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Your new movie House
of the Wizard's Blackened Soul - in a few words, what's it about?
House
of the Wizard's Blackened Soul is a ghostly, nihilistic short film following the main
protagonist Gideon, as he mentally and physically deteriorates caring
for his mute grandfather. What were your sources of inspiration when writing
House of
the Wizard's Blackened Soul? As always and
especially with this film, I strongly rely on classic,
atmospheric horror films for inspiration. Archaic horror films such as The Old Dark
House and At Midnight I'll Take Your
Soul innately influence my work. However, I must state that for this particular
short film, I was somewhat influenced by The
Ring (1998) and the concept of a 'cursed VHS tape'. And finally, as you stated in the
review, the film's story is very reminiscent of an Edgar Allan Poe tale,
as was my previous film Prince of the Crimson
Void, so I guess I must cite Poe's work as literary inspiration. Do talk about your
movie's approach to horror! Yes, aside from the aforementioned influences and the film's
simple premise, my objective for this film, from a cinematic standpoint,
was to effectively emboss a nightmare onto screen. The film's grotesque
and bizarre imagery were essential in establishing the atmosphere, but
the sound design in my opinion that accompanies the images elevates the
film. You also have to talk about House
of the Wizard's Blackened Soul's rather unique look and feel! For this particular short film, I utilized a monochromatic, sepia
tint, which in my opinion looks sublime and is reminiscent of many of
the older horror films that I draw inspiration from. A
few words about your directorial approach to your story at hand? My directorial approach to this film was very simple, despite the
unorthodox camera work/angles I created for this film. As always, I was
very faithful to the film's script, and there was no improvising with
dialogue.
You also play the lead in House
of the Wizard's Blackened Soul - so what can you tell us about
your character, what did you draw upon to bring him to life, and did you
write him with yourself in mind from the get-go?
Yes, I did intend to portray Gideon for this film, and other than
the fact that he is an Absinthe connoisseur I don't really identify with
the character on a personal level. The character of Gideon is simply an unhinged, opportunistic, dying
alcoholic. Gideon knows that due to his liver condition, his days are
numbered, so this gives him a nihilistic outlook on life in general,
which is why he finds pleasure in snuff films and the suffering of
others. The chance of inheriting his grandfather Ruper's estate gives
him something to live for, which is ultimately why he hastens Rupert's
demise. However, by the time the film ends, it's simply too late for
Gideon as the substances have completely deteriorated him mentally and physically. Do talk
about the rest of your cast, and why exactly these people? I've worked with S. Donatello (Ruper), and Sebastian Oake (The VHS
Butcher) for some time now, but I refer to them as more of 'the
behind-the-scenes guys' who assist me with visual effects. They prefer
to be off screen, but are not hesitant to occasionally portray simple
characters that don't require much emotional range.
A
few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? The
on-set atmosphere was relaxed but Absinthe-fueled, with it
being consumed by myself on and off screen. The filming took place at my
home in Denver, and it was very minimalistic, with just myself, the rest
of the small crew, my camera equipment, lights, candles, and Absinthe. The
$64-question of course, where can House
of the Wizard's Blackened Soul be seen? It'll soon be released on YouTube, and available on DVD for those
who wish to own the film physically - https://dakotarayfilmmaker.storenvy.com
Anything you can tell us about audience and critical reception of House
of the Wizard's Blackened Soul? So far it's been positive. It's been a couple of years since I've
released anything, and it's important for my audience (and haters) to
know that I am still alive, making films, and I intend to make many more before my time ends. Any future
projects you'd like to share? Yes! Next year, I'm making another middle length feature film. I'm loving
the script for it, it's a grotesque serial killer type story, and I am
recruiting Darien Fawkes and Fred Epstein for the project. I look
forward to working with them again.
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Your/your movie's website, social media, whatever else?
The official Dakota Ray-R.A. Productions WordPress
can be found @ https://dakotarayfilmmaker.wordpress.com
Official Dakota Ray-R.A.Productions Facebook
page: https://www.facebook.com/dakotaraydirectoractorartistdenver/
Anything else you're dying
to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Thanks for consistently taking the time to review my films and interview me. I immensely appreciate it.
Thanks for the interview!
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