#MurderSelfie - a Comedy-Horror Kickstarter Project

The team of Confine is at it again. Director Tobias Tobbell explores the theme of home invasion once more but from the comedy angle this time. The story is directly based on Tobbell's misfortune. The indie director was held at knife-point in his South East London apartment by an intruder who stole his most precious possession: his smartphone! "I think the worst part of the experience was how lost I felt without my phone, my life-line, and kind of hated and marveled at the power social media had over my life", Tobbell admitted. 

The incident contributed to inspire a short comedy-horror movie starring Bad Education’s Nikki Runeckles as the young, smartphone-obsessed female lead. When masked intruders break in and enter her property, her addiction to social media takes a whole new level...

Social media isn't only the center of the plot, it's also a tool used by Tobbell to produce the movie. You can support his project on Kickstarter for another 12 days and even choose the final mask that the bad guys will wear.

Obsessed by horror, comedy or social media? You can support the team at #MurderSelfie !

Terry and Brenda: Interview with Writer/Director Jamie Hooper

Jamie Hooper shooting Terry and Brenda

Read my first interview with Jamie about his short movie Plastic Love!

The Squeerelist - It's great to have you back with another movie and witness the evolution of your work. Actors Tim Blackwell and Debra Baker starred in Plastic Love and are now Terry and Brenda. In both films you've challenged them to play unusual kinky characters. In Terry and Brenda your characters are much more twisted. How challenging is it for you to get your actors to fill those kinky and messed-up shoes?

Jamie Hooper - Finding actors who are so open and willing to do weird things on camera is very difficult. Luckily for me, Tim and Debra are both actors that enjoy pushing themselves and exploring strange characters. Obviously it also helps that I've worked with them before and they trust me as a director. I had such a fun time making Plastic Love that I wrote Terry and Brenda with Tim and Debra in mind, thankfully they got the dark humour in the script and were excited to be part of the film. To be honest, if they hadn't wanted to do it I probably wouldn't have made it as I don't think it would've worked as well with anyone else. From my experience the darker and weirder the script the more fun it is for everyone on set. It's important to me that everyone involved is having fun and enjoying the work, otherwise what's the point? I think Tim and Debra know by now that they'll at least have fun working on my films.

Do Debra and Tim bring more to the characters you created or do they stay true to your screenplay?

The film is 100% faithful to the script. By that I mean every scene and line of dialogue that was in the script is in the film, that doesn't mean the actors don't contribute anything though. The interpretation of the characters is completely down to Tim and Debra, and I'm constantly surprised and amazed at the choices they make with my material. I usually have a very distinct idea of what I want from a scene or how a particular line of dialogue should be delivered but I'm more than happy to go in the opposite direction if an actor does something that's more interesting, which Tim and Debra regularly do.

Where do you find inspiration for characters and stories like these?

I find inspiration from anywhere and everywhere. With Terry and Brenda it came from reading a lot about serial killers, but more specifically couple serial killers, which I find fascinating. How do two people meet each other and at some point begin killing people? I think the most interesting thing to me is the dynamic of power within a relationship and how it can change a person. I like to explore the innate weirdness in people.

Your movies focus on sexuality, fantasies and kinks. In your next projects will you still draw from that bottomless well of inspiration or will you take another direction?

I'm not sure what my next project will be. I'm currently writing several scripts, some much weirder than others, so who knows? My overriding constant is a desire to tell different stories about strange but very human characters, usually with a dark and twisted sense of humour. I'm a big fan of things like Julia Davis' Nighty Night and Christopher Morris' Brass Eye, which are perfect examples of my sense of humour and the tone I try to achieve with each film.

Can we expect to see more of Tim, Debra or even Lucy Hutchinson (who plays the daughter of Terry and Brenda) in your next films?

It entirely depends on what my next film is and whether they are appropriate to the characters and story. I'd certainly love to work with all three of them again at some point. It's tremendously exciting to collaborate with talented people in all aspects of filmmaking.

Plastic Love was selected for the Cannes festival. Any expectations or idea on the fate of Terry and Brenda?

It's always really difficult to know how a film will be received. I'm hoping Terry and Brenda will play at certain festivals and that audiences will enjoy it. More than anything I'm just happy to have made the film exactly how I wanted it, which is quite rare with low/no budget filmmaking.

You've only directed short films so far. Do you have any plans on making a feature film?

The only reason I've stuck to short films so far is that all my films are entirely self-funded, and I can't afford to fund an entire feature. That being said I never say never and hopefully at some point I'll make a feature film. I'm currently developing Terry and Brenda into a feature script so you might see more of their adventures in the future.

Terry and Brenda (2014)

Love and Marriage

Jamie Hooper is coming back with a short film about what seems to be a tame middle-class couple at first. We soon discover that Terry and Brenda are kinky for better or worse. Hooper continues his work on fetishes and brings it to a new extreme. Debra Baker and Tim Blackwell are reunited as Terry and Brenda after both playing in Plastic Love and got more deranged characters to explore the second time around. The movie also stars the young Lucy Hutchinson as the daughter of the sordid couple. The best part about Jamie's movies is that he works with actors we can relate to. They're middle-aged and could be anyone's neighbors. When they do get creepy, this is what makes is so realistically scary. The intense rhythmic visuals that you could expect from Hooper and the performances are equally delightful. 

1 reason to watch: it's everything you could expect. And more.

Read my interview with Director/Writer Jamie Hooper here!

Terry and Brenda - Teaser Trailer from Jamie Hooper on Vimeo.

Only Love: Interview with Animation Director Lev Polyakov

Lev Polyakov

The Squeerelist - Your short movie Only Love treats harsh and violent topics to a background of goofy characters and light-hearted tunes. What is the message you’re trying to send by making those 2 opposite worlds run into each other?

Lev Polyakov - Goofy characters turn out to be the most dangerous... Even the goofy guard because of his earnest love towards the dictator. I chose light-hearted music that seems to contrast with the gruesome things that occur on screen, to give another angle from which all the violence can be viewed... Instead of casting pity on a particular side with the aid of serious music, the sillier music makes both sides and their grand desires look equally ridiculous.

You came to New York City at an early age with your parents who immigrated as Jewish refugees. Your movie is set in a totalitarian regime with strong authoritarian figures. How much of this story is based on your personal family experience?

My great-grandparents and grandparents were among those who were either killed or sent to concentration camps during Stalin’s reign of terror. My parents, especially my mom, also endured a relative amount of punishment during the Soviet Union.

As a child you tried out acting then turned to the animation field of this Film industry you seem to be fascinated with. Why the change of heart and the choice of a less traditional filmmaking specialty?

For me, acting, directing films, drawing, and writing, are all pretty interrelated. While it takes time to learn how to do each well, the knowledge from doing one are a bit like college credits that end up counting in any of these other accredited universities. Now, for example, I’m going to be directing a live action film, but I’ll never close my mind to doing any of the above mentioned things.

You seem to be very attached to a somewhat traditional drawing technique and seem to avoid Computer-Generated Imagery. What is the reason for this commitment?

The thing is, I have no commitments. I do what I feel like at the moment and what suits the story.

There is a recurring character in your movies – this little hamster seen in your music video My Heart Belongs to You. I feel like there is a story behind this, can you tell us more?

After being inspired by Colin Huggins’s amazing song for the video, I thought about a dictator who lived all cramped up in the teacher’s cage who ends up dreaming about falling in love with her, but it wasn’t appropriate, so ended up going with his pet.

Dreams and nightmares are at the core of your movies. Are those a fear, an obsession of yours or simply a source of inspiration?

I don’t have much nightmares, but I get lots of inspiration from the occasional day-mare:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q4VoLC3GtM

Any advice you want to share with the indie animators out there ?

Don’t lose your sense of humor.

Find out more about Lev's projects at:  levpolyakov.com

Plastic Love: Interview with Writer/Director/Editor/Producer Jamie Hooper

Jamie Hooper writing Plastic Love

The Squeerelist - You wrote, directed, edited and produced Plastic Love. Taking control of the entire production seems to be ideal to stay true to your message and your style. It can also be a double-edged sword, as you may not have enough external perspective on your work. Can you tell us about your process to avoid being trapped in self-criticism?

Jamie Hooper - Pretty much the only reason I took on all those roles is because I self financed the film and couldn’t afford to pay people to do it. I generally write, direct and edit my films as I love those three aspects of filmmaking. I think it’s good for directors to know how to edit as it makes them much more efficient with their shot selection and coverage. If I could never produce again it’d be too soon, I’d love to find a like-minded producer who I could collaborate with.

Everything in a film has to push the story forward so if doesn’t do that it has to go. I think I’m a fairly brutal editor and I try not to get too precious with my own footage. If something can be removed and the story still flows then it gets removed. Due to the nature of how Plastic Love was made I had a long time in post production, which gave me chance to leave the film and not think about if for a few weeks, then come back to it with fresh eyes and a clean perspective. If I ever feel I need outside perspective I’ll just show a film to some trusted friends for their constructive feedback. 

The core topic of your movie is sexuality but you cleverly chose not to display any nudity. Was it a personal commitment or a precaution for your movie not to be segregated from the market?

The only reason there’s no nudity in the film is because it wasn’t necessary to tell the story. I was already asking my actors to do some fairly extreme things so adding nudity into the mix was just completely unnecessary. If you can portray something without showing it I always find it’s much more effective. People’s imaginations are generally much better than anything you can ever show them. For instance as soon as you see the monster in a horror film it tends to lose all tension as it gives the danger a face, and that face is pretty much never as scary as what we have in our heads. If I can tell a story about sexuality and fetishes without showing any nudity then I don’t see any need to include it, that would turn the film into titillation and I wanted to completely avoid that.

What went through your mind when Plastic Love got selected to screen at Cannes?

I was elated. Cannes is such a prestigious festival that it can only help to be mentioned in the same sentence. My company, Fingercuff, had two films at Cannes this year, so it was especially exciting.

Your style clearly stands out from what most theaters dare to offer. You choose to explore people’s darkest side and desires. Do you want to reach a specific target or do you place yourself as a mind-opener of the broad audience?

I never really have a specific target audience in mind for my films. I make the films I want to make because the subject interests me or I have a lingering idea that won’t go away. Plastic Love is a very adult film dealing with adult topics and if some people decide not to watch it for those reasons that’s entirely their choice. Obviously I want as many people to see my film as possible but I’m fully aware the subject matter isn’t for everyone.

Some people often mistake movies about sex for pornography. Do you have a message for them?

If people genuinely do that I think it says more about them than anything else. You don’t have to show explicit footage to explore sexuality, just like you don’t need to show gore for a film to be scary. Pornography is purely made to arouse and for sexual gratification. I would class Plastic Love as ribaldry.

Is Europe the sacred land for controversial filmmakers?

That’s a difficult question to answer, to be honest I have no idea. From my experience European cinema tends to explore a wider range of controversial subjects than say American cinema does. Saying that, there are plenty of American filmmakers who explore dark and controversial subjects; unfortunately for them they’re at the mercy of the MPAA (i.e. Motion Picture Association of America). I think in Europe we might be slightly more open to watching films about sexuality, which seems to be a big no-no in America.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with aspiring filmmakers?

I don’t really feel like I’m in a position to give advice. Filmmaking is such a weird and malleable art it can be approached in so many different ways. It sounds clichéd but if you want to make a film just go and make it, there’s really no excuse not to these days. Make films that interest you and not what you think people want to see. Be true to yourself.

More on Plastic Love and Jamie Hooper's projects at http://www.jamhoop.com/

Plastic Love (short film - 2012)

Next Time Do It Harder

Plastic Love is a very British short movie about strange fetishes, death, and relationships. When I say very British, I mean that barely no one else could produce such a controversial work that is both funny and disturbing. The first contact I had with this project was through the teaser video and I obviously thought of Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. But Plastic Love is not about non-consensual sex, it's about dealing with  fantasies and their consequences in a relationship. Even if it's consensual, it doesn't mean it's not dangerous. The 4 main characters are embracing their darkest desires and their performance is absorbing. The brilliant original score composed by Martin Dubka makes me feel like I am in a Refn movie in which the characters are clearly more uninhibited. Dubka is the new Cliff Martinez. I particularly enjoy the use of intense close-ups to help me connect with the characters deepest emotions and sensations. I also appreciate that no nudity is shown as it is not necessary to the plot. You will enter Jamie Hooper's mind with an undefinable slow-motion world of peculiarity. His film is an emotional and perceptual tale on modern love, death, and sexuality. 

1 reason to watch: unleash your urges

Read my interview of Writer/Director/Editor/Producer Jamie Hooper!

Plastic Love - Teaser Trailer from Jamie Hooper

Plastic Love - Trailer