Film Name: The Ghost Writer
Director: Paul Wilkins
Writers: Guy Fee and Paul Wilkins
Starring: Luke Mably, Andrea Deck, Brendon Patricks, Robert Portal
Struggling writer Gilliger Graham must produce a hit novel to save his career. Decamping to his old family home, where his father, once a very successful writer, died under mysterious circumstances, he stumbles across an old hidden manuscript – his father’s unfinished, last novel. He soon realises the novel is better than anything he can write himself and decides to plagiarise the book. Then, his real troubles begin…
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds, I got a chance to ask actress Paul Wilkins a few questions about the film ‘The Ghost Writer‘ which will be making its World Premiere at Arrow FrightFest on Sunday 28th August at 18:30hrs.
Q. Your film The Ghost Writer has been selected to play at the Arrow FrightFest Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. This is a psychological horror that hopefully will get people to reflect on the anxieties and internal pressures that sometimes take us into places that we wish we had never encountered or possibly even wished for. For one, the relentless pursuit of our goals can sometimes blind us to serious repercussions, but the paradox is as human beings we are innately seeking to find out who we really are. Sometimes that involves tests, serious reflection and uncomfortable confrontations. We are all marked by our family history and our own life experiences and Gillger Graham our protagonist is certainly put through the wringer here! I have been influenced by some classic films such as Polanski’s ‘Repulsion’, Jack Claytons, ‘The Innocents’, David Lynch, Dario Argento, and Kubricks ‘The Shining’ as well as more contemporary films like ‘It comes at Night and ‘It Follows,’ anything with an ‘It’ in it basically. So, I think those that enjoy psychological horror will respond best to this film.
Q. You co-wrote the script with Guy Fee. What was the process for you writing together and what were your influences for the script?
A. It was great working with Guy, we did challenge each other but you need that in order to create something worthwhile. Initially it was like a ping pong game throwing stuff backwards and forwards and then after I got into Director mode, I did some final tweaks and again in the edit things had to be re-shaped. Guy and I have talked about working together again so I guess that’s testament to the process and collaboration working well. We were influenced by a wide range of films and story-telling tropes and worked really hard to get the story beats and structure working alongside the development of the theme of avarice and tragedy and the layered slow burn into madness. The shining was a good reference as well as many other stories that take you into an inner mind in turmoil. ‘Don’t Look now’ and ‘The Wicker Man’ I recall we discussed a lot too.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. I worked hard with Robin Whenary our great DOP on this – we spent months exchanging ideas and references before sitting down to plan the shots and the overall aesthetic. We still share ideas and references taken from films we love today such as ‘Seconds’ by John Frankenheimer – not many people have seen that, but they should because its extraordinary. We looked at films both from the genre such as the aforementioned ‘It Follows’ and Polanski’s ‘Repulsion’, ‘The Tenant’ and of course ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ but also some of Fincher’s great work such as ‘Seven’ and even the ‘House of Cards’ to think about how we could use the camera to optimise a sense of discombobulation and play with the different timelines and as well as a sense of altered/constructed reality v actual reality. It was important to really get inside the character’s head as he slides into a spiral of madness.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. Some scenes had to be shortened and some of the dialogue changed but overall, we tried to shoot the script. There were much more changes made in post.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. The first two weeks went very well and because of our prep and planning we were really efficient at getting through the material – sometimes things you plan don’t always work but to shoot the shot lists and storyboards that we’d planned and see those ideas really play out was exciting. There is a life and death sequence that Gilliger Graham is faced with, and he attempts a very unusual way of trying to get out of it …that was a tricky scene to film but it really worked out, partly thanks to our planning and Luke Mably’s commitment to making it work.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. Filming was intense and wonderful at times and extremely challenging at others – it is never easy on a very low-budget film to try and realise an ambitious script. It was a tight shooting schedule and we lost one day through bad weather, and it can be very challenging for actors (and everyone) on a low-budget film when you have far too little time to finesse things never mind when you lose days off the schedule.
Q. What makes The Ghost Writer stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. I hope it stands out because of the underlying theme/s …this isn’t a film just about scares, in fact, it’s more about making you feel unnerved and perhaps encourages you to look within. It’s a slow burn with a fractured narrative that keeps you guessing but like all films that I love it’s always about something other than what you see….
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. I hope they think it was 90 minutes well spent and it comes back to haunt them!
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. I’m developing several Feature projects to direct including ‘Welcome to the Party’ about a destitute man who cons a young wealthy couple into signing over their house only to realise that he and his family have been drawn into a macabre and treacherous game. I also have more of a dark drama called ‘Hi’, about a middle-aged family man whose life gets turned upside down when he commits a seemingly innocuous faux pas. I am also producing a fantastic horror from the talented filmmaker Marcus Shepherd about a young couple who are asked to trade their baby in order to get on the property ownership ladder. Always looking for bold, intelligent and edgy writing talent or material to turn into great Features or TV series!
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. Plan plan plan…. write a great script first …. understand the tenets of great storytelling and refine and hone the script until there is no fat left on the bone. Then plan with your HOD’s, shot lists, storyboards and find out how your actors like to work – they all work differently and may have different expectations from you. Develop a space of trust with them and make sure they feel they have some ownership in what you are creating. It’s not just about the camera and the shots, the actors must come first. With that in mind, you must cast well and make sure everyone is there for the right reasons, crew included and that they want to make a great film and share your vision.
Try to get some sleep!
The Ghost Writer will be playing at the Arrow FrightFest Film Festival on Sunday 28th August at 18:30hrs
You can find out more about the festival and purchase tickets here: https://www.frightfest.co.uk/
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!
