This week in Interviews From The Crypt we jump in the way back machine and rerun a piece that was originally on From Dusk Till Con in 2016.
Check out our chat with Corey and Haley Norman of Bonfire Films.
By Adam Holtzapfel
Adam Holtzapfel–How does being based in Maine influence your films?
Corey Norman-From our rocky coastline and sandy beaches to the hundreds of acres of untouched woodlands that are the Great Nothern Woods, Maine is a truly unique place. As a kid, I spent a lot of time exploring the countryside with my mother (a landscape photographer). There was always something comforting about being deep in the woods; something quieting. But in beautify, there can always be something darker. The woods can also hold mystery, as something could be watching you without you ever seeing it. There’s something about this duality that’s always captivated me, and that’s why we’ve tried to incorporate Maine into all our films. She’s a character.
But aside from the landscape, people in Maine have a strong passion for the arts. The amount of community support we feel when we’re in production is truly awe-inspiring. People up here just want to help and be part of creating something, even if that means helping us kill a bunch of people on screen.
Haley Norman-To say that Stephen King hasn’t influenced us would be lying, but we being the horror lovers that we are, Maine is such an untouched spot for beautiful landscapes, architecture and abandonment. It’s pretty peaceful and quiet here, which can also be terrifying to an overactive imagination, especially when yours is typically on the macabre side.
AH–You primarily focus on short films, with the exception being The Hanover House. Are there plans to do any more feature films in the near future?
HN-There are always ideas for features…. But we’re still paying off debt from The Hanover House. It’s not a total bust though. Right now we’re trying to find different avenues that would lend us the opportunity to make another feature. Hanover had a relatively small budget at $23,000. We ask ourselves all the time as to how we can do another one for less and still produce a high quality film. Passion and cashed-in favors only gets you so far. Feeding your crew really well helps too, but you can’t feed an army without any dough. I think when the time is right everything will fall into place like it always does. We’ve been lucky in that regard.
CN-There’s something rewarding that comes with feature length films that you don’t get with shorts. It’s hard to fully develop characters and create a dynamic story in ten or even twenty minutes. That’s why I miss that working in the longer format, where there’s time to explore. But, as so many independent filmmakers will state, it’s all about the money. In our journey as filmmakers, we’ve come to realize that its quality, not quantity that people take notice in, and we pride ourselves in creating technically strong pieces of cinema. With each new production, our tastes tend to get slightly more expensive. From stronger lights, to more high-end cameras, our wallets can only handle these tastes in the short form. But, when the stars align and the money is ready for the next production, we’ll be ready to move ahead full steam.
AH–Do you view crowdfunding sites as a help or hindrance to independent film makers?
CN-I’m not sure how crowdfunding sources can be seen as a hindrance. Sure, it’s a lot of work, but since when was fundraising for a film not? I’m always shocked when I hear filmmakers say thinks like, “I’m not going going to beg for money on Kickstarter or Indiegogo.” As filmmakers of the 21st century, we’re faced with obstacles that our predecessors didn’t have to deal with at the extremes we do. Piracy is a very real plague that’s crippling our industry. The Invoking 2, an anthology film we were feature on that was released by Image Entertainment, had 187,000 views in one week after someone illegal uploaded the film to YouTube. Sure, that’s some great exposure, but that exposure can’t pay your cast and crew. If each of those viewers simply paid $1 to watch the movie, we probably could stop crowdfunding our projects, because indie films would be seen as less risk to distributors. But unfortunately, that’s not happening.
I think it’s important to start thinking about these campaigns more as pre-order opportunities than as simple pleas for money. Personally, I love to support other artists on these sites, and cannot wait until I get my copy of Frankenstein Created Bikers later this month for doing so.
HN-I think it depends on what you have to offer, along with samples of your
work, what you’re capable of, and so importantly the passion and energy you bring to the table. If you’re excited, others are more likely to be excited. Like, “Hell yeah! I can get behind this!”. I’ve seen some campaigns that are painful to watch and times where I’m not even sure the people who are asking for funding really know what they’re trying to accomplish. It’s a hit or miss.