When I was a kid, I always said "Wow! Those actors are awesome, besides to knows act also fight and make those stunning jumps and twists". but later I could know that those people really are the stuntmen, and today I got the pleasure to present the little interview i did to Lauro Chartrand and expert as a stuntman with a prolific background working alongside first level actor which makes him in a first level stuntman. But he also do more stuff that be a stuntman, he acts and directs too, and we talked about his first horror film as a director: "THE BLACKBURN ASYLUM". I hope you like it.
EFF: When did start
your love for films and how did you know that your thing would be being a film
director?
LC: When I was 8
years old I told my mother I wanted to be like the guy Chuck Norris was kicking
through a window. She explained to me what a stuntman was and I said that's
what I want to do. So my first big dream was to become a stuntman in the
movies. I've always loved movies, especially action movies. My love for
directing is something i grew into over the years of experience doing hundreds
of movies.
I became a stunt
coordinator and then a 2nd unit director, learning all I could along the way. I
was eventually given the opportunity to direct my first film which was "BORN TO RAISE HELL". An action
film starring Steven Seagal and Darren Shahlavi.
Born To raise Hell (2010)
EFF: Excellent, so you are an experts in martial
experts, right?
LC: I would never say
I’m an expert. I am a very proficient martial artist, but i wouldn't classify
myself as an expert. When started all that and how do you entered into film
industry as a stuntman? I started doing toy commercials and playing a ninja and
then I graduated to Gi Joe toy commercials playing frostbite and snake eyes. Then
eventually I got a chance to do stunts on a TV series called MacGyver.
EFF: If we will talk about your career as a stuntman
would be forever in this interview, but tell us what was the best film for you
where you were as a stuntman and what was the most difficult one?
LC: A few of my
favorite films to work on have been "RUMBLE
IN THE BRONX" with Jackie Chan as well as "SHANGHAI NOON", "THE LAST SAMURAI" with Tom
Cruise. And recently I really enjoyed doubling Danny Trejo on "DEAD AGAIN IN TOMBSTONE". Westerns
are always fun.
The most difficult was “TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES”. The suits
were so difficult to flip and fight in. Also I was hurt very badly on "THE HITMAN" a Chuck Norris film a long
time ago. I almost died. That was the toughest.
Lauro Chartand
EFF: You have directed two feature films and also
have been on two TV series, watching that aspect, what are the bigger
difference between those two formats? And which one did you like you most?
LC: For me they have
been very similar because when you direct TV, you have to be precise and fast. The
films I have directed were lower budgets with TV like schedules, so I also had
to move very fast to get them finished. So for me as a director, it has been
almost the same. I dream of the day when I will have a bigger budget to provide
a longer shooting schedule so I will have the time to perfect the scenes I am
shooting.
EFF: Your first film was an action film, and anyone
would think is ok, because you are an expert action stuntman, but why you
decided direct a horror film as it’s “THE
BLACKBURN ASYLUM”?
LC: There were a few
reasons I decided to do a horror film. My oldest daughter is a big horror fan,
so I wanted to do one for her. I also wanted to do something where I could show
that I am able to direct drama and set up tension in a scene. So I won't only
be thought of as an action director.
Plus I really liked
the producers and wanted to work with them.
EFF: This blog focuses on Horror films, so, we must
to talk about your so far, unique horror film as director "THE BLACKBURN ASYLUM" how this
film dropped in into your hands?
LC: Producer Nastasha Baron and I had been friends for a few years and had been trying to develop an action series. In the meantime she wrote Blackburn and then asked me to direct it after she had watched me direct a few other things.
EFF: Tell us the Pitching process how it was? What
were your tactic to reach your budget and start this film?
LC: My many years of
experience set me up well to learn how do be efficient and use my crew in the
best possible way to save time and money. As well I always have a back up plan
just in case something goes wrong during the shooting day, which it always
does! I picked my crew carefully, knowing them all and their strengths and
talents made the process much easier.
EFF: Now the cast members, your group of colleagues
are familiar faces because of others horror film, how was the casting process?
LC: Really, 80% of
the cast I had worked with on other films or TV shows, so we were all friends.
The cast members I hadn't worked with meshed perfectly with my friends and it
made the whole process very enjoyable. So I was able to pick everyone and most
were friends already for many years. I'm lucky to have so many talented
friends.
Lauro Chartand and Blackburn asylum cast
EFF: Every director either expert or novice faces
issues, problems. What problems did you face in this film?
LC: My biggest
problem on this film was the nights were to short! We did most all of our
filming at night. We filmed from 3pm to 3am. We really only had 6 hours of darkness.
It was still daylight when we started so we needed to film inside the
mine, but when we tried to move out into the mine building later it took way
longer to move than we anticipated. So I had to quickly rearrange all my
shooting locations so that we could do everything inside the building. It was
really tough and stressful to change something in one day that we had taken 3
weeks to plan!
EFF: What
was the budget and what was the most difficult stage to finish it according the
budget?
Blackburn Asylum scenes
EFF: Any anecdote you went through during the
shootings on "THE BLACKBURN ASYLUM"?
LC: Two funny
ones! Calum worthy had to be hand cuffed in his final death scene, then
the props man lost the key!! We had to call the police to come and unlock him
so he could make it to his plane to fly back to la!
Teaching the older
twin ladies who run the gas station how to chew and spit tobacco was hilarious!
They kept spitting on themselves by accident during the scene. We all started
laughing so hard we couldn't stop and it held up filming for an hour!
EFF: What was the most difficult scene to make it
in this film?
LC: The most
difficult was burning Chelsea’s face!! Even though I knew we were setting it up
safely so we wouldn't hurt our actress and stunt woman, it still made me NERVOUS!
EFF: Are you a horror fan? What horror films and
directors you like most and why?
LC: I really liked the new “TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE”, “THE NEW EVIL DEAD”, “DRAG ME TO HELL”, “HALLOWEEN FRIDAY THE 13TH” and many more.
Lauro Chartand in Blackburn asylum shooting
EFF: What films inspired you to make this film?
Any reference we could see in it?
LC: “TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE” and “EVIL DEAD”, also a little bit of “WRONG TURN”.
EFF: What directors has influenced on your career, directly and not directly?
EFF: What directors has influenced on your career, directly and not directly?
LC: I’ve always been
inspired by Tony Scott, Quentin Tarantino,
Mel Gibson, Ridley Scott.
EFF: How did it gone the film so far, in August
was released, right? But you screened it in 2015 at many festivals, right?
LC: It's been doing
very good, especially now that it's on iTunes everywhere!
Lauro Chartand
EFF: What advice would you give for those want-to-be
filmmaker who are undecided in how to make their first film?
LC: Start small and
work your way up. Do something for nothing, learn how to create with very
little. Learn from everyone you can. Learn what not to do as much as what to
do.
EFF: What equipments, cameras did you use for this
film?
LC: We used two red
dragons and an awesome director of photography, Brendan Uegama.
EFF: Why people should go to watch or buy
"The Blackburn Asylum"?
LC: It's scary, it's
creepy, it's silly and it's fun. And there is even some good action. It's
entertainment!
Lauro Chartand
0 comments:
Post a Comment