An upcoming name in the producing world, Colin Sheldon is building a nice resume involving plenty of credits for a multitude of projects in a variety of styles in recent years. Now in honor of the release of his latest project Bright Hill Road, I talk with him about getting into the genre, his style as a producer and working on the film itself.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, were you always into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
Colin Sheldon: I didn’t have much exposure to horror films growing up. It was during my time at film school that I was first really exposed. One of our class projects was “School of the Dead” which involved spreading a lot of blood throughout campus! From there I went on to binge watch everything from Shaun of the Dead to Saw.
Me: Having worked on various aspects of film production, do you have any particular preference for working on any?
CS: The nice thing about producing is being involved in every aspect of the production. Seeing it go from an idea, to watching it with an audience in a theatre (which will hopefully happen again soon!).
Me: With plenty of short films early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future film projects?
CS: Short films are a great way to get ready to do a feature. From a producing standpoint, it is a very similar process with a much shorter schedule which allows you to practice the process of filmmaking without spending a lot of time or money.
Me: When working on a new project, do you prefer to be involved from the beginning or work later on once it’s been started?
CS: I like to be creatively involved in projects, so the earlier the better! That way I get to be part of the team the guides the project through all of the different stages.
Me: That brings us to your latest project, “Bright Hill Road.” What can you tell us about the film?
CS: It was such an amazing experience working with the cast and crew to bring Bright Hill Road to life. We spent most of the shoot staying in the hotel we were shooting in, so in a lot of ways it seemed like summer camp!
The movie itself isn’t one filled with gore, the goal was to create an atmosphere of dread that would keep the viewer guessing right up until the end.
Me: How did you come to be involved with the film? What specifically drew you to wanting to help produce it?
CS: It all started in a coffee shop where Robert Cuffley and I were discussing future projects. We didn’t know it, but both of us had been thinking about doing a horror film. He mentioned that Susie had a concept for a film that was doable on the budget we had and the rest is history.
Me: What did you want to accomplish with the film to set it apart from the other genre films coming out recently?
CS: We wanted to tell a story with depth – about a woman who was struggling with her inner demons in the aftermath of a tragedy. Little did we know the lockdowns were coming, and the impact it would have on people’s mental health. I think Bright Hill Road’s message of facing one’s internal demons is even more relevant today than when we started making it.
Me: How much involvement did you have with the rest of the production team bringing it to life? What was the early life to the film like?
CS: There really wasn’t much of an early life to this film, we first talked about the film in December and started shooting four months later in March. From concept to shooting draft in less than 4 months is pretty amazing (thanks Susie!).
Me: With the film about to be released following its festival run, what is the expected plan to get people to see it?
CS: We have been doing lots of interviews with people from the horror community (Thanks Uncork’d and October Coast!)
Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers? Thank you again for your time!
CS: ROMI is a short film that Robert and Susie did that we are turning into a feature. We are just finalizing the script and aiming to shoot it in the spring.
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