1) Explain the inspiration for Palazzo Massacre, ie where did you get the idea for the mask?
The idea for the story came up during a dinner with executive producer Randall Meyers. We had been working late that night in school (he was my teacher), and we had a couple of drinks and started to throw back and forth some different concepts we could work with. We came up with the idea for a man who marries women, and then kills her entire family when he's bored. Not the best plot in the world, but it was point of making the short film was to give me experience as a director. I had only directed a couple of 30 sec commercials prior.
Mr. Meyers is living in a beautiful place in Italy, and we decided during dinner that we had to make the project there. It would give the film a great look as well as production value, and throw me into something really challenging.
I wrote the script in a week, resulting in lack of story and bad dialogue, but also a lot of exciting stuff I could work with.
I wanted to make a Dario Argento inspired look, but still make it my own in terms of angles and scenography. The mask of the killer is something I'm particularly satisfied with. I felt I wanted to have something androgyne about it, and we found the clean mask, only called "female face", and I loved it instantly and thought it would be great with some adjustments. And I feel it was.
2) Do you write/direct horror films only? Why horror?
I have focused on horror the last 3-4 years, to get the experience in writing a genre. I love horror to death, but I also see myself working with action, drama and musical films as well. One of the reasons I love working with horror, is the fact that I love the feeling of being scared and I want to bring others the same joy!
Some people call me sick, but I actually like lying in bed convincing myself something horrible is in the room. The other night I had to go out of bed checking my dirty clothes hamper, because I was sure there was a nasty little demon under my long johns! It wasn't, but better safe than sorry...
3)Is the Norwiegan government supportive of independent filmmaking?
The Norwegian government supports all kinds of movies, and ONLY independent filmmaking. We have an arrangement today calles 50-50 which means a production company can get up to 50% of the actual cost of the movie, and get 50% from private financing.
4) Tell us about your shooting schedule for Palazzo Massacre
We shoot it in 5-6 days, I guess. Don't remember exactly but I think we shoot 5 days in Italy and 1 day in Norway. I moved the scene where the mother gets killed to Norway, because I felt we didn't have the perfect location or the time to shoot it right in Italy.
5)What were some of the challenges you faced making a horror film?
Making it scary! I feel I didn't succeed as much as I wanted, but I'm very satisfied with some scenes and the experience of it all.
I had never worked with actors on a "big" project like that before, and flying cast and crew to a foreign country as well, was very stressful and demanding.
Making my actors believe in what they were doing and saying is also very hard when you're unexperienced and the script is lacking certain elements. But hey, there's no fun when it's not challenging!
6)If you could do one thing different on your next film what would it be?
One thing? Not one, but one hundred I guess... I woud definitely focus more on the story. Second I'd use a different style, making it less static, and give it a lot more scary! I had to cut a lot of shots I wanted and was mostly stuck with W.S. and M.S. in the editing room, and lacked all the good close ups I love so much. So that's something I'll never let go again.
7)How did it feel to be part of the first ever Big Bear Horror Film Festival?
It felt great to be screened at BBHFF, even though I didn't have the money to travel from Norway to the States to actually be there. I feel honored to have screened along with some great movies, and to have been judged by some of the industry's legendary horror writers/directors. It makes me proud of course, and makes me want to go on and direct more movies :)
8) You won Best Director for Palazzo Massacre in this year’s festival. Explain how that made you feel.
I am a huge fan of Mary Lambert, and I love her work. Her films has scared the s**t out me when I was a kid. And I guess they still do... So to learn she was one of the judges, made me very excited just to have someone like that see my work. And then I learned I won, and that she and Don Coscarelli had presented the award. Coscarelli is also someone I admire very much, and I actually met him three years prior when visiting L.A.
The Best Director Award made me very very happy, and very vey very proud. Not only for myself, but also for my cast and crew. I have to take my hat off to my producer Pål Ivar Myhre and exec. producer/composer Randall Meyers for actually believing in me and wanted to make this movie with me.
For a young writer/director as myself, I think it's always important to be recognized for your work, because you're constantly doubting yourself and you feel you can do so much better. For others to see potential in you as an artist is just really inspiring and energizing. I wish to thank the jury very much for giving me this award.
9)What is your favorite horror film?
That's the hardest question so far... I could go on and on and on.... But I think I must say the original Halloween. Michael Myers is bar none the scariest killer ever. I have spent so many nights awake looking out the window for him, under my bed, in the closet and so on...
And I feel I must mention The Descent by Neil Marshall. I feel that movie was just so spot on in terms of what it was going for. Scary, psychological and very entertaining. It felt complete and didn't really need a sequel.
At last I have to say that, even though it's not branded a horror movie, The Road, is some of the scariest stuff I've seen in a long time. It's a zombie movie, but with real people instead of zombies. The human aspect of it, is making it very disturbing and horrifying and it feels like I've been watching a horror movie.
10) What is your next project?
I just finished my first horror feature script, and the goal is to produce that next year. It's a pretty classic story and in the same genre as Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday 13th.
I am currently writing on an adaptation of Snow White, more true to the original story, but set in a very dark and gothic universe. This is going to be a short film and maybe something I'll direct this year if we can raise the money for it.
To finish it off, I just want to say thank you to the Big Bear Horror Film Festival and wish you good luck in the future, and hope to attend the festival some day.
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