honestly couldn't imagine doing it somewhere else.

 

A few words about your overall directorial approach to your story at hand?

 

Making a movie is hard. Directing anything is hard. Directing this movie was particularly challenging. Besides being a small indie film with a tight budget, it's also a movie that is shot all in one location,with very few actors, and little dialog. Right from the start, keeping this film entertaining was going to be a challenge for us as filmmakers. Lucky for me the actors in this film are so so talented, and were able to complete the task perfectly.

 

Bradley and I again worked very hard to always come at everything with a solid, united front. We both felt that in order to properly tell this story it needed to come from a single voice and not feel all over the place. It was very important to us. I personally am a very technical filmmaker. I've worked in the film industry for quite a while, and worked on some very large very technical films. I have a lot of knowledge in filmmaking and the different aspects of making a film. I try hard to bring that experience with me to the table as a director so I can help design the way the story is told to better help the crew. I worked very closely with the cinematographer Ryan McCoy to design the look of the film. We even spent the weekend before we started shooting going shot through shot of my shot list, and shooting an animatic with our actresses at the location so we could have a plan and retool when needed. I wanted the look of the film to be very cinematic. We were a small indie film, but it was very important to me that the movie appears to be a cinematic movie. I wanted slow wide dolly shots, but also knew that we needed to use cinematography to help keep the story interesting. We had a very tight schedule and we needed to make sure that we used that time to get all the coverage we needed in order to edit a complete movie. I also thought it was very important to find a way to add one visually interesting shot into every scene, so Ryan and I worked very hard to accomplish that. The hard part was we didn't want to just add a cool shot for the sake of having cool shots but we wanted to design shots that did something to help move the story forward or that helped us tell the story more effectively. So designing shots that were cool but also making sure that they had valid reasons to be in the film was a big deal for us.

 

I tackled most of the technical aspects of the directing, and with Bradley's extensive knowledge of acting and storytelling, we worked together with the actors to accomplish what we all wanted.

 

Do talk about The Voices' cast, and why exactly these people?

 

Part of the cast was actually attached to the film before I was. The script was actually written and designed for Amanda Markowitz and Victoria Matlock. Three Tales Productions had already made a film together called Love Meet Hope, which is quite good. It's a very fun love story starring Amanda, Victoria, and Bradley, that I really recommend checking out. After that film, Bradley wrote a few more scripts and eventually designed and wrote The Voices as a vehicle for Amanda and Victoria to star in. It was a little unnerving when Bradley first asked me to direct the film with him, cause I didn't know Amanda or Victoria yet, but I watched their previous work, and all worries quickly faded. I have cast Amanda and Victoria in several projects since The Voices, because I think both are such amazing actors. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing those parts and truly count myself lucky the parts were written for such amazing talented actresses. As far as Lin Shaye, Brendan Sexton III, Jessica Sonneborn [Jessica Sonneborn interview - click here] etc... we tried really hard to sit down as a production team and discuss who we had the ability of reaching out to and who is talented enough, and who could bring some more star power to the table etc. We made pretty big lists for each character and then spent days discussing. Ultimately  we worked together as a team to assemble a cast that Brad an I are very fortunate to have had.

 

What can you tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?

 

The shoot was an amazing experience. I mentioned previously that I used every favor I ever had to make this film, so there were so many people on set that were my friends, or Brad's friend, or Amanda's friends, etc. It was honestly amazing to do a small independent movie with such a great caliber of crew. I am also very fortunate to find crewmembers I like working with and bring them back on other projects. I have had the same makeup artist Melissa Thornton on probably 10 projects, the same script supervisor, the same gaffer and key grip, etc. Amanda, Victoria, and Brad are the same kind of filmmakers so they brought in their core crew people, and it was just a very positive experience. Working with amazing, talented people that we have all worked toghether before, and developed friendships was nice. Because of those relationships too, it opened up some very interesting doors where anyone was invited to collaborate and include ideas. It didn't necessarily mean that every idea was chosen, but we wanted to nurture the concept that every idea could be a good idea, even if it didn't fit into this story. Also because so much of the crew had worked on previous films with us, there was a relaxed sense of feeling like you could contribute, while keeping respect for the actors and filmmakers who were making the final decisions. Now that isn't to say that we didn't have our set of challenges. As a small indie film with a very tight schedule, we had a our issues and our challenges, but everyone genuinely wanted to be there and wanted to help, so it was mostly working through challenges with a smile. I do remember that we had several days where the normal dolly grip wasn't able to be there, and then the only other person with dolly grip experience was myself, so there were several days where we had to do very complex dolly moves where the only person who could do it was me. So I would spend the day directing and pushing dolly at the same time. It was very interesting and challenging but also allowed me to directly use the dolly as a tool to get the shots I wanted to tell the story I wanted. So ultimately a lot of the little challenges like that helped us make our movie in the long run. It was such a positive rewarding experience, I truly miss being on this set all the time.

 

The $64 question of course, where can your movie be seen?

 

Right now you can see it on every premium VOD platform; AppleTV, Amazon, YouTube Movies, Fandango Now, Xbox, Playstation, Google Play, Hoopla, Vudu, etc... You can also pre-order physical media (DVD) as well as we are constantly adding more platforms. You can follow me on social media, the film on social media, and of course the production company, producers, and actors for updates, we will constantly be adding  new platforms as they arrive. Catch it on AppleTV - https://apple.co/3em3h8o

 

Anything you can tell us about audience and critical reception of The Voices?

 

I know I am the director so I may be biased, but it really is getting a very good response. We premiered the film to a sold out theatre at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, and the whole theatre was watching the film half covering their eyes (in a good way). The sighs, and jumps, and screams all happened at the right places. I don't want to say too much but the film really has had a great reception so far.

 

Any future projects you'd like to share?

 

I am working on several projects. I have 2 more horror scripts in development, as well as a new horror script I am writing and I am particularly excited about. I also have a really great short film/proof of concept that I am pitching right now. We shot a 14 min action short film full of car chases, fight scenes, car wrecks, gun fights, knife fights, more car wrecks etc. It's currently called Four Hour Layover in Juarez. I wrote the script based on a true story, and Amanda Markowitz helped me produce it. I shot this amazing 14 min short film as a proof of concept to show producers and investors, in order to get the funds to make it a summer blockbuster action film. The short film turned out amazing and packed with action. I'm very excited to see where it goes and for the full length movie to be made. I also have a couple other cool projects that I probably shouldn't talk about just yet. You can for sure expect to see a few more horror movies in addition to this action movie, if not another studio movie coming from me very soon, fingers crossed! I am very excited about some of the upcoming opportunities.

 

What got you into filmmaking in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject?

 

I have loved movies my entire life. I grew up in a small ranch town in Idaho where we didn't have cable or get any TV channels, so my dad rented movies all the time. I have so many memories of watching movies with my dad. I grew up wanting to be an actor, and it was just after my parents had gotten divorced that I remember sitting on my dad's lap watching The Goonies. I was going through a lot at the time and couldn't understand why my parents were splitting up and why my dad couldn't live with us anymore. Sitting there watching that movie about these young kids taking their future into their own hands was just what I needed. All the problems in the world just disappeared and for that hour and a half nothing else mattered but that adventure. I decided that day that I wanted to make movies like that when I grew up. My mom and my dad were both so supportive and encouraging about me chasing my dreams, and after that It was just my plan. I acted in all my school plays and went off to college in Idaho. I went to Boise State University but they didn't offer a film major so I was a theatre major with an emphasis in performance and direction. While I was attending Boise State I was cast in a small indie movie and I worked very closely with the director who let me hang out and work behind the scenes when I wasn't acting. That's when I got my first real taste of moviemaking. After Boise State I went to film school at Full Sail University, where I got my bachelors degree in Film and Television Production. While in Florida I got my Masters degree in Business and then moved to LA to chase my dreams as a director.

 

What can you tell us about your filmwork prior to The Voices?

 

When I attended Full Sail University the school really pushed learning all aspects of filmmaking. Even though I directed every project I could get my hands on I was really good with cinematography and lighting and started working for a few of my professors gaffing music videos outside of school. After I graduated I was offered a job gaffing a small horror movie in FL for one of my professors who was the cinematographer. The producer quickly said "no!" They wanted a gaffer with more experience and brought in a really good local union gaffer. He was a great guy and when he found out I was offered the gig before him,  he offered me a spot on his lighting crew. I accepted and worked really hard for him on the movie and he liked me, so he continued to hire me. I learned a lot from him and kept working with him, working on bigger and bigger projects. Once I moved to LA, in order to pay the bills and keep my directing dream alive, I worked very hard to join IATSE local 728 and work as a lighting technician. I've worked very hard and had a really great career working on some of the biggest movies and TV shows in Hollywood. I've made so many friends and learned a lot from some of the best minds in the industry. I've worked with Michael Bay, Steven Spielberg, David Lynch, and many more. As a writer, director, producer I've been able to soak up information I've learned over the years on these huge movie sets and translate them into my own productions. I've had some really good success with several short films playing hundreds of film festivals and winning several awards. I've also been fortunate enough to direct some fun music videos for some great artists as well as some really fun advertising commercials.

 

Going through your filmography, it seems you rarely stray too far from the horror genre - pure coincidence, or is horror a genre especially dear to you, and why (not)?

 

It is not a coincidence. I work in horror a lot, because it is near and dear to me. I am a fan, I watch a lot of horror, and read a lot of horror etc. I am a pretty big horror nerd, and I know that there are lots of super fans that put my love of the genre to shame, but I am still a big fan!!! I am, however, working on some more mainstream projects currently. I have a comedy and an action project that I am currently developing. I've aways sort of played in those genres as well though. A lot of what I do is horror/comedy and-or action/horror so its not a huge stretch for me. 

 

How would you describe yourself as a director?

 

Handsome, smart, funny... I dunno, haha, I am a mix between an actors' director and a technical filmmaker director. I started my journey as an actor, and really understand the process and what actors need, so I can put myself in the place of an actor and feel for them and emphasize with them. But also I have a lot of experience working behind the camera as crew, watching and learning from crew, watching other directors, etc. I really love the technical side, the nuts and bolts technical filmmaking. I like to think I am a healthy mixture of the two skillsets.

 

Filmmakers who inspire you?

 

Oh man, that's always the tough question. I am inspired by so many filmmakers for so many different reasons, and every time I work with a new director I watch them closely and learn about them and their methods. My list of who inspires me and why is always growing. Sam Raimi was always one of my favorite directors and really inspired me as a young filmmaker. I also love Tim Burton, and of course Steven Spielberg. Working with Michael Bay on several movies has really made me respect him for his knowledge and passion. It's hard to find a more passionate person and his career path as well as his track record for profitable big budget movies is hard to ignore. David Lynch was amazing to work with and it is amazing to see his methods. James Wan is one of my favorite directors currently. I haven't worked with him at this point but his career trajectory and his films make me a big fan.

 

Your favourite movies?

 

My favorite movie is The Goonies, but I am also just a fan of movies in general. I went through a stage when I was a young filmmaker where I would pick movies apart and analyze them. I would make judgements against the filmmakers and the film as if I had some sort of understanding of what they were going through and making. Now I am just such a huge movie fan I can watch movies objectively and just find reasons to enjoy them. I of course have favorite films, but I really do enjoy most movies.

 

... and of course, films you really deplore?

 

I'm not sure I have a list of this, haha, I try not to focus on the negative that much to have a list of films I really deplore.

 

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Your/your movie's website, Facebook, whatever else?

 

Personal:

http://www.wesleyalley.com (although I desperately need to do an update)

https://www.facebook.com/wessalley

https://www.instagram.com/wessalley/

https://twitter.com/search?q=wesleyalley

 

The Voices:

http://www.threetalesproductions.com/thevoices.html

https://www.facebook.com/thevoicesfilm/

https://www.instagram.com/thevoicesfilm/

 

Anything else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?

 

I can't think of anything. It feels like you covered all the bases. I really appreciate the interview and I am grateful for you!!!!

 

Thanks for the interview!

 

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

 

© by Mike Haberfelner


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Thanks for watching !!!



 

 

In times of uncertainty of a possible zombie outbreak, a woman has to decide between two men - only one of them's one of the undead.

 

There's No Such Thing as Zombies
starring
Luana Ribeira, Rudy Barrow and Rami Hilmi
special appearances by
Debra Lamb and Lynn Lowry

 

directed by
Eddie Bammeke

written by
Michael Haberfelner

produced by
Michael Haberfelner, Luana Ribeira and Eddie Bammeke

 

now streaming at

Amazon

Amazon UK

Vimeo

 

 

 

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

 

Out now from
Amazon!!!