In my mission to post all the interviews I've made in the past but for many circumstances I couldn't post them, today, I post the interview I made to female director Lou Simon, hailing from the exquisite Cuba. Lou Simon has four feature films on her record: THE AWAKENED, HAZMAT, AGORAPHOBIA and ALL GIRLS WEEKEND. When I had the pleasure to speak to her like a year ago she was promoting her last work at tha moment ALL GIRLS WEEKEND having good reviews and considerable reception by the audience. She is working in new projects that surely we will be hearing of in this year.
EFF: First of all, thank you for taking your time out to answer these questions. I always ask to those interviewed when they realized they wanted to be into film industry regardless the occupation?
LS: I realized I wanted to be in the film industry in 2010 when I started writing screenplays. I had been a frustrated novelist before then, but found out that I’m much better at writing screenplays.
EFF: Where Are you from?
LS: I was born in Havana, Cuba.
Hazmat (2013)
Agoraphobia (2015)
EFF: Why do you like directing films?
LS: I started directing just because I wanted to make my
scripts into films and didn’t have the budget to hire a director. Now, I like
it, because it gives me full creative control over my projects.
EFF: In all your films you've been producer, writer and
director at the same time, what job do you like more? And why?
LS: Writing is my favorite. It’s the only reason why I
got into films. I love it, because
you’re creating an entire world in your mind and of all the jobs I do, it’s the
least stressful.
Lou Simon
EFF: Why did you choose horror as your film genre?
LS: I’d say that all my films are thrillers, with some
being more horror than others. I’ve
always loved mysteries, suspenseful stories.
Alfred Hitchcock was my favorite since I was a child.
EFF: Your last film so far is "All Girls
Weekend" as I said before you are writer, producer and director of the
film, but let me ask you, why did you decide to make this film, I mean what
inspired you to make a film like this?
LS: I wanted to make a film with an all female cast, and
I wanted to showcase Mother Nature. I
love the outdoors and love adventure sports. I also wanted to make a commentary
on how we’re killing our planet.
EFF: Now speaking about the film, the first thing
I saw was a subliminal message haha, three posters from your films including
this one, I bring this up also to ask you if we can see any other reference
from another films?
LS: I think that’s it. Although in every film, we’ve made
small references to the other films. In the last one, we reused many of the
same props, including the axe from HazMat.
EFF: What was the hardest thing to do during the film
shooting? Problems you faced in ?
LS: The weather was the worst problem we had. It was winter, and we shot 90% of the film
outdoors. It started snowing for 3
days. It cut our production time by
quite a bit.
EFF: What stage was the most difficult to conclude? And
why?
LS: The night scenes were the hardest to film, because it
was so cold outside and we had to use lights all over the woods, run power to
them etc.
EFF: The mountain induced
people to kill, but also I can say that is a result due to the isolation of being
lost, right?
LS: You’re more than welcome to interpret it that way. That’s
what makes film fun. How people will get different things out of the same
images.
All girls weekend scene
EFF: Casting in every film is crucial, but especially in low budget films. How did you handle casting? What was that process like?
LS: We put out a national casting call through IMDb, and got submissions from all over. For example, Jamie Bernadette, who plays Nancy, submitted from Los Angeles. However, when there were 2 actresses equally talented, we chose the one that lived in the Atlanta area since that's where we were filming. Since we weren't sure if there would be weather delays, we needed people who would be flexible.
EFF: I read that scripts for you are easy
peasy... it takes you a very short time to create them, is that right? How long
it took you make this one?
LS: The first draft took me about 4 days. I find that writing scripts is pretty easy
for me if I wait until I have it all figured out before I actually sit down to
write. Then, I write a very detailed outline.
That way, I don’t get stuck with writer’s block.
All girls weekend scenes
EFF: How has been the experience with this film so far,
festivals and with the audience?
LS: It’s been great, although since we got distribution
very quickly, I didn’t spend that much time submitting it to film festivals. We
have only gone to film festivals who invited us.
EFF: If you could travel back to time at the moment to
start shooting the film but now with more money, what would change or what
would you include in to the film?
LS: With more money, you’d have more special effects,
more stunts. The budget limited us a
lot.
EFF: From your three last films:
"Hazmat", "Agoraphobia" and "All Girls weekend",
which has been the most satisfactory for you? In terms of acceptance,
achievements, feelings, you tell me.
LS: “HazMat” is still my favorite, because it was my first
solo project, and the only one I produced all by myself. Its success is what allowed me to make the
others.
EFF: Seeing you are quick writing scripts haha, what
do you look for or try to capture in a film in the moment of writing the
script?
LS: Fist draft is usually whatever my imagination tells
me. Second draft and on, I’m looking for
something that can be made for the budget I have.
Lou Simon
17. What horror movies you like the most?
LS: My favorite is “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” but if
you consider “The Silence of the Lambs” horror, that’s my favorite of all time.
EFF: What directors has inspired you on your directing
style?
LS: Alfred Hitchcock is my all time favorite. Then, it’d
be John Carpenter and Wes Craven.
EFF: What equipments, cameras you used for this
film?
LS: So far, we’ve only used RED cameras.
Lou Simon
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