Adam (2019)
Director: Gemma Paul
Writer: Gemma Paul
Starring: Warren Hicks, Tim Faraday, Nina Wells
Adam, a re-animated being with a tortured soul seeks out his creator when the pursuit of his mate ends disastrously.
In a new interview in the series leading up to Horror-on-Sea Film Festival, I got a chance to ask Adam Writer-Director Gemma Paul a few questions about what we can expect from the film.
Q. Your film Adam has been selected to play at Horror-on-Sea. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
Adam is something a little different to the other indie British horror out there. For a start there is no blood in it, a bit of violence but that’s it. It focuses more on the romanticized element of the horror genre, paying particular focus to the relationships of the individuals we encounter.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
The film itself is a tribute piece dedicated to one of my favourite horror characters of all time; The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). I knew when writing it that I wanted to make the film black and white in the final edit and to highly stylise it. I’m lucky enough to have a DOP who literally paints with light and he knew exactly how to create the right kind of look with his lights.
Q. How did you come up with the concept for the film writing the script for Adam?
I honestly don’t know where my concepts come from. I just get an idea and vision pop into my head and as I start to write the script that concept develops and evolves. It may not be the best process…. But its working so far for me.
Q. Where there any elements of the original script which were adapted during filming?
Yes. But more so during editing. There was originally a montage sequence, which we did film, but when it came to the edit, it just didn’t seem to work. It interrupted the flow of the story too much, so we cut it out entirely.
During filming it was more some of the dialogue. I find that actors can change the way a line reads slightly and make it flow better when read out loud, so all actors were encouraged to ad-lib slightly but while still sticking to the main premise and feel of the script and its lines.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
The biggest issue we had during filming was temperature. We filmed the indoor scenes in October in a massive warehouse with no heating. And then again in November, for the outdoor scenes… which were in the middle of the night, in a graveyard on top of a hill hit by immense wind! So keeping the actors warm, especially our Bride of Frankenstein, who wore thin dresses, nice and cosy was our biggest issue.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments whilst making the film?
Watching the set come together. I honestly didn’t think we could make an 1800s style Frankenstein lab with no money… but we did. Thanks in large part to my fellow producer David Rogers, who called in a few favours, and also to my Dad who provided us with the warehouse to use as a set FOC. The warehouse has an internal crane which we were able to use to raise the Bride of Frankenstein up, creating a great effect without using computers.
Q. What makes Adam stand out as something different in the horror genre?
Adam is different to the current stuff on the horror market because it isn’t about the gore. A lot of modern horror is about the gore, Adam is about the human spirit and what lengths someone will go to for those they love.
Q. What do you hope people will take away after watching the film?
I hope people, especially those who have not seen any 1930’s horror classics, will be inspired to go out and watch some, and to learn more about where horror has evolved from.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
I am focusing primarily on concept creation and writing at the moment. I work closely with several people in the US, including my new writing mentor whose most recent script has just started filming with Neve Campbell. I have a couple of features I am in the process of developing, thriller based, and a couple of TV shows which are gaining some interest from the market, which is super exciting but keeping me nice and busy.
Q. If someone was looking to direct their own film what advice would you give them?
Watch and learn as much as you can, especially about shot framing and angles. Listen to people around you who are more experienced than you, these people can help you create magic. Plan well, and don’t rush. Make sure you go in knowing what it is you want to accomplish and what you want to show. Also know that Directing isn’t for everyone, it is a lot more stressful than people make out it is. But ultimately, if you have the passion and drive, then just give it a try and see what happens.
You can see my original review of Adam here:
Adam will be playing at Horror-on-Sea on Sunday 12th January at 15:00 hrs
You can find out more about Horror-on-Sea and purchase tickets for the festival 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!
