FADING OF THE CRIES: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR BRIAN A. METCALF (PART I)
 

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.

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 . . ."