Episode 6 - Farnaz Sami Blood Moon Renderyard Interviews

Today we speak with Farnaz Sami the director & producer of the werewolf short horror film Blood Moon for the Renderyard Interviews. To find out how she produced and created the film.

Interview Transcription

Speaker 2: Welcome to Randyard Interviews. Today we are speaking with Farnaz Sami, the director of Blood Moon

Speaker 1: And Hellfire.

Speaker 2: How are you doing today? I wanted to introduce you to our audience and you've got a short horror movie that we've been featuring on the Randeryard YouTube channel for nearly nine years and it's gained of a quarter of a million video views to date stars to Fantastic actors, Brendan bhima and Gil Darnell. And we've had a huge amount of questions being asked left in the comments and I thought this would be a good way to ask you as the Director is. These questions and also find out more about how you put the film together and what led to the making of such a, an interesting short horror film firstly. How did you find the story where you involved in the writing of the story or was this something that you'd come across that you felt you wanted to direct and bring your on kind of take to

Speaker 1: it right? Well, I mean I love Of preacher and Monster films. So that's something I like so whack. Then when I came up with this idea was working at Sony Pictures and there I think they were doing this on their world movie and that's influenced me and I was like, cool. I want to create something, something like that with werewolves and do cool stuff. So I came up, but I'm more into psychological stuff, you know? So I came up with a storyline, it took me a few months to come up with it. And then I shared the story line with James Wolfe, Michael, Riedel. And we just started writing the short, the concept of it. And then and then I told him, hey, I think I want to make a short film and would be cool to see how it looks like and what we can do and we just started writing the script. We finished it. And that's how it really happened.

Speaker 2: How long did it take to kind of flush out as a script?

Speaker 1: It took, it took us, a few months, to kind of flush it out, but because again, when you do independent films, you are limited to resources. And you cannot just say, hey, I'm going to make this short film or I'm going to film with all my ideas in it because you don't have The budget. So you kind of have to come up with an idea that works for you and sometimes you just you know in the independent world you just have to make your ideas work around your budget. Unfortunately.

Speaker 2: Yeah. That's usually the case you had quite an original way of going about aiding the production of the film, because the film involved the Use of stock footage and you were able to interweave the stock footage into the kind of live action that you were directing in. The editing process is it's only of the stock footage used in the film. From things we might recognize. Or was it material that was discarded and just not never really broadcast? I use.

Speaker 1: Yes, I used. I ended up using Some stock footage in my short because like, for instance, we had an Alleyway that we wanted to shoot. But then we were told, we need to hire a police officers, this and that, and some other problems, and it just didn't work out with our schedule. So I ended up, you know, doing something different in post and found some stock footage from movies like Spider-Man or some others that they haven't used. And I was able to utilize them in my film and make it fit.

Speaker 2: That's great. And there's a really great scene of kind of the chase through the forest, with the police dogs, and the lights, the Torches, and the atmospheric is kind of notched up, you know, the energy of the pace of the film when You were approaching your actors, did you have the actors in mind and you just, you know, wanted these people, or were you able to kind of discuss the role of the film with with, with a few different people? In the end you worked with a fantastic actors, Brandon bhima and Gil Darnell. They are kind of synergy together in the film because they're so, Visually different. The voices are very different. They're acting style is completely different. It works as the kind of Yin and Yang opposing each other and within the movie, the characters are opposing. Each other was that the dynamic you were looking for or did that come out through the

Speaker 1: actors? No, that's a dynamic. I was looking for but also, I worked with Gil before. So I knew his acting. But I never worked with Brandon before. However, when I was Younger and I was in school. I interned at The Bold and the Beautiful and that's where I met some of the actors. And that's how I knew about Brandon. So through a friend at bold and beautiful, I was able to approach to approach Brandon and asked him if he would be interested. And so he read the script and he said he loves to do it. And that's how it really all came together.

Speaker 2: That's great. Which film had you worked with previously with Gail?

Speaker 1: It wasn't a film. It was a teaser that we put together for for an idea. I had because usually when I have some projects going on, the first thing I do is I put the teaser together because it also helps everybody to see your vision as a director, when you are special, especially when you are pitching it. All right. Yeah.

Speaker 2: Over the years, you've kind of discussed on your Facebook page, the idea of bringing blood moon either forward as a series of potentially, as a longer feature film, have you been able to find traction with this idea and the fact that the film's done so well on

Speaker 1: YouTube? Yes, I'm still working on. Putting a TV show together. I think probably TV shows it today. TV shows are more popular and I think it would make a better TV show. It would make it better project as a TV show. So that's what I'm currently working on, trying to create a pilot. And then, okay, package it and see where it goes.

Speaker 2: Excellent, how you start? To be working with with James James, Wolfe on this? Yes.

Speaker 1: Well I'm currently working with him on writing a

Speaker 2: pilot. Brilliant. Do we have a timeline or is it all just?

Speaker 1: Hopefully, by the

Speaker 2: summertime really? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This crossed fingers crossed. There's a huge Community out there who had is clamoring to see more of. Yeah. Great. That would be awesome. That's You have a very interesting visual for the werewolf within the film. I don't want to give too much away because I really want people to watch film, but can you tell us a little bit about the makeup and the costume design for the world wolf

Speaker 1: for the werewolf? Well, as you can see, it was a costume and that was another thing was, I was debating. Acton. Hey, do I want to do it? You know, do I want to do visual effects or do? I want to shoot have something a costume and shoot it on set? I'm more a fan of making things on the set because it's more realistic. But again, in that case because of the budget and our time, and I just had to shoot it, you know, I talked to Howard Berger and he had This costume sitting at his shop and he said I could borrow it and use it. So that's what I

Speaker 2: did. No no damage

Speaker 1: now. I mean it's worked because it's only, you know, few seconds. Yeah. Ten seconds seeing the werewolf. If I had to show the werewolf longer they are I don't think it would have

Speaker 2: worked, but yeah. Yeah. And the, how long was the sheet for additional

Speaker 1: this shoot was really just over the weekend so Saturday Sunday, that's all I had, that's great.

Speaker 2: How do you remember the hours? The beginning of each day

Speaker 1: I think it was probably 8 a.m. until you know, 9:00 10:00 p.m. but also the other the other Challenge was the other. The other challenge was that we really didn't have a set. Like it wasn't like the said, you seen the movie. It wasn't, like I said, that was ready to go. So we build

Speaker 2: everything. Okay,

Speaker 1: so the space we got the space but we still had to, you know build the bars and make it look like you know, facility or prison type of like you know

Speaker 2: prisoner You know, that door and seen that jail cell die gasps, it looks incredibly sturdy. And so

Speaker 1: yes. So we had, we had to build it so, including all that. Yeah, it took us two days to shoot

Speaker 2: that was everything created. Before you went in to do the shooter was that also included in the two days. You just start working on stuff from day one.

Speaker 1: No, I think we started maybe a day before too because we only had that A space just for that weekend. So I think we started on maybe Friday night and then we started and then we start shooting Saturday morning so the schedule was pretty

Speaker 2: tight. So how how how long was post when you wrap the shoot? And then you went in the studio editing? Was that a long post? Or did you just do it when you have time with weekends? No.

Speaker 1: No, the post actually wasn't that bad because I had an editing system in my office. I was able to cut it whenever I found some time to cut it since I cut it myself, you know, I stay late or to work early and I cut it, I think it took probably 23 months to everything, the music and, you know, doing the mix and you know,

Speaker 2: Everything you worked with quite an established cinematographer done font and Ray the visual genius behind Jeepers. Creepers. How did you manage to get done

Speaker 1: involved? I think Don summer someone of my work. When I finished College, I was called body of work. It was a short film that also took place while not all. So it was a short time I took This Insight, a morgue and I was walking with John McCook and Lawrence Lamas and that's how I made the connection with random Beamer. So I made that short film, and when he saw the short film, he said that he likes to work with me one day, and when I was ready to, you know, make it bad, I just asked him if he would be interested, so I sent him the script, he read it and he said he Loved it. Let's do it.

Speaker 2: Brilliant. There's some excellent dialogue in the film, people have responded, really. Well, just to the kind of on going back and forth debate between the two characters. And, you know, bring it brings out a lot of Who's right? Who's wrong?

Speaker 1: Well, I'm a fan of Hitchcock. So, whatever I do there is a lot of mystery and suspense, right? No matter if it's in shooting the movie or no matter if it's in their dialogue, I try to make things kind of Twisted so you can tell what's really going on or who's who and you know, it's always nice to. To leave the audience thinking like you know, give them something to think about and not just say hey this is the werewolf and this is the patience or whatever. So I like that, that's just one of the things I like to do.

Speaker 2: And when you know from, I'm guessing from a very young age, he probably had a love of cinema and movies, but where did your kind of passion for you know, Cinema and films? When where did that start?

Speaker 1: To be honest with you, when I was a kid. I mean, yes, I love movies and I loved to watch movies. But unlike other people who say, oh, we started holding a camera. That

Speaker 2: was what made me

Speaker 1: write, what may happen in my adulthood. So when I was in Germany, because I lived there for 10 years and I was 17 18. I started working for and Entertainment. And I was working with for them for three years and I've watched them like, how they were cutting shows on the flatbed, you know, and I always thought that this was a cool thing. So, that's really when I started being interested first in editing. And and then eventually, when I came over to United States, So I, you know, I started going taking television first because I wanted to see if I'm interested in television or film, and I try television, I wasn't too crazy about it back then. And then I was like, okay, I want to go to film school. And I remember my first project, I had to turn something in just to see if I can get into the film program and small like two minutes action, film that I shot with my sis. In mm and it ended up being nice and cool back. Then being my first work and then I got into the program and that's really when I started, you know, realizing, okay, this is what I like to do. And a lot of my professors were telling me, hey, you got the eye for the action films. You should stick her. So, as I was studying at, you know, as I was in college and I was doing shorts here and there, that's when I really found that. Doubt. Okay, I have a passion for storytelling and making horror and action films. That's my thing.

Speaker 2: So, it's great. And with a lot of action films, it's the pace and the editing. So I guess you, you know, being around the kind of flat beds at the editing process, you've got a better understanding of how that technique is actually physically created, not just pointing the camera, insane, you know action.

Speaker 1: Yeah. Definitely the editing helps a lot because I added all my projects and having the understanding of how you want to edit, you don't really waste too much time on the set, because you already cut the movie in your head. Yeah, that's that's really that really helps me all the time. Even when I'm writing either myself or with a writer, I already I'm already cutting on papers. The now you being really, I think every director really should know how to edit.

Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's invaluable and also as storyboarding is well, did you manage to story about the film or did you have any colleagues or friends that helped with the visual? You know, design of how things might look before they were created?

Speaker 1: Honestly, I don't believe in storyboard. Words, because they change all the time specially in the independent world. I feel like storyboards are such a waste of time. Okay, you cannot because of the budget, you cannot stick to your story boards, you got it, like to what how do you want to have things to look? So, I only, when I storyboard, I only store your board. If there is an action sequence, complicated, seeing that might need

Speaker 2: storyboard. You when Younger. When you started your film career, you interned, for lightstorm James Cameron's. Distinct. I'm how was that

Speaker 1: experience? It was a great experience. It was great to see how things work on, you know, on that level. And I did a lot of script reading and a lot of talking to different people producers. And so it was a nice experience. Variants. But you know, when you're younger you don't really know so much because you're just like talking to people and getting information. And and so back then it was a very exciting thing to be just around people and work in a production

Speaker 2: that kind of energy. Yeah,

Speaker 1: and sweet James moment. Sometimes that

Speaker 2: was your second film that you created after Moon is called Hellfire and that, that that shot film no werewolves. But again a very Supernatural based. Yeah, I think 100% created with stock footage was some fantastic voice of as of the two actors. How funny? And the DJ or the radio DJ right? Can you explain Hell Fire a little bit to the audience and what was your approach after finishing blood moon did it? Allow you to kind of think. Okay, what do I want to do next and where am I going to go? And I guess that's why you went when you created that from

Speaker 1: Hellfire was an idea. I had when I was working at the studio and it was just an idea I came up with but it was kind of costly to shoot that idea. You know, I was thinking what if I make a movie without Shooting one single shot. And people told me you're crazy, that's not possible. And the more they said it, the more, you know, inspired I got to make it happen because I was like, well, don't tell me I can't. So that's that's when I decided, you know, because people really thought I cannot do this, it's not possible, you know. So first I worked on the story line. I came up with an idea where you don't necessarily need to see the actors, one is on the radio and the other one is coming from the other world. Yeah, he's Hellfire. You know, and that's how I was able to get away with it, but of course, choosing the shots that would go with the storyline and how you edit it. It it plays a major role because if you don't know how to edit that thing and if you don't know how, what kind of shot It's, you should choose so it would go with with what the storyline. It's not going to work out because I think I used three hundred fifty shots

Speaker 2: the line that really jumps quite quickly.

Speaker 1: Yeah. And the editing, I think the editing took me three, four months because I was like, trying different shots, trying to figuring out how to cut it and what goes with what? So yeah, It was a time-consuming project but it was fun to do because I helped me to take my editing skills to the next level. I think editing is really fun if you loved it. Like, I really love editing, I might actually love editing more than directing, but not

Speaker 2: everything,

Speaker 1: but, you know, I love directing to it. Just feels like when you're making making a movie or working on a project. Like, writing it, it's one movie and directing it is another movie and editing it. It's so you're, you're really making three different

Speaker 2: movies. The one thing you had the one in reality, when you can kind of mold

Speaker 1: and editing is really what makes your movie there makes it, or breaks it. So if you're a good editor you, you know, you know how to basically save. Your

Speaker 2: film. You've recently finished shooting your latest short film the kid behind the iron door. This is a film that isn't out yet. But you're, you know, I guess you're about to go into the editing process. Can you tell us a bit about that please?

Speaker 1: Yes, so I shot this film recently. Genuine. December January. It was a four-day shoot. And it's the film is around 20 minutes and it takes the story takes place in the LEDs. This one is actually a short film in it's a foreign film. It's in Farsi and I made it because I like to send it to a lot of different film festivals and see how it will do. I know a lot of film festivals love these type of films but also just not because of the film festival. It's not the only reason I made this film. I'm also working on a feature version of it, which will, you know, which will end up being something like taken meets the on the professional type of

Speaker 2: thing. Wow, another action

Speaker 1: film, it starts not as an action, the first 10 minutes, but yeah, then it becomes it an American movie. So I'm working on that right now. But this shorts, actually, I finished the editing and we are in the process of taking care of the sound dialogue, editing, and the music and the color work. And yeah. So the editing is done, waiting for the team to finish what they are doing. So we can hopefully wrap it up in the next month or so, and just two different film festivals. Valse

Speaker 2: brilliante and can you give us an outline of what the films about

Speaker 1: sore? The film is about a little girl who is grieving and it takes place in the period of time when there was a war between Iran and Iraq and it's one week before it's like they're trying to get out of the country but at the same time, the little girl is going through that grieving stage because she lost Her friends and also at the same time she is trying to adapt and see how she feels. Like she doesn't fit in that world and also she feels like she's not going to fit in the new world that her parents are going to introduce to her soon. I worked. I wrote it myself. And I finished a draft on my own and then I had a writer friends, her name is Amy Imani. To work with me on this and make it tighter and nicer and, you know, so we can move forward and shoot that she actually lives in England. She is half, half Persian half American and she lives in England. I'm just film. Everybody is very very International.

Speaker 2: Okay, excellent through your career. And what you've learned? If you could speak to your younger self, what kind of advice would you give her to, you know, navigate her way through this? Crazy world of filmmaking?

Speaker 1: Well, I mean, if you want to be a filmmaker, I guess you just have to go for it. You know, it's not an easy thing to do. It's not it's not something you can, you're not going to succeed over. it it just takes time, it takes a lot of years and it's, it's really you have to have a thick skin, you're going to get a lot of rejections and And what you just have to get through it. You know, if you're passionate about it, you will find a way to make things happen because we're going to get a lot of NOS from people and sometimes you just have to think about it and see is this something you really want to do? And if it is then you know, just stick with it and don't give up until you succeed. I mean I've been getting Twenty years and I'm still doing it and it's hard especially if as a woman if you want to do action and horror films it's harder. So but again, it depends where you are. I think in Europe it's they will come more artistic films. And here in the United States it's more about commercial films. So there are two different things, you know, luckily, I love commercial films and I love my passion is horror and action. Films. You know? So it depends where you are and what you want to do, no matter what do you want to do, if you really want to do it, stick to it and do it. That's the only way you can succeed.

Speaker 2: So, for the viewers and listeners of today's interview, you can there's a link in the description to watch blood moon, and will also leave a link for healthy and enjoy both. And if you have any questions that you would like to leave Finance or just join the conversation in the YouTube comments, that would be awesome. And thank you very much having having you on today.

Speaker 1: Thank you. - thanks for having me.