Pneuma will screen at the Straight Jacket Guerrilla Film Festival
*How did you get into making films?
I’ve wanted to make films since before high school. I always wanted to tell stories so I’ve been attracted to writing, directing and producing. My first short of any quality was White Knight about 6 years ago and Pneuma was my first feature.
*What inspired you to make your movie?
Pneuma was inspired by an idea I had about memory loss and what would happen if a person lost all their memories. How would that affect their lives? Would they be the same person? From that I made a logical jump into taking someone who has done horrendous things and exploring the idea of whether or not that person could reinvent themselves as someone new, or if they’re destined to be the same.
*How has your style evolved?
Regarding style I tend to dream big. In that way, Pneuma was a massive challenge because it’s a “small” film in nearly every way. I constantly fought my desire to explore other locations and other characters in favour of keeping the story very contained. That really helped develop my ability to tell stories theough subtle beats and I’ve been able to apply that in projects since to give larger moments more drama.
*Tell us any strange or funny stories while making the film?
Pneuma was filmed in a church and there were a number of odd events that came with the location. From the organ player practicing through our shots, to putting on all the neo-Nazi tattoos while Sunday mass was going on.
*The Misrule Film Movement & Pink8 manifesto bring what to mind?
I don’t feel like filmmaking needs to follow any kind of manifesto. In my interpretation I think what Misrule and Pink8 are trying to get at is to take away some of the fear of making a film. Not everything needs to be a blockbuster to have worth. So in that way I think they’re very valuable. Making a film is extremely tough, but it’s not something anyone needs to be afraid of.
*What can we expect from your next film?
The next film I’m working on is a supernatural thriller that also deals with some psychological “what’s real” kind of issues as the main character is a schizophrenic. It’ll be much more visually ambitious but I plan to apply many of the techniques I used in Pneuma to really bring out character moments.
