Film Name: Breakfast
Director: Shaun Munro
Writer: Shaun Munro
Starring: Shaun Munro
A day that begins like any other soon enough descends into chaos for one man as a supernatural force terrorises him while he tries to do the simplest of things – eat his damn breakfast.
In a new Exclusive Interview on Blazing Minds ahead of Horror-on-Sea I got a chance to ask Writer/Director Shaun Munro a few questions about the film ‘Breakfast‘
Breakfast will play at Horror-on-Sea on Saturday 11th January at 10.00am.
Q. Your film has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect?
A. I shot Breakfast with almost no money and no crew (save for my wife Dawn acting as an occasional camera operator!); it’s a DIY production through and through, but one that hopefully punches above its weight a little bit. I tried to focus my efforts on making the scenario intense, mysterious, atmospheric, and darkly funny. It’s basically my expression of how much I hate mornings and the whole “ritual” of getting up.
Q. What were some of your influences when writing the script?
A. Sam Raimi’s first two Evil Dead films are undeniable; a lot of people have pointed this out to me at festivals so far, so I’m glad that inspiration seems to have transpired through properly. I’m also a huge fan of Idle Hands; the idea of someone’s everyday bodily autonomy being overridden in such a perverse way is fascinating to me, and I think it’s a hugely underrated film.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. Though I was limited with what I could do to emulate the look of existing films, I really liked how Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man used negative space in the frame to imply a presence that we as the audience can’t see. Also Fight Club’s sequence where Edward Norton starts punching himself in his boss’ office directly inspired one of the scenes in my short.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. Absolutely. I have to be honest and say that I began shooting without the script being fully formed. Because I shot it in my own house, I was able to experiment and build things out that worked while ditching things that didn’t. The first cut of the film was about 20 minutes long and featured far more slapstick comedy (including a sequence where a possessed egg splats on my face!), but ultimately I felt like I was losing track of the film’s tone and decided to rein things back a bit.
Q. In addition to writing and directing you also feature in the film. Was it difficult managing all the responsibilities, of directing and also acting in the film?
A. This was by far the most challenging part of production. Acting while also directing yourself is incredibly difficult, especially without a crew or even a focus puller/first AC running the camera. This required me to get creative and work with a set focal plane for most of the film. I also don’t really consider myself an actor but performed in it out of necessity, so I was very conscious of limiting the short’s dialogue so it wouldn’t be reliant on my spoken performance.
Beyond this I also wore almost every hat on the production- cinematography, makeup, sound recording/editing – which adds up to a lot of work. It was incredibly overwhelming at times but also an amazing learning experience, and doing it in my own home DIY-style made it feel like a safe space to fail and learn from failures before fixing them.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. Shooting the sequence where the ghost attempts to drown me in the sink was extremely fun. I bought a cheap fish tank off Amazon, rigged it up between two pieces of furniture, filled it with water, and placed my camera underneath pointing up before dunking myself in. It’s a shot I always love seeing in films, so I knew I had to try and replicate it, and honestly it turned out way better than I expected. Given the obvious dangers involved in a fake-drowning scene, my wife supervised the shoot.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. I did choke on some water during the drowning scene, which alarmed my wife a bit. That take is actually used in the short, so at least it felt worth it. Sound recording had some unexpected speed bumps because a neighbour had builders renovating their home for about a month, which made recording sound effects in my not-soundproofed house rather complicated. I ended up resorting to recording sounds late at night.
Q. What makes it stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. Hopefully the fact that the short is mostly set in a single room with a single character and just one line of dialogue will make it feel distinct. Because I didn’t have the budget for lavish production design or expensive lights, I decided to shoot the film very tight in the hope of disguising some of those shortcomings, but which I also hope makes it feel uniquely claustrophobic and confined, like we’re trapped in there with my protagonist.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. I hope they find it darkly funny and appreciate the craft that went into it – the DIY spirit of making something fun even if you don’t have a budget or crew.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. Yes! My second short film Undertone is currently deep into post-production. I play a sound designer who begins picking up unnerving sounds underneath his house and the story… escalates from there. Once again it’s a very low-budget shoot where I’m the only on-screen character.
There are a few voice roles though, and this time it takes place in an entire house rather than a mere kitchen. I took everything I learned from Breakfast and really tried to make it a step up in terms of production value, and I think I’ve succeeded. I’m hoping post-production will be finished early next year, so I can submit it to 2025’s summer horror festivals onwards.
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. Pick up a camera! It’s a cliché but it’s true; these days the phone in your pocket can produce solid results. Do a ton of research into lighting and sound because they will boost the perception of your short immensely. YouTube is a great resource to learn a lot about these things. And don’t worry about your first short being a masterpiece that puts you on the map; just getting something to the finish line is achievement enough for your first time up to bat, and if people enjoy it then that’s just a wonderful bonus.
You can follow writer/director Shaun Munro on X (Twitter) Here:
Breakfast will play at Horror-on-Sea on Saturday 11th January at 10.00am.
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!
