
(Director Brian A. Metcalf discussing
a scene with actor Brad Dourif) |
Brian A. Metcalf is a director, producer, writer and artist. He has
worked a variety of jobs as a traditional artist, creative director,
writer, photographer, visual effects artist and supervisor. He was
involved on numerous multimedia, marketing and film projects such as The
Passion of the Christ, The Day After Tomorrow, Pitch Black, Harry Potter
and the Goblet of Fire and The Lion King virtual tours before moving on to
directing. Most recently, Brian produced and directed the upcoming film,
Fading of the Cries, starring Brad Dourif, Thomas Ian
Nicholas, Mackenzie Rosman, Elaine Hendrix and Jordan Matthews.
Question: You wrote the screenplay. Can you tell us a
bit more about the movie? The plot? The characters? Where you got your
ideas from? Which movies influenced you?
Brian A. Metcalf: Fading of the Cries is
an action-fantasy film about Jacob, a young man (Jordan Matthews) armed
with a deadly sword, who rescues Sarah, a teenage girl (Hallee Hirsh),
from Mathias, an ancient spellcaster (Brad Dourif) who was raised from the
dead by Michael (Thomas Ian Nicholas), a man who bought the house where
Mathias resided.
Jacob struggles to get Sarah back home safely, running
through fields, churches, and other locations while trying to escape
hordes of demonic creatures that have been raised by Mathias. At the same
time, Sarah's mother, Maggie (Elaine Hendrix), must try to keep herself
and her other daughter, Jill (Mackenzie Rosman), safe from the evil set in
motion by Mathias.
"Jacob struggles to get Sarah back home safely while trying to escape
hordes of demonic creatures . . ."
|
The idea for this film has been in the back of my mind
since childhood and evolved over the years. The characters, their actions,
their dialogue and fears are all based on real people I had known. The
situations are similar to my own life experiences while using the
supernatural aspects as more of metaphors. Jacob's story is ultimately
about facing his fears, whereas Sarah's story is about coming to terms
with her family. Michael's story is about his fall from grace and rise
back to grace. So each and every character has their own flaws and
purposes which, to me, makes them more interesting.
I've grown up being a big fan of all types of films so I
thought a combination of the types would be interesting. With the many
films I've watched, life experiences and nightmares I've had all attribute
to what has become this film. There are such a large selection of films
that I have been tremendously influenced by but some in particular that
really stand out to me are
Blade Runner, The
Shining, Dawn of the Dead, The Shawshank Redemption,
The Godfather and Interview With The Vampire. These films, all
by amazing directors, have allowed me to study their pacing, mood, camera
angles and overall storytelling.
Q: Where was Fading of the Cries filmed?
Brian A. Metcalf: Fading of the Cries was
shot all around Los Angeles from The Disney Golden Oak Ranch in Santa
Clarita, to Pasadena all the way over to Woodland Hills.
Q: This is your first full-length film as director.
How did your experience working on other movies prepare - or not prepare
you - for it?
Brian A. Metcalf: I feel a number of things have
helped prepare me to get the point where I felt I was ready to direct my
own full length film. My experience as a storyboard artist, art director
and Creative Director allowed me to create and compose shot lists and put
them down on paper. Being a photographer helped me to really study and
understand lighting with 35 mm. Being a visual effects supervisor and
artist for commercials, films and documentaries allowed me to really
understand the technical details behind creating the effects for the
project, especially considering this film is filled with a tremendous
number of effects shots. Directing a short film and some music videos
along with being on a number of sets and observing all the aspects that
were being done allowed me to see how people improvised when problems
would arise and how different departments communicated with one another.
Next: "People
forget that Brad Dourif received an Academy Award Nomination for One Flew
Over the Cuckoo's Nest . . ."