An up-and-coming name in the indie genre, writer/director Bailey Heinonen has made her name in the short-film world before turning to feature-length projects. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I interview her about becoming a director, her early shorts and the recently-released You'll Never See it Coming.
Me: Hello, and thank you for taking the time to do this. We'll start off in the beginning, where did you get your love of movie-making?
Bailey Heinonen: I got my love of movie-making from a childhood love for storytelling. For as long as I can remember, I have always found myself easily sucked into a book or a movie and as I got older I started to want to share those stories with other people.
Me: Were you always into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
BH: I have always preferred genre films. If you are going to spend the time to make a movie why make it about something commonplace? I wasn’t allowed to watch much television as a child and movies were fairly limited. Oddly enough, my first real experience with horror wasn’t with a horror movie. I saw THE MATRIX when I was ten and I think much of my striving to create visuals that are simultaneously violent and beautiful comes from that.
Me: How would you describe the style of film you've developed during your career?
BH: Like most artists, I grow every time I make something. The style I try to adhere to focuses on deeper shadows, carefully selected color palettes, and wide-angle lenses (I am a child of the 90s after all).
Me: Having worked on several aspects of film production, do you have any particular preference for working on any?
BH: Though I have held several different film production roles over the years I prefer directing. Directing is where a large portion of the cohesion of a creative vision comes from and I like having a hand in everything.
Me: Having worked on plenty of short films early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to feature-film projects?
BH: Working on short films helps you learn the processes involved in making a film. You know where to cut expenses, how long you should expect everything from a single shot to the application of special make-up effects to take, and perhaps most importantly you meet people and build a network by making shorts.
Me: That brings us to your newest project, "You'll Never See It Coming." What can you tell us about the project?
BH: You’ll Never See it Coming is my largest project to date and easily the most ambitious. With $9K and 6 days of principal photography, we were able to create a complete feature film. A dark comedy, neo-noir with some horror elements. It was, honestly, all-consuming but it has also paid off in unexpected ways.
Me: Where did the inspiration for the film come from? What was the motivation to make this a feature-length project?
BH: The inspiration for You’ll Never See it Coming came from something I saw while driving somewhere late at night: a young woman framed perfectly in a diner window, eating alone. I asked myself why she was there? What she had done to end up alone? What she was waiting for? And I decided that she, this character in my head, was waiting for something terrible to happen.
The motivation to make it a feature out it came from a dare. One of my classmates in college set a challenge that we would both write a feature-length film by graduation. I decided to make mine.
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
BH: The set was fairly casual while shooting the film, often jovial, I think most of us had a good time. I’d say this is remarkable because we were shooting 15-20 pages a day. The majority of the cast and crew signed on with enthusiasm and the darker elements of the story were taken in stride.
Me: Are you working on any other projects that you'd like to share with our readers?
BH: My next project is an Untitled Werewolf short that am over-the-moon about. I will have an opportunity to live my dream of creating an on-screen, practical, werewolf transformation while trying to bring something, simple, beautiful, and horrifying to life.
Me: Lastly, being that this is Women in Horror Month, what special message do you have for any women out there looking to join in the industry in any capacity as you are one yourself? Thank you again for your time!
BH: For any women out there who like horror movies (who like movies in general) just make one. Your film doesn’t have to be shot on a fancy camera, or star real actors, or even have sound. It doesn’t even have to be good. The process of creation isn’t about making something perfect every time, it’s about telling a story. And if you don’t end up telling the story exactly the way you wanted to? Take what you learned the first time and try again. Don’t wait for someone to tell you that you are a director/filmmaker. Just be one.
This interview ran as part of our month-long Women in Horror Month celebration. Click the banner below to see all the reviews and interviews we've conducted for the event:
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