Film Name: The Deceit
Director: Alan Birch
Writers: Alan Birch, Carl Timms
Starring: Dani Thompson, Michelle J. Wright, Andrew Powell
A couple drive deep into a forest to dispose of an inconvenience to their relationship. But secrets surface that have a deadly impact. A short graveside thriller starring scream queens Dani Thompson and Michelle J Wright.
In a new Exclusive Interview on Blazing Minds ahead of Horror-on-Sea I got a chance to ask Co-Writer/Director Alan Birch a few questions about the film ‘The Deceit‘
The Deceit will play at Horror-on-Sea on Saturday 11th January at 12:30pm.
Q. Your film has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell
us what we can expect?
A. A short black comedy with a (hopefully) unexpected ending.
Q. You co-wrote the script with Carl Timms. What were some of your influences when writing the script and what was your process for writing together?
A. I’ve always loved the old ‘Tales of the Unexpected’ TV series and more recently ‘Inside No. 9’. Carl’s short horror film ‘Still’ has clocked up over 5 million views on YouTube and so I was desperate to work with him on this. I wrote the original story and approached Carl in the hope he could help me bring it to the screen. Thankfully he loved the idea and added some dialogue to give the characters some extra depth and added back stories.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. I’ve always loved the look of Ridley Scott’s ‘Blade Runner’ Very dark and moody.
As most of the action takes place at night in a forest, and with the sinister story-line, I wanted to keep the scenes as dark and natural as possible. The idea being that realistically the only light would be from the car headlights and possibly the moon!
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. We stuck pretty close to the script and story board that I’d created. I used to work as an art director in an advertising agency and used to write and produce TV commercials. The discipline of producing a finished article within a strict timeframe helped tremendously.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. Working with a team of dedicated professionals (who’d all given up their time for this project). Also at one point, in the early hours surrounded by trees, we were joined by an owl who added his/her voice to the action, which we kept in. I know people will think it’s a sound effect but it is actually live!
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. One of my bugbears when watching films, is poor continuity. As the outdoor scene was shot over two nights, several months apart, we had to make sure that everything matched. In particular, making sure that the daffodils that had appeared weren’t visible!
Q. What makes La Nueva stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. I can’t really comment on La Nueva, but I hope that ‘The Deceit’ stands out as an original story with tongue placed firmly in cheek.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. A sense of curiosity and to seek us out to see what we’re going to do next!
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. Yes. My background is Theatre, so I’ve written, produced and directed a couple of one act plays, which we’ve recently performed at several Midlands’ theatres. I believe one of these plays ,’When Hell breaks Loose’ would make a superb short film. Watch this space…
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. Do the groundwork thoroughly. Show your script to people who’s opinion you rate and re-write where necessary. And then if possible, surround yourself with a team of people who’s work you rate highly, especially the actors.
The Deceit will play at Horror-on-Sea on Saturday 11th January at 12:30pm.
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!
