Film Name: Follow Her
Director: Sylvia Caminer
Writer: Dani Barker
Starring: Dani Barker, Luke Cook, Mark Moses, Eliana Jones
Struggling actor and moderately successful live-streaming star Jess Peters has found her way into the zeitgeist. By secretly filming creepy interactions she encounters via online job listings, she uses the kinks and weirdness of others for Internet success. For her next episode she’s hired to write the ending of a screenplay, which leads her to a cabin in the woods with Tom, the self-proclaimed writer. But reading the script, Jess realises she is the main character and Tom is not who he seems… Brace yourself for twist after twist as this nimble social media thriller gets meta and better.
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds, I got a chance to ask director Sylvia Caminer a few questions about the film Follow Her which will be making its UK Premiere at Arrow FrightFest on Sunday 28th August at 21:00hrs
Q. Your film Follow Her has been selected to play at the Arrow FrightFest Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. Follow Her is a creepy erotic thriller that explores the dark side of social media and basing one’s success on followers and internet popularity. The two leads, Dani Barker and Luke Cook have pretty explosive chemistry and there are a lot of twists – hopefully, the film will keep everyone guessing and off balance.
Q. What attracted you to the script, which was written by Dani Barker?
A. The script had a lot going for it. I love character-driven films and this is all about taking a ride with the lead character, Jess. It is pure escapist fun but also (I hope) leaves the audience thinking. I really love exploring why people do morally questionable things and how/if they make amends with that and also how a typical person will respond under heightened circumstances. Plus throw in a female lead that doesn’t lie down, fights for her survival in bold ways and hell yeah sign me up.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. Early on I knew I wanted to add some Hitchcock twists. I really love how he raises the tension in a lot of his films by showing the viewer things ahead of the characters. I found a few places in the script to add this type of nod to the audience and get them more concerned for Jess. Other recent films I drew inspiration from aesthetically and in tension building were THE STRANGERS, IT FOLLOWS, DON’T BREATHE, 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE, and a whole lot more.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. Yes. Dani, who also plays the lead role of Jess, was very collaborative and open to pushing the boundaries of the script. We were basically tweaking the script throughout filming which does make things more challenging but I think it paid off. Luke Cook who plays Tom is an absolute master of improvisation and so he had fun embellishing his character.
We also shot the film in two parts – starting with the middle and the largest section of the film. This gave us the freedom to go back and tweak/re-write the beginning and ending. I loved having the ability to re-think moments in the very beginning and also the big twist at the end. We spent weeks discussing and improving on ideas and then Dani would go back and kill it with new pages.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. I had a lot of fun pulling crew members for little appearances in the film. I have been working with Michael Indjeian for about 7 years and really leaned on him as a producer of the film so I had a lot of fun placing him in a few scenes where you see him quite prominently. In one scene he is an Uber driver and is driving Jess around. We shot this with the main camera but the very last take was filmed with a GoPro from inside the car and so the only safe place for me to be was inside the trunk. So Michael, Dani, and I – the three producers of the film – drive away leaving the crew behind and I’m yelling direction from the trunk. It was one of those rare moments where there is very little pressure and you can sit back and enjoy the moment and laugh at the absurdity of making a film.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. Our first day of filming was a bit daunting… I had purposefully scheduled the first scene in the film where Jess and Tom meet outside in a park. This would give the art department another full day to dress the set plus It felt like such a safe way to start – outside, two actors and everyone would be getting to know each other. Of course, that is not what happened… 12 hours before filming was to begin, they started calling for major rain. The only set we could have ready in time was the bedroom – yep we would be starting with the erotic bedroom scene! A scene I had not at all prepared for as it was scheduled for the 2nd week, I had film scenes selected which I was going to review etc. I’ll never forget having to call the actors and tell them this was what we would be starting with. In hindsight, I actually think this was the best thing for the film! We were all thrown into the deep end and had to very quickly get comfortable and DIVE THE FRIG IN.
Q. What makes Follow Her stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. The main storyline is very relatable and you can actually imagine something similar happening to yourself or someone you know. I think this helps to keep the tension building. We also don’t employ jump scares – every moment is built on the intentions of the characters and are meaningful to their journey. And just when you think you may have figured things out it twists on you, there are a couple of really big surprises in the film which everyone comments on and doesn’t see coming.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. I hope they would think about who they are trusting online and how much time they are devoting to it. There is a loss of privacy in today’s world and the film suggests a path that is quite frightening.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. Dani and I always envisioned FOLLOW HER as a trilogy. I am really excited as we are going to write the next two scripts together and have already been working on Part 2. I am also super excited to direct the elevated horror film IT WALKS AMONG US, written by Will Davis. I am thrilled to be teaming up with producer David Higgins as he produced one of my favourite genre films, HARD CANDY, among many others. It is a character-driven film where the protagonist and antagonist are both searching for their identity and a way to fit in and feel included but the catch is that one of them is a literal monster.
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film, what advice would you give them?
A. Find a story they are really passionate about telling because they are going to be telling it for many years. Surround yourself with people whose artistic vision you really respect and can lean on. Find true collaborators, especially your DP, editor and Production Designer and spend time with them early on before the stress of filming so they truly understand the aesthetic you are going for and so you are all making the same film. I truly couldn’t have done this without my entire team! Also and maybe most importantly to accomplishing the film be sure to set absolute deadlines. We were always raising money but when we jumped off the cliff and locked dates we didn’t look back and the cash always somehow arrived. BE FLEXIBLE.
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!
