Film Name: Dishonest
Director: John Ryan
Writer: John Ryan
Starring: Iga Wyrwal, Kirk Bromley, Kev Walder
When a deep-web cult descends upon the idyllic surroundings of Ashwood Forest, an illusive ‘Darknet’ force takes control of the town’s devices.
A dangerous journey into Ashwood Forest begins, but what secrets will be unearthed?
In another interview leading up to the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival I got a chance to ask Dishonest writer-director John Ryana a few questions about what we can expect from the film. Dishonest will be showing on Sunday 16th January at 10:00 hrs
Q. Your short horror film Dishonest has been selected to play at Horror-on-Sea. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. DISHONEST is a tense cyber-crime action-horror. Think of our world today with gadgets and technological dependencies, it’s about how dark and treacherous that becomes when a Dark cultist group gains control of these apps and devices… The film explores how people can fall to the temptation of power, control, and revenge, by discovering a dark cult’s online platforms. Once you’re signed up, there’s no going back! When the cult and their terrifying enforcer ‘DarkNet’ come to town, it’s a safe bet someone in idyllic ‘Ashwood Forest’ hasn’t kept their side of the bargain.
Q. What were some of your influences when writing the script for Dishonest?
A. I first talked with actor and co-producer Kirk Bromley about making a film, and we had ideas which set the basis of the story on Strangers on a Train (1951) meets Black Mirror (TV Series 2011–2019). Around this time there were stories in the news of a notorious black death cult, the deep web and also this creepy viral video of a shrouded cryptic messenger doing the rounds, these themes helped set the world of DISHONEST… The setting is called ‘Ashwood Forest’ so I imagined a spooky town with a police force fighting an almost supernatural presence, ‘Twin Peaks’ was really on my mind for that. When creating the character ‘DarkNet’, he needed to be a memorable stand-out unstoppable force of nature, so he takes on influences from the likes of ‘The Shape’ from Halloween and ‘Jason’ in ‘Friday the 13th’ those iconic masked monster types… As it’s my first film I wanted to have fun, I always loved the panic-horror action of Aliens and Predator; but also, the exciting yet nasty hierarchy of the Empire in ‘Star Wars’… There’s movie nods and tropes we all love in there, but still ‘DISHONEST’ certainly has its own soul.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. Stylistically it’s a bit like a graphic novel, lots of fun angles with cross cutting between the action. I enjoyed the creepy atmosphere of The X Files (TV Series 1993–2018) and the mysterious cyber-noir feel of ‘The Matrix’, and ‘Black-Mirror’ so I tried to go for a cool techy other-worldly vibe especially in scenes with the computer investigations. The film begins warm summery and colourful as we arrive in the good times, but gradually the ‘DarkNet’ cult consumes the town’s devices, so these ominous cool greenish-blue sci-fi looks creep in. Lead character ‘Blake’ played by Kirk has a feverish nightmare which ties much of the story together, it shows his rage, guilt & despair. It’s an abstract sequence, showing his descent to full blown revenge and paranoia… When shooting I said to him – “Think about that Apocalypse Now (1979) scene with Martin Sheen and how he really goes crazy, losing his mind”. I used projection techniques, Kirk grabbed a few beers and later I edited ‘Blake’s’ intense meltdown to connect key scenes together.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. The mad thing about ‘DISHONEST’ was that its script was open to change, the film’s life began as a 10-minute short and ended as a 40-minute pilot. The soul of the first draft remained, but the ending wasn’t quite definite on paper. I was writing, directing, and editing so felt the story was well internalised and I had faith I could make it work, given the local talent we had involved. My awareness was always, that cast had other commitments, but this helped my writing process; I knew it was wiser to have an ensemble, rather than put too much weight onto 1 or 2 main characters. The best change we had, was the introduction of film star Iga Wyrwal who plays ‘Grace Novak’. We were looking for a femme-fatale character and knew of a Hollywood actress in our hometown Rugby. Scenes with ‘Blake’, & ‘The Hacker’, and also big parts with ‘DarkNet’ were filmed already; so, we approached Iga with our progress. She liked what we’d done, agreed to come on board and this really elevated our production… Going through the dailies and early cuts of Iga’s first scenes, what came across was captivating, we just had to give her a much bigger role in the movie…
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. So many stand out moments, the most rewarding times were seeing ideas come to life. When Kev Walder stepped in for his first scene as ‘DarkNet’, I was like a fanboy, the creepy autumnal setting in the woods showing his psychotic brutality. There he was in full slasher costume in his element, all the pieces coming together. This was early in production, and the energy in seeing how excited and free spirited we all were, sharing ideas to make this attack play out. It really was revealing, and it set the tone on how much fun we will have on set. People were inspired by making a movie and giving up their time to be a part of it, having fun was always the way forward, everyone was free to express ideas and offer their skills. Grace Adlerstein was fantastic to work with, when we first met, she had done modelling and was a music graduate. Grace came in as the part of ‘DCI Howell’ and also scored the original music for ‘DISHONEST’. Her creative commitment convinced me to cast myself as ‘DCI Brayburn’, it was a joy acting alongside her, and how blessed the movie was to have her compose the soundtrack.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. Life commitments, timing and locations were some obstacles in the way of ‘DISHONEST’s completion. A uniqueness to filming was fitting it around everyone’s lives; production was not about block-booking a month of filming, with 10 hour per day shoots and more expense. That wasn’t a logical approach for us. Instead, I rarely shot for more than 4 hours per day; usually we filmed weekends, evenings, and holidays. So, with this process, I had to allow for plans B, C & D. Sometimes it was an alternative scene to shoot or a different character’s part in the story. On one occasion we had to change location from one pub to another, due to a really popular lunch menu and this was on the day of shooting. Many people local to us really wanted the film to be made, so whenever we had an issue, something better would always materialise. ‘Blake’ & ‘The Hacker’ had a scene inside a car together but the actors weren’t able to be there at the same time, the car is in motion going along a dirt track deep into ‘Ashwood Forest’. So, to make this work I decided to film a POV of the characters, switching from passenger seat to driver seat, one day with Kirk Bromley the other day with Michael Singleton. Their inquisitive expressions breaking the 4th wall; close up and personal, adds more paranoia and tension, I think. The movie magic was often in the pre-planning and embracing any changes, and by having a good network of supporters, I truly believe this film wanted to be made.
Q. What makes Dishonest stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. I see DISHONEST as a cross genre action-horror film, that joined professionals alongside the charms and skills within our local communities. Our first entry into the horror world shines a light on how conjoined we are to technology, but how gradually corrupted and enslaved we can become of it. We’ve had ‘Freddy’ catch us in our sleep! This time ‘DarkNet’ will get you through your gadgets! Funny then, that we live in a time where we can collaborate so effectively online and create eye-popping film with devices more accessible than ever.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. They will be humming the theme tune a lot, it’s such a cool score especially when the action heats up. I hope too, the menacing figure of our villain ‘DarkNet’, will lurk those unlit corners and haunt your brand-new smart phones. I hope what we achieved as a crew, will inspire people too; that film idea you had with your buddy in the pub, that nice camera phone you’ve got, get your notepad out and text your mates… But think twice before you hit that link! ‘DarkNet’ Will Return!
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. I’m at the early stages of writing a film set in the shared universe of ‘Ashwood Forest’. I learnt so much from ‘DISHONEST’ as my first project and made some amazing creative relationships along the way. Stay tuned, I’m ready to collaborate and level things up a notch.
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. Identify your own skills first: Can you film it yourself with your own gear? Can you edit well with your software? If so, use these skills and mine your other resources. Don’t be put off by the idea of costs, it’s amazing what your friends and connections will help you with. Get excited about your project, and talk about it a lot, people you meet will love to be involved and will reveal their incredible skills. Have a notebook, and when ideas hit you at random times, write it down… As well as Plan B and Plan C, jot everything down, your notebook will reveal the best line of dialogue later; maybe for an unintended character and those rough sketches of stick men in the woods, will turn into your best shot on the day. Write in the notebook the night before your shoot, do a check list of shots, props, and kit you need. Try and get the full picture of the day in your mind, write it all down. Communicate with crew as much as possible on social media and texts, you will quickly get an idea of who is 100% available, who are maybes and who is unavailable. Use this info to guide your plans in your notebook.
On the day have fun on set, it’s a fair shout you’ve identified the guys doing audio and lighting, who is operating camera and who your actors are. These guys are your best friends offering their time to be involved, but they also want to create something cool, so enjoy the day and have a good laugh. Make it a day to remember, but don’t worry about every last small detail, trust your notebook and instincts on the day. As long as everyone is briefed on what they are doing, you’re in safe hands. Listen to each other’s ideas, keep the world’s eye vision of your story in mind, but don’t force what is written on script if you find a more inspired solution at the time. Allow the film to breathe, take a break when you need and allow yourself to learn as you go, it will be an amazing journey.
You can keep up to date with news about director John Ryan and Dishonest on the following social media
Facebook – Twitter – Instagram
You can find out more about the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on the website https://www.horror-on-sea.com/
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!
