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Your new movie Gracie
- in a few words, what's it about?
Gracie is really about Vincent and his struggle to be normal. His
homicidal sister Gracie is a major hinderance to Vincent's normalcy.
What were your sources of inspiration when writing
Gracie, and is any of it based on personal experiences (not the
homicidal sister I hope)?
My first thought of Gracie was when I saw a print for a girl's room in a
thrift store. It was supposed to be cute, but it seemed a little creepy to
me. The painting in the movie was inspired by that print.
Additionally, I realized after writing it that much of the characters'
behaviors in the film were similar to themes of youth: bullying, tattling,
trying to be first. I think those things initially came through
subconsciously. Do talk about your movie's approach to horror, and is that a genre at all dear to you?
The horror element in Gracie is mostly the relentless killings. I chose
not to focus as much on gore or jump scares, but to delve into the
psychological elements of the characters instead. Particularly, I wanted
to explore the relationship between Vincent and Gracie and its effect on
Vincent's outside life.
I do enjoy the horror genre, and many of its subgenres. My horror viewing
tastes range from slashers to creature features to psychological horror to
horror-comedy to sci-fi and others. I particularly enjoy independent
horror films, and the variety and creativeness they bring.
At least to me,
Gracie's at times also darkly humourous - would you at all agree, and if so, do
talk about your movie's brand of comedy for a bit!
I have discovered that my natural writing style tends toward dark humor. I
leaned into that in
Gracie. Some of it was more blatant, like the
interactions between Jack and Chase, and Gracie's childishness. Other
parts were more subtle.
A few words about your directorial approach to your story at hand?
I tried to develop the characters on the page as much as I could, then
trusted the chosen actors to bring them to life. I attribute much of the
look of the film to my cinematographer, Dan Beack, who was also my
co-writer and co-producer. What can you tell us about
Gracie's cast, and why exactly
these people? Most of the cast were local to the Augusta, Georgia, area. My co-producer
and I discussed who would do well in the various roles. Several actors
jumped out as people we wanted to work with: Shatareia Stokes, John
Devlin, and Mary Troutman.
Tommy Cooper, who played Vincent, was someone we were eager to have in our
film. His film experience was minimal, but we have seen him numerous times
on stage. He is very good.
Finally, Erin Brown [Erin Brown bio
- click here] was an actress both Dan and I liked and wanted to work with. From the time of her days as Misty Mundae through her later
career as Erin Brown, she had developed an amazing acting style,
confidence and screen presence. Once we discussed her playing Gracie, it
became obvious it was the right choice. She proved it when she came to
set. Do talk about the shoot as such, and
the on-set atmosphere! We shot over the course of several months, mostly on weekends. It was a
long commitment, and occassionally stressful, but mostly we tried to keep
it light-hearted. Everyone was pretty excited to be making a feature film,
and most of us were fairly new to the process. That helped to keep things
fun. The $64-question of course,
where can Gracie be seen?
At the moment, Gracie has not been released. We expect to have a few
showings in some festivals in the near future. When we get a distribution
to streaming services or perhaps even a release on physical media I will
let you know. Anything you can tell us about audience and critical reception
of your movie? We have had several reviews at this point, mostly very positive. I am
excited to see an audience reaction to Gracie.
Any future projects you'd like to
share? I have directed a short segment that is meant to be a part of an upcoming
slasher anthology. I also have several scripts in the works.
What got you into the filmworld in the first
place, and did you receive any formal education on the subject?
My love for film and television goes back to my childhood. Honestly
though, the thought of making my own film did not come about until after I
retired from military service. As I was between jobs I was looking for
something to occupy my time. I found a group of like-minded film
enthusiasts, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Going through your filmography, you've worked on films in many
jobs and seem to be as comfortable in front of the camera as behind it -
so do talk about your versatility a bit, and which side of the camera do
you actually prefer, and why?
The bulk of my film experience has been been acting, and I do enjoy that.
I still do it when I can. Arguably, my favorite job is writing. There is nothing better for me than
coming up with an idea, developing it, thinking about it, filling in the
missing pieces, figuring out motivations, etc. I also enjoy co-writing
with others. I think two sets of eyes are better than one.
What can you tell us
about your filmwork prior to Gracie,
in whatever position? The first time I directed was a short strange film I wrote
called Incubation Period. It was a story based on my
friends' feature anthology Arte Factum. I learned a
lot on that, as well as on my second short film I Heart Valentines.
How would you describe
yourself as a director?
I feel like generally I am laid back and try to be inclusive. I do not
enjoy being dictatorial. I want an atmosphere where everyone feels like
they have had a hand in what we have made.
Filmmakers who inspire you?
Big time filmmakers would include Alfred Hitchcock, Roger Corman
[Roger Corman bio
- click here], Dario
Argento and John Carpenter. Indie film-makers consist of Herschell Gordon
Lewis [Herschell
Gordon Lewis bio - click here], Gary Whitson [Gary
Whitson interview - click here], Donald Farmer, the Polonia Brothers and others.
Your favourite movies?
Almost everything Hitchcock,
An American Werewolf in London, John
Carpenter's The Thing,
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage,
Halloween
and others. ... and of
course, films you really deplored?
I do not think I deplore any movie. Certainly, there have been films I
watched that I did not enjoy, but they usually appeal to someone else. So
I try not to exclude anything.
Your/your
movie's website, social media, whatever else?
Keep your eye on my IMDb page. It is under "Eric E. Poe".
It is also worth watching the Wages of Cine YouTube page. We have lots of
original content on there, including some of our short films, skits,
reviews and interviews.
Anything else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
I do not have anything to add in particular at the moment. Thank you for
asking me for this interview. Thanks for the interview!
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