This week’s genre short film is titled Nest and is inspired by Australian folklore. In the film, “a woodcutter, kept awake by his baby’s hungry cries, encounters something disturbing in the woods.”
The film is from director James Hunter and is inspired by an Australian folk tale about a lyrebird that would disrupt logging operations by imitating the sound of a fire alarm.
This short film is shared in collaboration with the FilmQuest Film Festival, where we are looking to showcase some of the radical independent genre films and shorts that filmmakers are creating.
I’ve included an interview with the director below along with the short film.
Tell us about yourself. What is your background? How long have you been a director?
James Hunter is an award-winning filmmaker based in Melbourne, Australia. His background is in short films, music videos, commercials and has recently branched out into film. He is interested in bold, emotionally resonant cinematic storytelling.
What inspires you to work in genre cinema and tell these types of stories?
Genre films externalize internal abstract ideas and that’s what I love about them.
What was your favorite part of the filmmaking process for this project?
The screenplay and also the editing.
What are you most proud of about this film?
How we were able to meet and exceed my lofty ambitions.
What is a favorite story or moment from the making of the film that you would like to share?
While we were trying to figure out how to make the lyrebird (animatronic, puppet, vfx, etc.), my producer found the perfect footage of one on her phone. It’s one of the rare cases where our listening on phones was actually a good thing!
What was the most challenging moment or experience you had while making your film?
I’m trying to figure out how to make the lyrebird and tree felling sequence work.
If so, how did your film change or differ from the original concept during pre-production, production, and/or post-production? How has it changed the way you approach future projects?
Letting the project mature in the subconscious for a long time has changed the way I approach all my future projects. I’m a big believer that the most layered and delicious films are the ones that are slow cooked over a long time.
Who were some of your collaborators and actors in the film? How did you start working together?
Lasarus Ratuere (actor) and Campbell Brown (DP) were new collaborators, Steve Anthopoulos (writer) and Faith Guoga had close pre-existing personal relationships.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received as a filmmaker and what would you like to say to new filmmakers?
The best advice I’ve ever received as a filmmaker is to do it yourself and don’t wait for someone to give you permission to make your film. I would like to say the same to new directors and to never give up on your dream. If you believe it will happen, the universe will work with you to make it happen. I have seen many miracles over the years thanks to my persistence.
What are your plans for your career and what do you hope this film does for that? What kinds of stories would you like to tell moving forward?
My career plan is to move into feature films – I just made my first feature film, DIY again – but I hope to work with much bigger budgets and have a sustainable career in the feature film world for the future.
What’s your next project and when can we expect to see it?
The Latcher – my debut psychological horror film, will be finished this year and released next year.
Where can we find more of your work and where can interested people contact you? Do you have a website or YouTube/Vimeo channel? Social media handles? !
www.jameshunterfilm.com
Bonus question no. 1: What is your favorite movie of all time?
Eternal sun of the immaculate mind
Bonus question no. 2: What is the film that most inspired you to become a director and/or had the greatest influence on your work?
Jurassic park
by Joey Paur
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
