Behind The Lens: Hadrian Hooks
EMGWORLD SPEAKS WITH DIRECTOR HADRIAN HOOKS ON HIS DEBUT FILM ‘INTO THE WOODS’
What happens when six friends take a bet to stay in the woods of Hollywood Hills for 24 hours? They pay the ultimate price. First-time director Hadrian Hooks speaks with EMGWorld on the journey taken to complete his debut film ‘Into the Woods.’
EMGWorld: For those who don’t know, how challenging is it to complete a film?
Hadrian Hooks: It's very challenging. It’s NOT easy.
EMGWorld: Exactly what are those challenging steps to making a film?
HH: First, you have to get the script ready to show to other people. They have to see something in it they like if you want them to invest. Once the money is invested people have to truly believe in you, the script and the potential of the script making their money back for them. Then, you have to get the right cast and the right people. The cast has to be able to portray and act out the scenes and characters that you create. Everything has to come together in a full mixed blend in order to produce a finished product.
EMGWorld: As a filmmaker and movie fan, what directors stand out most to you as favorites?
HH: I've patterned alot of my style from Spike Lee. I've pretty much seen all of his films. I also like Quentin Tarrantino's style of directing. I like Michael Bay's style of directing when it comes to motion with the camera and how he keeps everything moving all the time. Those three directors are pretty much how I honed my directing skills.
EMGWorld: How many days did it take to shoot ‘Into the Woods?’
HH: We shot for 15 days.
EMGWorld: Why a horror movie?
HH: I'm a big fan of horror. This is the genre where a lot of stars get their start. I knew that for the first film we wouldn't have the budget for a big name or big star. In comedy, dramas and action pack thrillers you need at least one recognizable name. In horror you don't need any names. It [Into the Woods] was an introduction of some great unknown actors who had an opportunity to show themselves on a bigger stage.
EMGWorld: Are there any particular films you’ve studied to help hone your skills as a director?
HH: I studied a lot of films. I watched maybe 20 to 30 horror movies a month before I finished the script. Once I finished the script I watched 50 more horror movies just to get the different styles and things that made horror movies successful from the ‘Dawn of the Deads’ to the ‘Jasons’ [Friday the 13th].
EMGWorld: What did you study most when watching those other films like Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th?
HH: I studied the gore and killer scenes. I made sure we had small elements of that in our movie. Plus, I studied how they used the handheld camera in Blair Witch Project and used some of that in the movie too.
EMGWorld: What types of camera models and equipment did you use to film ‘Into the Woods?’
HH: We shot the movie with a digital Red camera. It's called the Red 5K.
EMGWorld: What brand of editing software was used to piece together this movie?
HH: We used the Dobe system.
EMGWorld: Just how challenging was it to stay under the budget when shooting this film?
HH: We made the filming process equal to the budget. Anything we did was already budgeted into the film. Post production was kinda where we lost the budget, but everything else was budgeted. Everything worked out the way it worked out.
EMGWorld: How did you go about raising funds to produce this vision?
HH: First, we hit up friends and family members. My partner Sal Maner started speaking to someone in his family who happened to know a woman interested in pursuing other things with her money. We had a meeting and she liked the vision we gave her. She [voluntarily] invested the rest of the money we needed.
EMGWorld: What was the best part of this entire process?
HH: When we started filming. To see your vision about to come to life is a very surreal feeling. Seeing something that you wrote or dreamed of come into fruition was the best part.
EMGWorld: What’s one thing you would recommend to someone also looking to shoot their first film?
HH: Just do it. Don't let anyone stop you. Don't let money, time or anything stop you from doing it. If you want to be a director get a camera and some people who are just as passionate as you are and do it. No matter what the circumstances might be just do it. People start feeling your energy and you'll be amazed how things start to come together.
EMGWorld: This was your first time up to bat as a director. Is there anything you would’ve done differently?
HH: I would've made sure everything from top to bottom would've been under budget. Other than that the experience was fun. It was a learning experience. Anything that went wrong was a blessing because I know what not to do now.
EMGWorld: What’s one thing you would warn aspiring directors of looking to shoot their first project?
HH: Don't ask anyone for help in terms of making decisions. When you have a dream and a process of how you want things to go you don't need a second man to tell you what you can and cannot do. Too many chiefs on any set will harm the process. If you believe in it you do it. If it's your project you stick to your guns and beliefs. Don't give your dream or power to anyone else to do your film. Once you do that you lose all of your power, focus and entertainment value.
EMGWorld: How rewarding is it to see a packed audience watch your completed project on the big screen?
HH: To see people respond to the movie in a positive way was surreal. I was so caught up in the moment that I don't think I really soaked it all in until later. It's very good feeling to see your hard work pay off on the big screen and see people respond to it positively. It was everything I could've dream of and much, much more..
EMGWorld: What’s the next step for ‘Into the Woods’ now that the film is completed?
HH: The genre for horror films expands far because everyone loves horror films, especially overseas. We are in talks to have it distributed. I won't say who until the deal gets done, but we have four that we're approaching to distribute the movie. We're trying to do limited theatrical. If theatrical doesn't come through then we'll go straight to DVD, cable and foreign sales.
EMGWorld: Are you looking to submit the movie to any film festivals?
HH: We've already done the Pan African-Film Festival. If a distributor wants to keep the film in wraps then we won't do any more festivals. If we need to do more exposure for the film then we'll do another festival so people can see it. We missed Cannes and Sundance. The best one we can do is the Acapulco Black Film Festival in Miami, which takes place in June. That one will be great.
EMGWorld: Where can viewers and EMGWorld fans catch a peek of ‘Into the Woods?’
HH: We have a website, intothewoodshorrormovie.com, where we'll be posting the trailer and any updates on the movie.
Follow us on twitter @TeamEMGWorld or friend us on facebook.
0 comments: