An upcoming director with a solid background behind him, Paul Bukoskey has lent his talents to several impressive projects so far, with his projects coming together to give him a strong start to his career. Now, with the release of his latest project, "#Vymara," I talk with him about his early interest in filmmaking, the making of the movie, and upcoming projects.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general? What films or books specifically got you into watching horror movies?
Paul Bukoskey: I’ve been a fan of horror for as long as I can remember. I was obsessed with movies from a very young age. I used to go to the library just to flip through the horror section because the covers terrified me – which, in turn, made me want to understand why, even if I couldn't articulate that at the time. Saw had a massive impact on me, as did American Horror Story, along with two films that aren’t strictly horror: The Dark Knight and Prisoners. In their own unique ways, every single one of them helped shape my perspective as a filmmaker.
Me: When did you first discover a passion for filmmaking? Were you always interested in the creative arts growing up?
PB: I actually used to write a lot growing up – ever since I was about 8/9 – and while visiting family recently, they pulled out some of the old books I wrote back then. They are just absolute bloodbaths. Looking back, you can tell I was already building my portfolio in this genre from an early age. There are also a few Jackass-style remakes floating around on an old flip camera from when I was a kid that I shot with some friends.
My parents were pretty strict about video games and wouldn't even let me have an Xbox or PS2 until I was older. To get my fix, I wrote instead. I’m honestly so grateful for that limitation because it forced me to tap into my own creativity. Once I got to college and finally had access to real cameras and equipment, that’s when things really opened up.
Me: Having worked on various aspects of film production, do you have any particular preference for working on any?
PB: At West Key Studios, we develop and executive produce films, TV series, and docs. Of course I’m also a writer & director. I’d zoom out further to say I particularly enjoy the process of putting all of the pieces together to create the thing.
Me: When writing a new project, what's the one fallback tactic that you're always able to draw inspiration from?
PB: It’s dependent on what inspo will best serve the project. I’ll say one of my favorite exercises is that if I'm hitting a bit of a writer's block or unable to articulate a scene to the extent I’m attempting to, I’ll read prolific screenplays from the past, and it works. Every Single Time.
Me: Having worked on short films and music videos early in your career, what tools and skills did you acquire working on those that transferred to future film projects?
PB: How to communicate and how to collaborate. Also learning from failing, with lower stakes (thankfully).
Me: That brings us to your latest project, “#Vymara.” What can you tell us about the film?
PB: Desperate to stay relevant, four washed-up content creators livestream their search for a missing YouTuber linked to a chilling conspiracy video. As they venture deep into the woods in hopes of a fantastical herb, answers and clicks, they uncover something sinister... proving not all content is meant to go viral.
The film features real creators: Cvnela, Wendigoon, Loey Lane, Carrington Bornstein (swagnightmare), Chuck Yourmovie_guy412, Horror Chronicles, Coffeehouse Crime, and Christopher Kiely.
Me: Where did the inspiration for the film come from? Were there any unique stories about its conception?
PB: Inspo came from every single time I opened my phone LOL. Also – Chronicle is one of my favorite movies across any genre, and Grave Encounters 2 is one of my top horror films. When it came to the horror and visual style, I wanted to find a fresh, modern approach to found footage. In the era of livestreams and digital content, there are so many new visual ways and formats to tell that story. I wanted to capture the look and feel of social media and livestreams to get the audience to commit to the world, using a two-camera setup: one cleaner, more cinematic frame, and a rougher, muddier camera to put the audience directly in a character’s shoes so it feels intimate and personal. I pulled inspiration from a mix of classic found footage films, horror in general, YouTube content, and social media to bring those two styles together. Narratively, online lore like Skinwalkers and other cryptids inspired me to dive (VERY) deep into the lore behind our antagonists.
On the comedy side, I’m a massive Will Ferrell fan, and I feel like audiences today really miss that absurdist, almost parodic (at times) sense of humor (at least I do). When building the characters and dialogue, I leaned heavily into that style of comedy. Honestly, it was a total buffet of material because the creators who inspired the film literally talk just like the characters do.
Me: With the gluttony of ‘influencer culture’ genre fare coming out recently, what did you want to ensure with this project to help make it stand out from other films with a similar concept or target character types?
PH: Authenticity and the angle. Re: authenticity, one of my main priorities was developing a unique way to tell the story through modern digital formats so it felt singular and fresh, and developing characters that accurately depicted today’s chronically online creator culture, without pulling punches. It’s a fun, self-aware movie packed with absurdist comedy and grotesque scares – we know exactly what we are and who our audience is. Also, bringing in the real leading creators who operate at the highest level in online culture was vital to ensuring the narrative felt grounded in reality. It’s those meta layers that make this a real love letter to the current online digital landscape and something I hope audiences can really connect with. I was constantly trying to one-up myself with how to make the film or a scene feel more meta. Plus, I just want to call out that for the real creators, I didn’t script their parts in the film. I provided an outline of the narrative beats but wanted their genuine voices to be heard. I think one big flaw of Trad Hollywood working with creators is that they try to insert themselves too much. I’m not the creator; why would I know how to best tell the story in their voice?
Alongside our conspiracy campaign and ARG, the goal was never just to deliver a standard movie file. Instead, we focused on building an original piece of IP that lives natively across every screen our target demo touches: theatrical, streaming, Reddit, Discord, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and beyond.
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 in each performer that they brought to the table that helped bring the production to light?
PH: You’ve got to be able to hang. My approach as director was a lot like directing a stage play. I’d say the film was about 85% scripted and 15% a tight, detailed scene outline built with the sole intention of letting the actors play.
So, on set, that’s a very different style. From an actor POV, I needed to make sure we had actors who had great chemistry with each other, would be light on their feet, and adaptable in the environment. Each role required a wide range of acting capabilities as well, and I’m incredibly thankful to have had the opportunity to work with each of our talented actors, and couldn’t be more proud of those performances.
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
PH: We had a $115K budget, a 10-day shoot, and nearly 97% of those days were overnights, so things were definitely tight. Naturally, there were stressful moments – just like on any film – but our cast and crew were absolute rockstars. What made it so special was that everyone genuinely believed in the project and was excited to show up and dive in. The cast had such phenomenal chemistry that you could physically feel it on set. It was electric. You’d regularly see people, myself included, covering their mouths during takes just to keep from laughing out loud. On the flip side, our SFX head, Robert Bravo, did such an incredible job with the practical effects that cast and crew members literally had to look away at times. Honestly, that was just as gratifying to see.
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
PH: One day they literally had to set up video village in another room because I couldn’t stop laughing.
Me: What do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?
PH: Be Prepared. Be Present. Listen. Drink Large Amounts of Caffeine.
Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you’d like to share with our readers? Thank you for your time!
PH: At West Key Studios, we have a number of projects in the works, including a TV Series we’re about to start filming, an insane documentary feature we’re in post on, and now steering back into another script I previously wrote to begin formal development/pitching!
Comments
Post a Comment