An emerging filmmaker working a wide variety of hats early in his career, Adam Newman has accomplished quite a bit earning plenty of notice in several highly acclaimed projects over the last few years. Now, to celebrate the upcoming release of his latest film "Round the Decay," I talk with him about his early interest in filmmaking, working on the behind-the-scenes info of the film, and upcoming plans.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
Adam Newman: I got into horror at an embarrassingly old age as I was afraid of everything as a child. As an adult, I just let that bleed over and avoided horror. It all changed when I went to see It Follows on a date. I came out of the movie thinking that this was a genre that I wanted to watch more of and eventually, it became a genre that I wanted to dive into as a creative.
Me: When did you first discover a passion for filmmaking? Were you always interested in the creative arts growing up?
AN: I knew I wanted to be a storyteller since I was old enough to write. I was working out what medium that storytelling was going to be in throughout my early years. I grew up in a big neighborhood with a lot of kids and whenever we had sleepovers, I'd force them to put on a play. I'd "write" it on the fly, using the OST for the Final Fantasy video games as mood music while the scenes played out.
In high school, during my senior year, I had 2 classes that really shaped me: Film Studies & Playwriting. Film Studies was awesome and gave me an opportunity to watch older movies, which hadn't been part of my childhood. Playwriting was the bigger of the two though - my playwriting teacher saw very early how inspired I was by the class and he really nurtured that. I left high school believing that being a successful playwright was on the near horizon.
It should have been obvious that it was always going to be filmmaking though - I have always dreamed in movie angles. I watched everything I could while I was growing up. The best times I had in my childhood were walking to the local video store with my sister and getting to pick out a few movies to watch over the next few days. But it didn't all become obvious until I heard my playwriting teacher talking to somebody about the movie Magnolia and how he couldn't make out what he thought about it yet. I found Magnolia in a bargain bin at a Walmart or a Bull Moose and I watched it twice in a night. I remember coming out of that experience thinking, "I have to do THAT for the rest of my life." And here I am.
Me: Having worked on various aspects of film production, do you have any particular preference for working on any?
AN: I really enjoy pre-production. I love the idea process, breaking the story, going over the drafts with my producers, etc. I like talking with locations, I like making budgets, I actually enjoy haggling, and I love creative problem-solving.
Production is another animal that I love the most - but it's also the most stressful and painful of the three phases of the movie. I'm not sure what this says about me.
I really dislike post-production. I'm really bad at editing. I have a hard time sitting still and combing over footage. I'm notoriously disorganized (in a way that works in pre and doesn't in post somehow) and scatter-brained. By the time we are through production, my brain is jonesing for another project. I'm lucky that I now have a team that makes post-production enjoyable - I get to watch the cuts and go over notes and build the movie from a little more of a distance and get to trust a skilled craftsman to bring something to the project that I never would have been able to.
Me: With plenty of short films early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to feature-film projects?
AN: Oddly enough, I think I may have made more features than shorts at this point! Shorts are a great way to learn the economy of the story though. You really have to lean it out to its bare essentials. We should be doing this with features too - no fluff, just the story and everything that serves it.
Me: When writing a new project, what's the one fall-back tactic that you're always able to draw inspiration from?
AN: If the idea I have is worth pursuing yet there are aspects of it that aren't working during the writing process, I know that I have a team of three producers (Jon Balanoff, Adam McDonald, and Jay Voishnis) who I can send the script to and talk it out with. They rarely have the answer but what they do have is their instincts, feelings, etc that can really steer me in the right direction. It makes getting that first draft of a script out so much easier, knowing that "this scene feels off" will be figured out with this trustworthy group of producers/friends.
Me: That brings us to your latest project, "Round the Decay." What can you tell us about the film?
AN: Well, it's a horror movie! It's about a young woman named Kenzie who comes back to the sleepy, tourist town Newport's Valley, years after a tragedy. Along the way, she bonds with an eclectic group of outsiders and they uncover a secret that the town has had since its creation back in the late 1600s. We've got an awesome ensemble cast lead by Victoria Mirrer but also featuring Damian Maffei, Sienna Hubert-Ross, Melody Kay, Roger Clark, Rachel Pizzolato, and a lot of other talented folks.
I don't want to say a whole lot more because I want everybody to check this movie out! But I will say that, boiled down to the simplest terms, it's a monster movie.
Me: Where did the inspiration for the film come from? Were there any unique stories about its conception?
AN: It's so hard to say at this point because it's a story that came from an idea that morphed and morphed. Years ago, I wrote a script called Memoria on the basis of the same lead character and a crew of misfits around her. It was something that was more Lovecraftian back then. Victoria Mirrer was who I had imagined as the lead, because I just think the world of her, and I had originally wanted her to play a set of twins!
The idea shifted and changed dramatically along the way and stayed lodged in the back of my mind. After finishing up with our last project, Everwinter Night, I was in Wales visiting my mother and I was itching to tell another story and so I revisited the old notes. By the end of the trip, I had mapped out the entire story on notecards. It spilled out after years of marinating and it wrapped up the emotional aspects of what had recently transpired in my life.
Me: With a cast of experienced and talented indie actors, how'd you settle on the cast getting involved in the film? What characteristics did you look for with each performer that they brought to the table that helped bring the production to light?
AN: Oh boy, I could go all day on this one. I'll try to be brief.
As mentioned before, I think the world of Victoria Mirrer. As I was writing the character, I started thinking less and less that she was going to be a fit. But then Victoria read for the part and it was over. It's one of the things that I love the most about her - every time I think that I've seen her at her best, she proves me wrong, showing that what I've seen in the past is only a fraction of her talents. She's a beautiful performer whose face is worthy of 100,000 words, which is so crucial for our lead, which is very internal.
I saw Sienna Hubert-Ross performing her comedy on stage and she has a voice that screams "I've been through the mud" which fits her character perfectly. I've seen Damian Maffei in half a dozen movies and he often played very serious roles (because of that great, even but stern voice he has) but I thought he could play a character that was a little more fun, with a little bit of dark comedy. He has a natural swagger too which is just something that you have or you don't. Please don't tell him - we don't want him to become aware of it!
Adam Weppler is an actor who I saw play such a wide variety of roles in the productions with our friends at Mainframe (She Came From The Woods, Founders Day, Long Lost) and I knew that I had to work with him in some capacity. Phil Duran is somebody I had spoken to for a long time about working with and we finally made it happen. Melody Kay was in one of my favorite childhood movies (Camp Nowhere) and it was awesome to be a part of her comeback to the big screen. Rachel Pizzolato is a lot of athletic energy, which was abundantly clear from watching her all over social media, and we knew that it would be something that she could imbue into our monster!
I love working with people like Jamie Dufault, Alexis Safoyan, and Cary Hite. These are all actors who I have worked with several times in the past and they are chameleons.
We were lucky enough to be introduced to Roger Clark, the voice of one of the most important characters in video game history, and that's when we learned of what his actual voice sounds like. And it was so perfect for his character who really establishes the tone of our story early.
Sorry about the run-on. I love these performers.
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
AN: It's hard for me to say what the set was like because I'm the one (along with my incredible producers) who tries to set the mood and tone of what the shoot will be like. I don't get to decide what the actual experience is. But what I hope it is, is a set where people feel safe and feel like they can have fun. I try to keep it laid back, even when it's stressful. I can speak to my producers at the very least, who are the warmest, most thoughtful humans in existence. I can't stress how often I'd hear:
"Where's Jay?!" in regards to executive producer Jay Voishnis
"Is Jon going to be here this weekend?" in regards to producer Jon Balanoff
"I miss OA" in regards to producer Adam McDonald
So, I know that they are treating the cast and crew right when we hear the warmth in these questions. We have called ourselves The Merry Band and we hope that when somebody steps on our set, they feel like they're a part of that adventuring team for a short time. Being thru the horrors of production bonds us to all, so that at least, if we see each other across the room in the future, we can give a tip of a cap to say "Remember? We survived the war together."
I will say that the weather during the shoot was incredibly rude to us. I had written this with the expectation that we would be well on our way to spring weather. On day 3 of the shoot, it snowed with bitter winds keeping the temperature under 20 degrees. That was not pleasant. We shot at Ruggles Mine in Grafton, NH for the last week of principal photography. The Producers joke that we left part of ourselves in that mine. It is an absolutely stunning location but it's also difficult to get gear into, to trek down at night, and to deal with the melting snow creating little rivers of freezing water that soaked our shoes. We had to set up heating stations in three separate locations. We were eating meals by the heat of a pellet stove. This all sounds romantic and maybe it is in hindsight but it was trying, to say the least.
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
AN: My producers constantly make me laugh, which makes being on set all the more tolerable. During a bout of delirium, an inside joke was formed amongst us that was so intense, that it knocked us to our knees in laughter, with at least one of us pounding the ground, tears streaming.
Topher Hansson, the AD of the project, is known for his hilariously blunt responses to things. Victoria
has always made me laugh at how strange she can be and the odd character voices that she will break
into. Damian walking into a room can be hilarious. I have no idea how else to explain this.
I will say that there is a blooper featuring Damian and a bottle cap that is an all-time highlight. I won't go deep into it, to not embarrass him. There was also a moment when Victoria and Sienna had to grab a set of keys in the story and then rush to lock a door. The comedy of them obtaining these keys and getting to the door was in line with Benny Hill. If you don't follow us on Instagram (@dreamscapeproductionsllc) you should, if nothing else, for the video proof of this sequence.
Me: Based on this experience compared to your previous work, how have you seen your skills as a filmmaker evolve over your career?
AN: I need to believe I'm getting better and stronger as the years go on. I learn the things we can and can't get away with. I'm always learning how much leaner a story can be and how smart an audience is - How oftentimes a look will go further than a page of monologue.
The hardest thing to get over was being a control freak. I am terrified of not being in control of things. But I have learned over these years to trust the craftsmen we have on set - they are so much better than I am. And everybody brings something unique to the table and to the story. Trust that their experiences will enrich the material.
Me: What are you hoping to achieve with the film’s impending release?
AN: I want people to watch it. It may be the hardest part of all of this. There's so much content, there's so much to do, that catching a movie can be difficult, or even knowing of a movie's existence can be a miracle. Beyond that, I hope that the movie elicits emotions from an audience. I want people to feel things - fear, enjoyment, excitement, sadness, etc. It would be awesome for people to think they just saw a cool, new monster, but more so that they were engaged in the emotional arcs of the characters.
We all dream of it becoming a classic and all that jazz. But that's beyond our control. Once the movie is released, it's for the audience.
Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers? Thank you again for your time!
AN: Dreamscape Productions has a lot on the horizon!
We are developing a feature called Dark Roast, which will be written and directed by Topher Hansson. We have a Western comedy that we are looking to put together down the road called Sticks & Bones. We have a couple larger budget movies too that we hope to get to down the line - a thriller and an adventure movie that I can't give a lot of details about yet. And, of course, I'm always writing my own stuff. I'm working on a script called Let's All F*** at the Cabin, which is a unique spin on the home invasion movie. Think Shotgun Stories meets Straw Dogs.
I can't wait for you all to see "Round The Decay!" Thank you so much for taking the time to ask all these great questions!
Comments
Post a Comment