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Interview with filmmaker Jesse O’Brien – Two Heads Creek

mv5bmgq1owjmmwqtntk5zs00mzu0lwi0ntgtn2y4mwe1mgjjmje1xkeyxkfqcgdeqxvymduzntkynw-_v1_uy268_cr30182268_al_Below is my interview with filmmaker Jesse O’Brien as we chat about his new horror/comedy, TWO HEADS CREEK. To hear my podcast interview with writer Jordan Waller click here

Matt Mungle: Your previous work has been mainly in the sci-fi arena. With this film you take on the horror comedy. Both of these genres have die-hard fans. Which do you think are the hardest to win over? Or the ones most critical?

Jesse O’Brien: It’s funny because a few people asked why I was taking on this film, since my own scripts and previous material is often very serious. But, like many filmmakers, I learned by making little comedy video skits. So, it was great to be on set with that feeling again…actually generating bloopers and laughing with your cast and crew. In terms of the audience, comedy is harder. Because in drama, there are emotional truths that can be objectively more relatable. With comedy, it’s so subjective. So not everybody is going to pick up what you’re putting down.

Most horror films follow a formula and template depending on the story they are telling. The viewer sort of knows what is coming and it is the journey that is so much fun. I enjoyed how THC teased us a lot when it came to the carnage. Then when it arrives it is a non-stop assault on the senses. Some of that can be script but a lot is interpretation of how the scene should play out. What was your mindset when it came to “what to give the audience and when”?

When to reveal the gore was a big topic of discussion. It was difficult because the twist – that these villagers are cannibals – was set to be revealed later in the film, so what kind of violence and scares could we seed earlier without giving it away? We initially had an opening scene that involved a big, messy sausage explosion in the Polish Butcher shop. It covered all the funeral guests and was a big gross out comedic moment. But practically it wasn’t as spectacular as we’d hoped, and we decided that the best approach was to have a quaint, mysterious, almost nostalgic journey to Australia, which gets stranger and stranger, ultimately exploding all at once at our delightfully gnarly “Cannibal Karaoke”. It’s designed to come out of nowhere and, when it does, it’s such a joy to see audiences react.

screen-shot-2020-07-21-at-2-12-31-pmThe outdoor party that was part music video and full-on gore fest was one of my fave scenes to watch unfold. What were some of the hurdles in pulling that off so that it choreographed so well?

Yes, the aforementioned “Cannibal Karaoke”. This was filmed over two nights, smashing through as many shots as we could. We had a bunch of eager locals playing extras, patiently waiting their turn. Helen Dallimore was spectacular as our villainous glamour-glutton Apple, belting out what I think is an even better version of a classic Aussie rock song. The design brief I had in mind from the start was that this sequence needed to be just like a Disney musical number, but filmed in live-action, and, instead of confetti and streamers, it would be blood, guts and viscera. I think the reason it all works so well is because the joy and energy to the massacre is so absurd that it’s hard not to just laugh and go along with it.

The cast seemed to be having a blast with their characters. What advice would you give to new filmmakers in the indie realm when it comes to casting and finding the right fit for your characters? And do you prefer passion over experience? Or the combo of both?

Casting is literally the most important thing you can do. In indie films, it’s so easy to settle for whoever you can find or whoever you can afford. But it’s not something you should settle on. Good actors elevate your material, period. Experience doesn’t matter – David Adlam, who plays the ‘loveable’ bartender Eric, had never done a feature, but his audition tape was pitch perfect and it was an absolute pleasure directing him. On the other hand, Don Bridges, the foul-mouthed racist Uncle Morris, has been in a hundred films. It’s not about their experience but the electricity they bring to your scenes. And it also really helps if they’re people you enjoy working with. Because at the end of the shoot, you’re all going to be friends.

screen-shot-2020-07-21-at-2-13-17-pmObviously you must be proud of the entire process and outcome. Is there one scene, or interaction that you are most proud of? Maybe one that turned out fantastic on a day when everything was going wrong behind the camera?

There’s one moment, during an escape from the hotel, where one of our villagers smashes his fists through the front door glass, then pulls the whole door off its hinges. Like every day, we were rushing to get everything done, and when it came to film the glass punching, there were already problems. The sugar glass had been delivered to our rural location (six hours’ drive from the nearest major city), but one of the two sheets had arrived already cracked. They were extremely fragile. The other one was delicately put into place, and we knew we only had one shot to get it right. So we put two cameras on it, the actor punched clean through it, and we all cheered. As it turned out there was still a lot of glass hanging in the top part of the frame, so I had him head-butt the rest, which we also used in the edit. He was a guy who had never been on set, but he loved that kind of spontaneous play. And that moment summed up the playfulness of the whole shoot.

Now that you have blood under your nails will you stick with this for a while or head back to the world of sci-fi?

I’d love to do more comedy but my scripts are more serious, so I’m focusing on those projects. It’s not all sci-fi, I fact the next project is likely to be Holy Water, a gothic horror set in rural Scotland, with barely a laugh in it! I think after that shoot, if I’m lucky enough to come out of lockdown and actually film it, I’ll probably be in the mood for some laughs again. But that’s why filmmaking is so addictive. It’s not just making movies to me; it’s creating different worlds so you can visit them and play around in them. A bit of variety never hurt anyone.

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