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Bum Interviews:
The Tiffany Sinclair Interview | The writer/director/star of the new movie "Praey", Tiffany Sinclair, graced BumsCorner with her presence, so it's the least we could do to grill her about her latest project!
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Scraps: Just so our readers are caught up here’s a link to our review of “Praey”. Would you like to sit here in some uncomfortable silence with me while they read?
Tiffany: Only if you promise to pat me on the hand and tell me it will all be all right!
Scraps: I’m here for ya! Tell me a little bit about your inspiration for “Praey” – how did you come up with the story?
Tiffany: I was thinking that it would be fun to do a film about a killer who had some sort of psychological trauma that forced him to murder, rather than a mindless killer. I think it’s creepier when the bad guy could be the nice man from next door. I was reading killer profiles on crimelibrary.com for insight into the criminal mind, and came across two separate cases, one where the killer hunted prostitutes in Alaska and one where a captor locked a woman in a box. I also love Poe and his short story Berenice had a certain element I wanted. I won’t spoil it by saying what it was here. I sort of just took those elements and ran with them. I actually see scenes in my head that I like, and write around them. I see scenarios before I write them. Probably a little backwards, but it seemed to work.
Scraps: As a parent, your kidnapping scene at the beginning of the film was unsettling to say the least. Why do you feel it was important for the viewer to see this take place, instead of the parents finding an empty bed and open window?
Tiffany: I’m not a parent, but have a genuine soft spot for children. They are sensitive to put in a film like Praey. If I had only shown the empty bed, we would not have had the time to bond with the little girl. I wanted the audience to have time to care for her on a personal level not just the idea of her. Also, the horror of seeing a parent go through what the father does in the opening was a necessary bond that I wanted the audience to have too… To understand what a nice family Sara started out with thus creating a stronger bond to her as well. I was going for psychological horror. Not to just shock anyone by using a child. And we always care even more as an audience when we have that little bit of time to form a personal attachment to the characters and their plight. I may not have included it if I hadn’t known the actors as well as I did. I took every measure to be sure that the little girl was ok and comfortable, as well as her parents, and that she felt comfortable with her co-actor in the scene.
Scraps: Right or wrong, most of the characters in your story have some motive for their violent action (I don’t want to give way too much of the plot by describing them in detail)…but which character would you say was the closest to what we consider “evil” (my money’s on Baker…but I’d love to hear your take).
Tiffany: Well, Baker was misled and had a rather, as you said in your review, pathetic quality to him. Sara and Charles both had their reasons, though different. No one was perfect in the film as far as humanity goes, hence the tag line. But I’d have to say that the ‘puppet man’ in the opening was probably the most evil. I don’t think you can get any more evil than to harm a child with no personal reason. Even Charles felt that he had a reason. I wrote the ‘puppet man’ as a man willing to do what he did just to get paid. He is a small role, but I think the most cold-hearted.
Scraps: “Praey” was about to generate some seriously squeamish scenes without relying on a lot of gore. Do you think recent horror movies have come to rely too much on over-the-top special effects?
Tiffany: Yes, I do actually. Thank you for asking. Don’t get me wrong; I love a good gory scene. I’m a huge horror fan. But if the only horror or shock value is the gore, you lost something. If it adds to a scene, that’s great. But if that is all you have, your not really scaring people anymore. At this point, we have all seen blood, guts, throats cut, etc. I wanted Praey to have its moments based on the attachment of the audience to the characters and their ability to fear right along with the characters themselves. I guess I wanted them to feel the horror and not just see it. That meant building suspense a different way than with just gore. I tried to show very human people in very extreme circumstances, not buckets of blood that no single body could ever really produce. I personally felt that as an indie filmmaker with a horror/thriller script, I would cheapen the film if I went the gore route. That’s what everyone expects, and I wanted to rely on story instead. Some of the most horrifying scenes I’ve watched in film are those that don’t have a lot of gore. I wanted to try to duplicate that. Besides, if your audience is caught up in a film and feels for the characters, they will do far better with their own imaginations that anything you can show.
Scraps: How much duct tape DID you go through during filming?
Tiffany: A lot! I think I should have bought stock in Home Depot! No really, I guess a good full role of tape. It wasn’t as much as you may think, as we shot most of it in just 1-2 takes. But yes, the duct tape does become it’s own character doesn’t it! | |  | |
Scraps: I couldn’t help but notice that you’re a female director. Has the movie industry finally balanced out opportunities for the sexes, or it there still the “old boys’ club” in existence?
Tiffany: Balanced? No. I can’t say that it is. But I think it gets better as time goes on. I don’t think there has ever been an Academy award given to a female director. And there are some amazing female directors out there. It’s not much better in the indie world, really. Filmmaking is still a “boy’s club” to a large degree. But I don’t think it’s that the industry is shunning female directors or filmmakers, I think that all change just takes time. It’s a hard transition. In the horror/thriller genre, I think it’s even harder. The world can’t help it, they see women as the nurturers. We all think of our mothers as kissing boo boos and not as spinning tales of horror. I think some people have a hard time accepting that a woman could tell a brutal story. I know many women that can tell a great horror story, it’s just hard for society in general to wrap its mind around it. Again, change takes time.
Scraps: Besides a lack of unnecessary gore, the movie was also able to be entertaining with no nudity, which has almost become a staple in this genre. While there were opportunities through the film to throw in a sex scene, you were able to tell your story without it (barring the brief scene with Sara and Charles where nothing happened). Was this a conscious decision – or was there never any sexual references throughout the writing process?
Tiffany: Both actually. I didn’t think the story needed it, or better put, that any nudity would add to the story. So I never wrote it into the script. I had many producer friends tell me to add it anyway for marketability, and it was a conscious decision at that point not to go that route. Again, I didn’t want to make what was expected of me in the indie horror/thriller world, I wanted to tell a good story. I simply made the choice to stick to my guns about it. Not fighting against nudity, but fighting for my story. I have no issues with nudity in film at all. But like gore, it should only be there if the story warrants it. The story comes first to me. If I lose sales as a result of not putting a nude scene in Praey, I’m ok with that. If anything, that means that I didn’t tell a good enough story. Adding nudity would not make me a better storyteller. If I write a script that I feel needs a nude scene to sincerely punch either story line or character development, then it will be there. But not just for sales.
Scraps: How’s the distribution process coming along? Will we see “Praey” on store shelves soon?
Tiffany: We are under contract with SRS Cinema, LLC for foreign release. We are also now in the final stages of negotiating a domestic contract with the same company. If all goes well, it should be released in the US this year. But again, nothing is final domestically just yet.
Overall, the distribution process is a headache! Contracts are just NOT the fun part for me. Some companies have turned us down. SRS seems to be showing a genuine appreciation for the quality of the film. I am hoping that this will turn out to be a good match.
Scraps: With the influx of the direct-to-DVD market over the past few years, are consumers getting the better end of the deal, or is this a cheaper/faster method for pumping out more garbage?
Tiffany: Direct to DVD is good for indie filmmakers. The cost effective availability of digital filmmaking equipment is pumping out some garbage. Too many people saw ‘Blair Witch’ and think they can shoot anything and make millions. It’s a misconception. “Blair Witch” worked for many reasons and I personally liked it. But the accessibility to the equipment and the lure of easy money/fame is more of a problem than direct to DVD could ever be. There are really good people out there making digital films, don’t get me wrong. But it must get difficult for the distribution houses when they have to weed through hundreds of shot on video home projects with bad sound and little story etc. As artists, we are responsible for the content, its not direct to DVD sales that is hurting the indie film name. Only maybe that too many distributors agree to put out bad films in the hope of turning a few dollars for themselves. Again, back to the lure of easy money, not the distribution format. Wow, this is a hot topic for me! I’ll end with this:
It’s more cost effective and more cozy for people at times to rent a DVD or watch a TV cable channel. And cable TV is definitely in need of content. That opens a huge window for indie filmmakers. But if we don’t strive to tell good stories, we can, and probably will, lose this window of opportunity.
Oh, this explanation could just go on and on!
Scraps: So what’s your next project going to be?
Tiffany: We have, within my company, a basically one location, well written vampire script (written by Brian Sheridan) about ready to go. And I’m currently writing a ‘curse’ film, for lack of better words, right now. Working titles are “Devil at the Door” and “Inborn”. We plan to film both this year. Budgeting is always an issue, but we will film them, I promise you!
Scraps: For a good portion of the movie, Sara is running around in the woods barefoot. Did you have Dr. Scholls’ on speed dial during filming?
Tiffany: Nope, I was all barefoot! I actually had the unpleasant opportunity on a few occasions to run through some thorn patches that I didn’t know were there. I pulled the last thorn out of my foot 2 months after the shoot. And got a good-sized chunk taken out of the bottom on my foot on a root. We got the camera and filmed it, but it didn’t look as good as the fake wound we show in the film. And some very big bruises from throwing my self down the hill. Guess I’d never be good at sliding into second base! The water scene was the worst, though. It was frigid snow water running off the mountains. Going under that water was far worse that my feet. I have to give my DP, Brian Gurnett credit for that scene, he was knee deep in the water and numb by the time we were done shooting. | |  | |
Scraps: Looking for a moment at the character of Sara, would her life returned to a semblance of normalcy if Charles hadn’t interfered…or did this bizarre chain of events actually save her from herself?
Tiffany: Sara was straight and happy when Charles stepped in. He pushed her back into the abyss. Which, to me, gave her the strength to fight back as severely as she did. She cleaned herself up once, and he ruined her chance for normalcy.
Scraps: One thing I love about indie films is the regional feel of the movies. Since “Praey” is pretty much the extent of my movie knowledge of life in Washington State (not counting “Singles”) – does everyone in the Walla Walla area smoke and walk around in their socks at home?
Tiffany: Pretty much, yeah!
But really, Walla Walla is a huge wine valley. Very well know for their wines, and of all things, Walla Walla sweet onions!
There is a lot of beauty here and very good people. Lots of artists. I love the art galleries! A nice small town with its charming main street to boot. It’s rainy/cloudy/snowy for most of the winter. But in the summer you get 6 months of pure sunshine. Oh yeah, and the fishing is great! At the right time of the year you can hook one heck of a steelhead!
Scraps: Let’s say somebody like Universal or Warner Bros. Picks up “Praey”, as long as you can crank out a sequel. Give us a quick synopsis of what “Praey II” would entail. And no, it doesn’t have to be a good movie.
Tiffany: Oh, we have thought about it! It would be Charles’ daughter Jesse grown up and coming back after Sara. It has ‘Kill Bill’ written all over it! I don’t think it would be good, but it would be fun. And accidentally, Preay just lends itself to that sequel.
Scraps: What was the last movie you saw that really spooked you?
Tiffany: Really, going back to the child in jeopardy conversation, it would have to be the remake of Amityville Horror. Remakes are often less than desirable, but that little girl on the roof had me about in tears! Not the spookiest film I’ve ever seen, but of late that is the last one that really had me on the edge of my seat. And understand, I’m hard to scare. But see what I mean, if you care about the characters, it doesn’t take gore to frighten you. There were a few scenes in that movie that involved the children that terrified me!
Scraps: Do you believe in ghosts? Ever have an otherworldly experience (besides this interview)?
Tiffany: Yes, I do, actually. I probably just freaked a lot of people out!
I have had many subtle experiences. And some not so subtle. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t see ghosts in every corner of my house. But I have had things happen that make me a believer. I’ll not go into detail here, as that would really be a conversation all its own. Really, I think if you believe in the human soul, and that we are more that just our physical body, its hard to say that there can be no such things as ghosts. Not in the sense that they swoop down and stab people in a haunted house, I really don’t believe that, but in that in makes sense to me that restless souls may linger before moving on.
Scraps: Tiffany, we can’t thank you enough for your time, and for letting us view your project. We hope to see more from you in the future! Before you go, any words for our Bums readers out there?
Tiffany: Yes, just one. Support all the independent artists in your area. There is so much beautiful talent in the word that goes unrecognized. We are programmed to pay attention to the media. But there is great art to be seen in local plays, art galleries, bands, films etc. I sincerely believe in supporting artists of all types. Not just what’s in the media hype. I really think it’s very important for us all to realize that. If you think about it, we react to what we see, feel, and are exposed to every day. We shouldn’t let the media tell us what is important. We shouldn’t limit our exposure to what is dictated to us. There is much more out there than reality TV, thankfully. Every time we touch someone or they touch us, we grow as a community… Think about it. Support your local arts.
And thank YOU, it’s been my pleasure! |
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Updated Thursday, March 23, 2006 Written by Scraps | :
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