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An Interview with Tomas Sem Løkke-Sørensen, Director of The Psychics

by Mike Haberfelner

March 2020

Films directed by Tomas Sem Løkke-Sørensen on (re)Search my Trash

 

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

 

The Psychics is about a journalist, Camilla, who makes a documentary about psychics. When using their "vision", the psychics find clues on an unsolved crime mystery and Camilla starts to investigate. This gets her into big trouble as evil forces want to stop her.

 

The movie is now in worldwide distribution on streaming (Prime Video, Google Play and more), DVD and Blu-ray. Here is a link to the new trailer: https://youtu.be/BUWV8bDWfoM

 

What were your sources of inspiration when writing The Psychics?

 

When writing the script I thought of the film as a kind of paranormal TV episode where things go terribly wrong and paranormal energies start to haunt the film crew. TV today is flooded with paranormal content and all you get are recontructions of ghostly encounters. Come on, show us the real thing!

 

Other inspiration sources were Funny Games, Paranormal Activity and Norwegian classics Lake of the Dead (1958) and The Troll Hunter. And of course, the excellent thriller Wait Until Dark from 1967. You know, it's just unpleasant when someone breaks into your home and won't leave.

 

To what extent can you actually identify with Camilla and her quest to find closure? And while we're at it, to what extent could you identify with your own character, documentary filmmaker Tomas?

 

My character, Thomas, is a tool to give the protagonist Camilla some opposition to her views and thoughts. We see a lot of the movie through his camera. He is a quite annoying guy, but I think I can be far more annoying than him sometimes. It's easier for me to identify with Camilla, she is a nosy, stubborn journalist. I am a bit like that... and like her, I want to understand the past.

 

Do talk about The Psychics' approach to horror for a bit!

 

Well, there are many genres in the movie: Thriller, drama, mystery and horror. I really wanted to include supernatural elements - it's so creepy! I was making a zero budget film, so I couldn't afford any gore and make up and stuff. Every decision I made was related to money or rather the lack of money. So I ended up with trying to make a suspenseful movie with surprising twists. Horror elements such as the movie's supernatural mystery adds a lot to suspense I think. Also, I am a big fan of thrillers and crime movies so I tried to use elements from films I liked in those genres.

 

You've shot The Psychics found footage style - why, and what are the advantages and challenges shooting a movie that way?

 

It's was a great advantage to shoot found footage in terms of acting. You save a lot of time when you have a handheld camera and no lights. When shooting a film the usual way, it takes a lot of time to prepare each shot. That is not the case when shooting documentary style and you get more time to rehearse with the actors. That was very important since the actors were improvising. Also, found footage was a good option to save money. We shot the film with a crew of three and five actors only. I think the documentary style can add a lot of tension to a story if the style is used in the right way.

 

The challenge was the editing. The shooting style results in a lot of filmed material, so the editing becomes rather difficult because there are many options when it comes to story, editing style, pacing and length.

 

Do talk about your overall directorial approach to your story at hand?

 

The most important for me was the protagonist/antagonist-relationship, like it should be in any story. Both protagonist and antagonist must have strong desires so you can justify their actions. They must face dilemmas - the antagonist must be evil for some reason, not just being evil out of the blue!

 

Since the actors were going to improvise, I was very selective during the casting process. I didn't rush but waited until I found the right people to put in front of the camera. I'm so happy with my actors, they did a fantastic job. Improvising is very demanding. I'm so proud of them!

 

What can you tell us about The Psychics' cast, and why exactly these people?

 

They did great at the audition. It's a natural gift to be a good improviser, and all of them have that gift. And they understand storytelling! Not all actors do that. Addtionally, they did things simple, that's a natural gift too.

 

A few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?

 

Most of the time the atmosphere was good. Everyone was doing a great job and the actors were totally into their characters. Sometimes, I gave the actors a camera to bring home to improvise a scene and the day after they came back with lots of footage I could use in the final film.

 

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

 

The reviews so far have been good. The critics like the different approach to the genre. Found footage movies tend to have a very simple plot - one location, one situation that goes from good to bad to worse to hell. The Psychics has more plot and a lot of different locations. Also, the antagonist is a human being – not a supernatural force/creature. Addtionally, the film won the Best Feature Film Award at the Crime Story Film Festival last year, and it has also been selected for a lot of other festivals, among others this year's Horror-on-Sea! That's a great selection.

 

Any future projects you'd like to share?

 

I have started on the script for my next movie now. It's a crime thriller about an intruder terrorising a young couple. I also have some ideas on making an found footage movie from the Second World War. Imagine a war movie seen through the camera of a war correspondent!

 

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

 

I quit my university studies in geophysics, realising I wanted to become a filmmaker. Films had always been my big passion, but it took many years before I realised I wanted to make films myself. I started to work on applications to film schools. I was accepted into the London Film School and had a fantastic time there. After graduation I started to work freelance in Norway.

 

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

 

After film school I worked on a lot of features as a location manager. After a while I started to focus more on production and direction and made corporate movies for various companies. At the same time I made short films. My zero budget short comedy The Unhappy Woman did very well on the festival circuit (award winner at Aspen Shortsfest and more) and I realised it was possible to make a feature with very limited resources. You don't need a big bugdet if you have a good story to tell.

 

How would you describe yourself as a director?

 

Well, I like to write, edit and produce the films I direct. It's very satisfying to have all these major tasks. So I look at myself more as a project manager than a director only. When I direct I really love to work with actors and use time to develope the story with them. It's very important to me that the actors understand basic storytelling and basic dramatic structure, so we sort of speak the same language.

 

Filmmakers who inspire you?

 

Oh yes, I love directors like Alfred Hitchkcock, Jean Pierre Melville, Michael Haneke, Roy Andersson and Lucio Fulci [Lucio Fulci bio - click here]. True auteurs!

 

Your favourite movies?

 

There are so many, but some movies I really like are Jules Dassin's old school crime movie Rififi, Hitchcock's Wrong Man and Melville's Le Cercle Rouge. And everything from the hands of Roy Andersson and he Coen brothers. Other fantastic movies: Road to Perdition, 1917, Let the Right One in. Favourite horror movies are Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hellraiser, and Eyes Without a Face.

 

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

 

I rarely deplore movies, there are something interesting in any movie. But I find a lot of movies boring, because they tend to have a flat dramatic structure or very little developement in the story. Sadly, I find a lot of action movies quite boring because they lack story. I saw Bad Boys for Life some weeks ago and it was terrible.

 

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

 

Website: https://thepsychics.movie.blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePsychicsMovie/

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8998610/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepsychicsmovie/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AgendafilmAS

FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/ThePsychics

 

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

 

Yes, some words of wisdom to other filmmakers who consider to make a feature: If you're making a indie movie, you have to think about the budget all the time. Make a cheap movie, but a GOOD cheap movie. Work hard to get a good deal with a distribution company. I have distribution deals, for which I am very happy. It’s possible to get your movie distributed even if it’s no-budget.

 

Thanks for the interview!

 

Welcome. Thank you very much!

 

© 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!!!