Film Name: Rhyme or Die
Director: Max r Lincoln
Writers: Alex Moran
Starring: Victor Alli, Mohammad Amiri, Samuel Blenkin, Bethan Cullinane, Racheal Ofori, Olumide Olorunfemi
Five kidnapped strangers are forced to rhyme to their captor’s funky beats – or die
‘Rhyme or Die’ has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on Sunday 14h January at 17:30pm
Q. Your film Rhyme or Die has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. It follows the title, really; there’s a lot of rhyme and a lot of deaths. Think Battle Royale (2000) meets a rhyming competition.
Q. What attracted you to the script which was written by Alex Moran?
A. I’d worked with Alex on another short Pineapple (2020) and loved the process. It was the depths of lockdown 1 when we started discussing ideas for a new project. I’d always loved horror, but it was a genre I hadn’t properly explored, and Alex felt the same. He’d come up with the title of Rhyme or Die, which I loved. After a few development sessions, I had an idea of how to translate it into something we could film during these strict conditions. So it was a combination of both those things really, a great concept, and it was possible.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. Battle Royale was a huge influence regarding the tone. It’s heightened and even funny at points, but it is true to its internal logic, and I found it gripping and memorable. The look of the space was inspired by the interior of the pyramid lair in Blade Runner 2049 (2017). I loved the yellow hard lighting. This was then contrasted with Dynamo’s space, which I wanted to feel metallic and fun in a kind of prom night way. The shooting style was partially fuelled by an extremely tight schedule of two days, but the awkward low angles were initially inspired by Seconds (1966).
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. We stuck rigidly to the script as 80% was in rhyme, and the rhymes would work if we deviated. Dynamo did get a chance to improv, but that was in terms of her dancing. I let Bethan Cullinane / Dynamo go for it, and the result was fantastic.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. Seeing Bethan Cullinane / Dynamo do an interpretive dance to lounge music. I could have watched her for hours. All the deaths were fun too.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. We had a two-day shoot, so time was not our friend. We lost a few hours at the start of day 1 to COVID tests, and that meant we were on the back foot for all the SFX we needed to do that day.
I needed to stick to our 12-hour day as we were filming on a weekend, but that meant that the final battle we shot in a single take per setup, and we didn’t have the time to do a master of the scene, which was terrifying!
Q. What makes Rhyme or Die stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. To my knowledge, it’s the first horror movie that’s equally about rhyming.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. That rhyme is crazy hard, and you should believe in yourself. Even if it seems like an insane thing you are doing, you just might win at it.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. Two horror projects. One feature, Harrow, that was written by Alex. We are presently seeking funding for it. Also, a short called Inebriated with a different writer and team.
Q. If someone was looking to direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. Once you have some form of budget (no matter how small) and you are happy with the script, set a date in the diary, and no matter what happens (within reason), that’s the date you shoot. I find if it’s in the diary, it’s suddenly real. Sure, some crew/cast might pull out, but if you never set a date and keep waiting on others, it will never happen.
‘Rhyme or Die’ has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on Sunday 14h January at 17:30pm.
Socials:
Director Max r Lincoln- Twitter – Instagram
Writer Alex Moran – Twitter – Instagram
Production Company Rasp Films – Twitter – Instagram
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!
