Your new movie Extramundane
- in a few words, what is it about?
It's really about a guy finding his own way. Trying to, at least. His dad left when he was little and the
mystery of where he could be sometimes consumes the main
character, Trevor, to stick his nose where it ought not to be. He’s almost trying to prove to himself via proving to his dad that he is
good enough. It just gets him into trouble sometimes. And this all happens to be during the pandemic.
Since Extramundane
explicitly refers to Covid-lockdowns - was it actually written while/after
the pandemic had hit full swing, or was that an element only added to an
existing script? This script was written in October 2020. So Covid was very relevant. But I had a feeling tons of films would
make that the premise, so I wanted it to just be an element of the story. I wanted that to just drive certain factors, such as why it is not odd
that people are
going missing or
why the police
were so delayed in
responding. Those
were all real
elements during
that time and
aided the story. I
also wanted to
write a story
where the
characters
didn’t have to
get so close to
each other (6 ft
rule) and it made
sense for them to
rarely be around
one another. (Other) sources of inspiration when
writing Extramundane? Inglourious
Basterds. I know that sounds odd, but I love how Tarantino handled tension in that film, especially the opening scene. Elements of old
school horrors, like Dracula, also influenced me. I wanted a faceless figure, draped in black. Something that the audience could project
onto. Also, The Muppet Christmas Carol. The ghost of the future inspired the look. That ghost always scared me as a kid.
Do
talk about your movie's approach to horror! When you’re working on a low budget film, you have to
make it work. And
for me, I was
dealing with Covid
being around at
the time, which
in-it-of-itself
was scary. But I
played heavily on
strung out moments
and tension.
That’s where
I wanted to go.
With a few jump
scares placed
around to keep everyone engaged. A few words about your overall directorial approach to your story at hand? It
was tough because
I handled
everything. Camera
was on my
shoulder. I
pre-lit the scenes
myself. I would
mic the actor or
have the boom
microphone in the
spot where they
were going to
land. There was a
lot going on. So
for this one, I
was more in depth
prior to shoot
day. The actors
and I would chat
about the
characters,
what’s going on,
what their
motivations might
be, etc. Then on
the day, the
actors were so
talented, I rarely
had to reel them
back in. What
can you tell us about Extramundane's
cast, and why exactly these people? Talent.
Talent all around. I
knew many of this
actors from acting
classes years ago and
had worked with others
before in various
projects. So I just
really tried to assemble
the best ones I could
for the film. And
without doubt, it is the
most talented ensemble
casts that I have worked with. They were game from the start and gave it all they had.
You also have to
talk about the building you filmed Extramundane
in, and how did you find it? And what was it like filming there? This
was an apartment
building that I
lived in. So it
worked out that I
didn’t need to
travel. Trevor’s
apartment was my
apartment. And the
garage was where I parked. So access was easy and the style of it worked for the tone I was going for. A
few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? It
was so much fun.
The amount of
times I was
running up and
down stairs with
lights and a
camera were
ridiculous. The
cast kept it light
and I tried to as
well! Pre-setting everything,
then trying to
watch the framing,
then playback,
then directing, it
was a lot. But it
was the most
wonderful
experience because
of the cast. Anything
you can tell us about audience and critical reception of Extramundane? I’m sure it will be a
mixed bag. It
won’t be for
everyone and that
is totally fine!
Film is
subjective. And
most audiences
don’t care too
much about what
went into the
making of, they
just want to be
entertained. So I hope even those who do not like it got a little bit of entertainment somewhere.
Any
future project you'd like to share? Yes! If you find me on YouTube (Joshua Sowden - Filmmaking with Joshua
Sowden), I have my annual horror short film coming out on Halloween. I do one every year. I am currently filming
a sci-fi feature film called Our Man In LA, and after that my next feature is The Book of the Witch. What got you into
filmmaking in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on
the subject? I’ve loved movies since I was a child. It didn’t strike me until I was in grad-school that I
should be in entertainment. So, I packed my bags and moved to LA from Virginia in 2013. There I figured out acting wasn’t it, it
was directing for me. The rest is history. What can you tell us about your filmwork
prior to Extramundane? I’ve made a number of
short films. All can be seen on my YouTube channel. I also have on sci-fi short available on Tubi called The
Processed that was made during the pandemic as well. How
would you describe yourself as a director?
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I hope an actor's director. I trained for 3 years as an actor, so I get a sense of what it feels like to be on that
side. I also try to film what I want to see. I try not to think about
the audience when I’m filming because I will never be able to please everyone.
So I try to just do the best I can and shoot what I want to see. Filmmakers
who inspire you? Christopher Nolan, Tarantino, David Sandberg.
Your favourite movies? Joker,
Inception, Jaws. ...
and of course, films you really deplore?
Oh that is tough. No one sets out to make a bad film. I try not to be so hard on them. Your/your
movie's website, social media, whatever else? Here is my link tree with links to everything:
https://linktr.ee/selfesteemproductions
Anything
else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
I appreciate the time! Thanks for the interview!
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