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~ Dissecting horror films

Surgeons of Horror

Category Archives: Interview

Saul Muerte chats with Director Neill Blomkamp about his latest feature, Demonic

01 Wednesday Sep 2021

Posted by surgeons of horror in Interview

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Tags

chappie, demonic, district 9, elysium, neill blomkamp

Neill Blomkamp is renowned for pushing the boundaries of blending science fiction with modern day storytelling through the lens of cutting edge technology. Having directed some cracking films with District 9, Elysium, and Chappie, Blomkamp’s latest feature, Demonic turns to volumetric capture to tell the narrative is an example of the creative license that he is willing to experiment with.

Our resident Surgeon, Saul Muerte was fortunate enough to catch up with the visionary director to discuss his latest film and how technology has played an important part in molding his storytelling technique for film.

Saul Muerte:  

Thanks for taking the time out to talk with us for Surgeons of Horror.
I really, really enjoyed the movie and the creative approach that you’ve taken with this one. I just wanted to ask you, um, I mean, I’ve been following your film career for a little while and I’ve noticed that there is this kind of feeling that runs through your movies that’s almost like this infused psychosis, whether it’s alien or humanitarian or mechanoid. And in this case, it’s obviously coming through demonic possession.
What is it in your mind that fascinates you about this kind of external manipulation of the human mind in your films?

Neill Blomkamp:

One of the things that is becoming more interesting to me is the idea that there’s like a lying on a psychiatrist’s couch element to directing.
I think that these themes, and these ideas become evident to you as the filmmaker over time. So I’m kind of equally curious to try to figure out what that is about.
I don’t actually think that I have a conscious onset. I think there’s a bunch of subconscious stuff, maybe.
Demonic feels very different to the first two films of mine, and to a lesser degree different to Chappie. It was meant to be something that was much more intimate and smaller scale and kind of living in very close proximity to Carly’s character. And then just going through the process with her. So I think maybe the common theme is some kind of level of redemption, or  a sort of cleansing of the soul towards the end of the third act. It’s hard for me to pin down exactly what the similarities are.

Saul: 

I do want to touch on the technology aspect that you use with Demonic, because it’s quite a fundamental component. And you’ve been incredibly experimental with your approach to technology over the years. So when you worked with the volumetric capture system in order to realise your vision, what was the greatest challenge that you found using this technology? And what was your biggest learning coming out of it?

Neill:

Well, I mean, this movie is very, very unusual to the way that films are normally made in the sense that there was this gap in time. And there was this thing that I wanted to do, like Paranormal Activity, which was a kind of small self created horror film.
And so when you talk about normal films, and the use of technology, it’s usually a case of what would we now use in order to solve this problem?
And then you kind of look at it, whatever your options are.
This was a case of, I wanted to build something around the idea of using volumetric capture.
So the idea of using volumetric capture came before the movie, I also want to do something with these weird Vatican guides that buy up tech companies.
So is there a story that can be conjured up so that we can shoot something during the pandemic.
I think that if it was a higher budget film, it would have been more difficult to use something as experimental as volumetric capture, because it still looks so glitchy. But if you go forward five years, or definitely 10 years, when that resolution increases to the point that you’re rivalling, you know, traditional film cameras, digital phone cameras, it’ll be omnipresent. There’ll be just every single person who will be using it.
It was initially financed by us, I can just do whatever I want and instead of doing another YouTube video, it was like let’s make a longer format piece. And let’s use some of this weird technology and just see how it looks.
So I knew pretty much exactly what it would look like because of the resolution constraints which actually came in a bit lower simply because in order to get the resolution higher there would have to be so many cameras close to the action, that it would basically be impossible to really move in any convincing way.
So the resolution dies off in a squared fashion exponentially when you move them away, we got the ability to move around and it still has this awesome kind of video game quality to it but resolution dies off is quite quick. So it’s a weird answer, but it’s like the film exists because I felt like using volumetric capture.

Saul:

I think in a way it adds to the character of the piece, so I know you were talking about that kind of glitchy kind of element, but I feel like this adds to the surreal nature that the character of Carly goes through when she’s experiencing that kind of other world factor. Everything kind of ties in really nicely. 

I just want to also just go back to District 9 if I may, which was your first feature production. Based on the experience that you’ve picked up over the years, is there anything that you would change with that film? Like, we’re talking about advancements in technology in particular, and stuff that you’ve done along the way. Would you revisit the special effects or the story component and which one of those two weighs heavy in your mind as a creative?
What do you think takes precedence? Technology or storytelling?

Neill:

I mean, if you’re doing a high budget film, yeah, well, I mean, pretty much any film it really really should be story first, but it’s kind of like a Venn diagram, it’s like, you’d have to have you have to have a story. And then you also because it’s a visual medium, you also have to have some kind of interesting visual components to it.. And when you overlap, good story with good visuals, you get this kind of matrix sweet spot.
Yeah. So that’s kind of how I think of it. But I definitely wouldn’t have arrived at this film, if I was at a higher standard budget level, because it’s just such a different, almost incomparable thing. But I think your question in terms of District 9 is pretty interesting, because I don’t actually think I would change anything. And the other thing that’s interesting is, if I were to shoot another District 9 today, there isn’t any other technological way of doing things that would be radically different, which is super fascinating.
So when we shot it, there was this debate where the first way that we were thinking of shooting it was a lot more like how Planet of the Apes did this. And it was kind of revolutionary, where they put motion capture cameras outside of the studio, and they put them in the wild, I think it was actually also in British Columbia. They put them in trees and stuff in the wild, and then they motion captured whoever was playing the apes, and then you know, add the VFX later.
So with District 9, we couldn’t afford that approach. And so we ended up doing something that I actually prefer infinitely more, which is a process of growth automation, where you just film your actor, there’s no motion capture dots. There’s like there’s no motion capture cameras, because we couldn’t really afford them. But you just film your actor in a grey lycra outfit. And the benefit is that you get to knock things over in real life and interact with stuff. And then hand animation is done.
Almost like classical rotoscope animation, except with a three dimensional rig on top of your character, your human character, your human performer. And then once that skeleton is animated, you put your digital alien on top, and then you have to actually go through this other process which is a cost addition, which is background restoration. So you have to paint out your grey suit guy who’s lying under the alien that now has his, you know, rota mated information embedded within it. 

Saul:

Yes, fascinating. I absolutely loved that film. I’ve been kind of following your career since District 9, because I feel like you have this way of cutting through the storyline with this creative, technological aspect that you bring to your films. 

Saul:

If we can come back to Demonic, one thing that I found was that the story seems to centre around this idea of trust, and our preconceived ideas of people due to our own kind of misgivings. Is there a message here about going into or letting go of control in order to find ourselves?

Neill:

Yeah, I think one of the concepts that I was interested in was the idea of, like, objective truth. And people coming at topics from different points of view that can sort of be almost equally truthful, depending on the point of view. But there is only one form of truth ultimately.
And so I think there’s a sort of subconscious element maybe of those themes kind of bubbling to the surface in the sense that Carla’s sort of overcoming something.
I wanted her to be triumphant in a way that she’d overcome the paradigm that was put in place for her, I definitely have some issues with objective truths.,

Saul:

Yeah, that’s kind of my take on it as well. And that’s what I really liked about her journey. And the way there’s obviously this investigative nature, as she’s trying to uncover the truth behind what lay in the past, particularly with her mother.
I found it really quite fascinating about Demonic when you come into it, knowing the components that build the film, it kind of makes it a really fascinating journey to watch and see that kind of those elements come into play. And I’m really excited about it. I’m really hoping that it does well for you, Neil. So thank you so much for your time. and talking with us at Surgeons of Horror.

Demonic will be available to stream across all key digital channels from September 15 and on DVD/Blu-ray from 22 September.

Check out the movie review here

Interview: Follow Me star Ronen Rubinstein

15 Wednesday Jul 2020

Posted by surgeons of horror in Interview

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Tags

denzel whitaker, follow me, george janko, holland roden, keegan allen, ronen rubinstein, siya, studio canal, will wernick

With the release of Escape Room and its success, director Will Wernick had tapped into a world fresh for the thrill.
Arguably with his latest feature, Follow Me, Wernick delves a little deeper, blurring the lines of reality, when an online personality enters a real-life game and gets more than he bargained for.

Thanks to the team at Studio Canal, I was able to catch one of its stars Ronen Rubinstein (9-1-1: Lone Star), who plays Russian socialite, Alexei, the orchestrator of the real-life game to discuss the dark side of social media.

Saul Muerte: Hi Ronen, thanks for joining us at Surgeons of Horror.

Ronen Rubinstein: Thanks for having me here.

Saul: I noticed from some of your previous work that you appear drawn to the works of Bret Easton Ellis, having starred in both The Smiley Face Killers and more recently in Less Than Zero, which both act as windows into the human psyche with a lot of social commentary at play, themes that are evident in Follow Me.
Is this partly what drove you to be involved in this film?

Ronen: It was one of many things that drew me to the project. We live in a very heavy social media age.
There’s a lot of pluses and minuses to social media, and we constantly ask ourselves, “Who are we living in front of the camera for? Or What are we trying to convey? What message are we trying to send?”
That’s a question I’ve always asked myself using social media and I love that we get to see it in a film on a very deep level but also in a fun way that will keep people entertained.
Once they leave the theatre I’m sure that will be a question that (the audience) will ask many times. 

Saul: There are some notable themes and subjects that are explored throughout the film, one of which is living life to the max and living life to the full, but if you could escape real life, what would you do and why?

Ronen: Oh man! I think honestly, I would wanna live somewhere in the jungle in Costa Rica or Peru, and truly live off the earth and simplify everything.
Eat everything that grows off the trees and drink from clean creeks, build a little hut, I mean that sounds ideal to me. I don’t know how long I can sustain that.
I think that would be my Escape Real Life, for sure.

Saul: What has been the wildest experience that you’ve encountered in your life so far?

Ronen: My family and I survived a Category 1 hurricane in 2012. It was Hurricane Sandy. I think I was just turning 18, we lost our entire neighbourhood, we lost most of the coastal part of our borough.
We were without a home, without clothing, without food, without electricity for a few days.
We lived off friends and the Red Cross and pretty much had to survive. We had pretty much everything taken away from us.
That was hands down the wildest thing I ever encountered.

Saul: Wow, I mean Hurricane Sandy was one of the most deadliest, destructive hurricanes to hit Stateside. I can’t imagine what that would have been like for you.

Ronen: And I lived right on the beach, so it was extra bad.

Saul: What would you say was the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?

Ronen: I think the riskiest thing I’ve ever done is where we are right now in pursuing a career in the Arts and specifically acting. It’s one of the riskiest careers to follow, and I never had a back up plan.
I sorta put all my chips on the table and I pursued it with all my soul and heart in order to achieve it, but the reality of it is that the chances are really low to even be working.
I’m so fortunate right now to be in a film that will be screened in something like 26 countries. I still have to pinch myself about that. That’s like hitting the lottery. 
To keep steadily working and get representation was definitely the riskiest thing I’ve taken. 

Saul: Obviously you’re still pursuing your dream at the moment but what is currently number one on your bucket list?

Ronen: I have some pretty crazy aspirations. I think top of the list is to be part of an organisation like the UN and to have the power and some say in being able to do some good in the world.
I’ve seen people like Leonardo Di Caprio, Don Cheadle and Mark Ruffalo being a part of the UN.
The fact that we can have actors / activists in such extraordinarily prestigious company is the pinnacle. That has always been a motivation of mine.
That would be at the very top of my bucket list. 

Saul: A lot of the topic centred around Follow Me is about that online presence.
What’s been the worst thing that you’ve personally shared on social media?

Ronen: I don’t know. I’ve been pretty careful. I joined social media when I was technically a professional actor and I was already on people’s screens, so I knew there was an amount of responsibility, where you have to think about what you say and how you want to say it.
As an actor, you’re not just representing yourself, but also the company or corporation, or the studio that you are working with. It’s much more than what you stand for.
You’re obviously going to get some heat when you talk about social justice, political justice, and climate control and that’s totally fine.
That’s something you have to be prepared for. That’s sort of part of the game, It’s more important to focus on the positive. 

Saul: Do you have to be careful about not having a knee-jerk reaction to some of the things you see and hear?

Ronen: Oh man sure, I mean almost every single day I want to curse out the President, but that doesn’t do much good.
I like to lead  by example and provide people with solutions. I think that’s when change happens. It does take a lot of self control.

Saul: What has been the strangest or weirdest experience that you’ve seen online?

Ronen: Oh man, where do we start? I mean, I’m sure you’ve been going on in America. We’re in a very split society right now.
A lot of people can’t see right from wrong. There are a lot of people who think that what is going on is a hoax or propaganda. That still blows my mind. How do we move forward with people like that?
It’s what I touched on before where you have to lead by example.
You’ve gotta lead by example and offer solutions and facts with a clear cut plan.
At some point you can’t deny reality. The people who deny reality will get left behind while the world evolves into a better place, hopefully.

Saul: It’s a tricky thing where somewhere along the way despite our differences, both sides need to meet in the middle and find some common ground to agree on so that we can develop as a society.
It’s ironic in a way that we have come so disconnected in a society that is so connected by the finger tips that social media offers.
Coming back to Follow Me, is there a take home message that you hope will be translated in this regard?

Ronen: I think it’s pretty simple. Know what you are doing and why you’re doing it when it comes to social media.
If your goal is to have fun and post some photos of you and your everyday life, and family and your dog or where you are going then that’s totally fine. No one’s judging you for that.
You almost have to ask people who have a massive following with a platform that can lead to a lot of power and influence, that’s when it comes tricky because that’s when you have a lot of responsibility.
I think we live in a time when you almost sort of have to have a political opinion or social stance.
When your followers are essentially the next generation, why aren’t you speaking up about what is going wrong in the world when you literally can’t escape it. There is always more to be done. 

Saul: So undoubtedly, we are in a world of unrest and uncertainty, so why should people go and see this film, Follow Me?

Ronen: Before anything, I strongly urge people to go and see it responsibly. Listen to the professionals, I know that a lot of theatres are ensuring that everything is safe, so if they’re asking you to wear a mask and maintain a safe distance, please do.
There’s not a lot of films that are out right now. So it really is an honour to be in one of the few films that are out in theaters.
It’s a really fun film. Without talking about the inner themes of the film, it’s great cast that I think a lot of people will be able to relate to.
The pace is great, the dialogue is funny. When it gets to the escape room, it gets pretty scary and intense.
The inner themes are really important. Especially right now. I love films that really make you think about what you just saw and make you ask questions that start a dialogue with your peers. I think this film will do that. It’s gonna be a hell of a ride and I wanna thank Australia for having us with such open arms. We’re pretty much going to be premiering in every major theatre in Australia.  I wish I could come down to Australia and meet people at the movies, but hopefully next time.

Saul: So what’s next on the horizon for you Ronen? What projects are in store that we can see you in?

Ronen: Well, we’re going to be shooting Season 2 of 9-1-1: Lone Star hopefully pretty soon.
I have another film coming out in the Fall which I can’t talk about just yet, I wish I could. It’s also a thriller, so hopefully some more information will come out about that soon.
I’ve got a busy year ahead of me and I’m trying to stay focused and positive. 

Follow Me is released in cinemas nationwide from July 16.

The Surgeons of Horror team would like to extend our thanks to Studio Canal for setting up the interview and to Ronen Rubinstein for his insights.

  • Saul Muerte

Podcast: Devil Woman – Interview with Heidi Lee Douglas

01 Monday May 2017

Posted by surgeons of horror in Interview, Uncategorized

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Tags

Defendant 5, Devil Woman, Heidi Lee Douglas, Little Lamb

Heidi Lee Douglas.

If her name isn’t one your register, it should be.

An award winning writer, director who garnered recognition with her political/social film Defendant 5, Heidi Lee Douglas documented the destruction of Tasmania’s rainforest, only to suddenly find herself thrust into a legal battle.

The right of free speech was being stifled, and yet she persisted in getting the project out of the wilderness and into the limelight.

Since then, Lee Douglas has formed her own company, Dark Lake Productions with amazing results including the short gothic thriller, Little Lamb.

Now though, she has turned her attention to a new project, Devil Woman, a smart horror film that takes the viewer directly into the coal-face of human conflict over our relationship with the environment.

The film draws from the world of zombies and shape-shifters, with the added flavour of Lee Douglas’ penmanship that adds a unique voice in the horror genre.

It’s an Australian story that embodies the diverse terrain of the Tasmanian landscape.

Devil Woman is currently looking for support through crowd-funding via pozible, so if this piques your interest, then head on over and contribute.

Want to know more? Well the Surgeons team recently had the opportunity to sit down with Heidi Lee Douglas to discuss this passion project. Check out the podcast below.

https://player.whooshkaa.com/player/episode/id/99459?visual=true

Links:
https://pozible.com/project/devil-woman
@devilwomanfilm

 

 

 

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