Film Name: Yellow
Director: Darren James King
Writer: Darren James King
Starring: Ayvianna Snow, Cameron Bell, Michelle MacRae
A troubled man, whose existence has led him to form an unorthodox friendship, fulfills his nightly needs.
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds leading up to the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival, I got a chance to ask writer-director Darren James King a few questions about his short film ‘Yellow‘.
Yellow has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on Sunday 14th January at 10am.
Q. Your film Yellow has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. The audience can expect a very uncomfortable watch, hopefully!
It’s a piece that’s meant to force your eyes onto the screen and offer no way out. It doesn’t shy away or hide behind a cut. It’s a deliberate piece of work that hopefully can evoke some sort of emotion and I believe that my aim as a filmmaker is to make the audience feel something.
Q. What were some of your influences when writing the script for Yellow?
A. My main influence, albeit subtly, is the history of Jack The Ripper. The historical intrigue of who this infamous monster was is very interesting to me, who is he and why and the big questions being asked today and I just wanted to create a scenario that emulate that in a way.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. I didn’t take any conscious influence in the story, I just wanted something dark! Looking at how the film has turned out I can see pieces from ‘The Joker (2019) ’
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. For me there are always changes going on, right from the beginning of the script development right up until the final version is locked. On the day of filming there were some minor tweaks to the scripts like dialogue cuts and navigating obstacles that we all find when making films, which does make things interesting!
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. In complete contrast to the nature of ‘Yellow’ we didn’t fail to have a good time on the shoot day. There a really tight, family oriented team who were full of hard work and laughter. Complete dedication from the cast and crew who gave 100% to pull off this one day, intense shoot. Just me being a part of the experience was the best for me.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. There were a few little issues on the day, the main aspect was technical, there was an attachment that wasn’t working properly and we had to spend a fair amount of time fixing it, our talented DoP and 1st AC (Tom Laxton and Tom Eames) sorted it!
Q. What makes Yellow stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. I don’t think that ‘Yellow’ really gets away from normal horror attributes to be honest because that wasn’t really my intention. My intention was to create characters that the audience could ultimately believe in and get lost in and to even feel like they were there in the room at times! In all the madness of the story the device of the budgie YELLOW is interesting because the only witness to the events of the film is dead!
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. I hope the audience can appreciate the intensity of the film. It was a big ask from the actors to get that level of power across on the screen and I think both Cameron and Ayvianna definitely do that. As a filmmaker I don’t pretend, dilute or pollute, I lay a story in front on an audience and let THEM decide, right or wrong, good or bad. It’s all up for their own discussions, plus I try and make it entertaining along the way!
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. I’m working on several shorts and feature films, I’m always on the go with ideas and writing. I’m actually seeking finance for some projects that I have ready to go.
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. My advice for anyone starting off in acting would be simply this, invest in yourself, stop talking and start doing. Let go of the fears, they’ll always be there!
The truth is no one is going to make your dream come true because it’s YOUR dream. You can wait for it and you may be waiting for some time, it may never come. If it means something to you it will only happen by your hands, so be your own director/dictator, whichever one takes your fancy! I’ve learnt over the years to not lay my happiness in the hands of someone else.
Yellow has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on Sunday 14th January at 10am.
You can find out more about the festival and purchase tickets here
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
