Please tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘The Days of Knight’. How did you start, and how did you learn to make films?
This is my first short film that I have worked on. I retired from the government two years ago and I decided to pursue my true passion - storytelling. Plus, it was on my bucket list of things to accomplish.
Tell us about ‘The Days of Knight’. How do you describe it?
"The Days of Knight" is a a blend of my favorite genres: horror, mystery, sci-fi, and a little bit of action. It's one of many stories in the "The Days of Knight" universe. It's a glimpse of one character, "Knight", and how he is setup to be eliminated by his own ancient group of mercenaries.
Please tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
My favorite filmmakers all have a unique style that you know its their movie without seeing the opening credits. Besides the great storytellers of our time: Akira Kurosawa, Spielberg, Coppola, Scorsese, DePalma, etc. I really like the vision of John Carpenter, John McTiernan, Hideo Nakata, Denis Villeneuve, Kinji Fukasau, David Fincher, Takashi Miike, william Friedkin, Michael Mann, George Miller and Christopher Nolan. I hope I didn't forget anyone! Such great visual storytellers and I can rewatch this movies over and over and never get bored.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
I don't think I would need a good budget. It's all about the story. I love stories that are grounded in the truth with a sprinkle of fiction added in. I would love to tell a story that is new, innovative, creative and something that audiences haven't seen or experienced before. That would be fun!
Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps would you take?
Preparation is key. In my previous job, it was all about planning and building in contingencies. In a production, it's the same concept. We have a set schedule and budget. It would be my responsibility that everyone is well prepared to shoot the movie before we even get to the location. Storyboarding is a great way to visualize your movie before you say "action"! When I filmed "The Days of Knight", I explained to my brother, who played "Knight", exactly how many shots we needed, what angle, what lenses we were going to use. We improvized a little, but it was well thought out before we started. Plus, I love guerilla style filmmaking...always on the move!
What was the hardest part of making ‘The Days of Knight’.
Great question!!!! I learned more ways on how not to make a movie! I thought it would be easy to film at night, I was completely wrong. When you have a limited budget and time with your actors, you need to make changes to your story. I personally only write a script that I can physically shoot myself. If I can not create it, it's not in my movie. I had to teach myself how to use Abode Premiere Pro / After Effects, how to create Special Effects, how to find the right music and sound effects. It was a lot to under take. But, I believe, educating yourself helps you achieve the story you want. I spend every Saturday for four to six hours learning. I dedicate time to listening to tutorials on editing, color grading, filmmaking, cinematography, writing screenplays, etc. I didn't go to film schooling, but YouTube, Studiobinder, Tomorrow's Filmmakers all have the course you need on how to make a great movie.
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work?
I start my next short, which is a sequel to "The Days of Knight", in a couple of weeks. We are starting at the beginning at understanding how "Knight" became "Knight". It's night and day to "The Days of Knight: Chapter 3". I raised the bar on everything. It'll be a fun ride! To all my filmmakers out there - keep doing what you are doing!!!!
Comments