Your new movie Silent
Panic - in a few words, what is it about?
It’s about three young men who discover a dead body on a camping
trip. And there’s an exploration of how this affects their lives in
different ways.
What
were your sources of inspiration when writing Silent
Panic? Well, I’m a big fan of movies from the 1970s, so I think that some of
the character driven movies from that decade inspired me, among other
things. With which of your three protagonists can
you identify the most? And honestly, what would you do if you found a dead
body in your trunk? I think I identify most with Dominic personally. I think that he is
probably the most like me. If I found a dead body in my trunk, I’d call
the police for sure. Especially after making this movie. I've written in my review "While
the basic premise of this movie might suggest a dark comedy, Silent
Panic plays it straight" - would you like to elaborate on
that? Sure, yeah I think that’s true. I always wanted this film to feel as
real as possible. And while there’s some comedic elements, I wanted to
explore the serious side of how this situation affects the characters’
everyday lives.
What can you tell us about your overall
directorial approach to your story at hand? Well, I try to be flexible and fast I suppose. I do have set ideas of
what I want to accomplish each day, but I try to be open to the ideas of
the cast and crew. And I try not to work long hours, I think everyone
appreciates that. Do talk
about your key cast, and why exactly these people? Well, I felt like they all could do a great job playing each character.
Sean Nateghi (Eagle), Joseph Martinez (Bobby), and Jay Habre (Dominic) all
had good chemistry together. And Constance Brenneman (Robin) played a key
role, I feel like the audience can relate to her character, and maybe even
see the situation through her eyes. A few
words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? We shot 75 pages in 11 days. So, we were moving pretty fast. The
atmosphere was great and very collaborative. I had a great cast and crew,
including a great cinematographer, Jordan Rennert.
Anything
you can tell us about audience and critical reception of Silent
Panic? Well I haven’t had much of an audience reception yet. Film critic
reviews have been mixed, I’d say it’s been almost an even split
between positive and negative reviews, but I enjoy reading the positive
ones! Any future projects you'd like to share? Well I’m writing another feature right now, and I’m hoping I’ll
be able to get it off the ground in a couple years or so. We’ll see. What
got you into making movies in the first place, and did you receive any
formal training on the subject? I saw the movie Jaws
at the age of 13, and ever since, I've been
interested in making movies. It was far and away my favorite movie that I
had ever seen, and it was also the first time I can remember seeing behind
the scenes footage about the making of a film. So, I think the combination
of those two things kind of gave me a fascination with filmmaking. I
graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Television, Radio, and
Film, so I suppose that is my training on the subject.
What can you tell us
about your filmwork prior to Silent
Panic? Silent
Panic is my first feature film on this scale. I made one several
years ago that was barely 50 minutes long, and it was shot in just two
days. I also made a thesis film in college, which I enjoyed. How would you describe yourself as a
director? I would say that I am a director who is focused, but also makes sure to
keep things moving. I have a lot of faith in my actors. I don’t usually
like to do many takes. I wouldn’t say that I’m a perfectionist on set,
I just try to do the best I can with the time I have. However, I believe I
am probably a perfectionist in the editing room. Filmmakers who inspire you? Well of
course Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Alfred Hitchcock
etc. But the one filmmaker that inspires me, whose name doesn’t get
mentioned often, is Jerry Schatzberg. He made some great movies in the
1970s and 80s, including some of Al Pacino’s earliest work. I love the
look and feel of his films, there’s something unique about them that I
can’t exactly put into words. Your
favourite movies? Taxi
Driver, Jaws, Gladiator,
The Deer Hunter, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
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... and of course, films you really
deplore? Angel Heart, Safe (1995), Heaven’s
Gate. Your/your movie's website, Facebook, whatever
else?
Amazon: http://bit.ly/SilentPanicOnAmazonUS
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7722156/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/silentpanicmovie
Anything else you're dying to mention and I have
merely forgotten to ask? I think Silent
Panic
has an
interesting moral dilemma. The cast did a wonderful job. The movie
wouldn't be what it is without their performances. Thanks for the interview! Thank
you!
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