THE MIND'S EYE: World Premiere Video Interviews Joe Begos, Graham Skipper, John Speredakos & Larry Fessenden

The Mind's Eye premiered at Midnight Madness last night! The Ryerson Theater is still shoveling snow, mopping up telekinetic brain juice and blood, lots and lots of blood! Robert A. Mitchell was on the red carpet and battled telekinetic actors, a freak September snow storm, dodged an axe and barely got out of the way of several shotgun blasts to file this video. Robert talks to director and writer Joe Begos (Almost Human) about his sophomore film as well as actors Graham Skipper, John Speredakos and genre legend Larry Fessenden.

THE MIND'S EYE screens:
Thu, Sept 17, 3:30 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS
Sat, Sept 19, 7:00 PM SCOTIABANK

THE MIND'S EYE: Graham Skipper Interview: The Eyes Are The Windows To The Soul

Graham Skipper first appeared at Midnight Madness in 2013 in Almost Human. He brought kinetic energy, a wide range of emotions and compassion to the film as his character Seth Hampton dealt with the disappearance and subsequent reappearance of his best friend Mark Fisher (Josh Ethier). Michael Caine has said this about acting, "You cannot lie to the camera. If an actor feels the emotion internally, it will show in the eyes. If not, your eyes will betray you."

Anyone who has seen Mr. Skipper in film or on stage can attest to his eyes convey a lot of emotion. Graham returns to Midnight Madness with writer, director Joe Begos in The Mind's Eye. Mr. Skipper has channeled some serious intensity with his portrayal of Zack Connors. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Graham about acting.

It is fascinating to learn about the genesis of an actor. How did you get started in acting?

I've been acting since a very young age. My father was an actor in LA (where I was actually born) and then in Texas as I was growing up, and my mother was very involved in our local theatres, so both of my parents were very supportive. I did lots of plays and musicals as a kid, including one film when I was 12 that ended up going to Sundance, so you could say acting has been in my blood from the beginning. I went to school for it at Fordham University in NYC, and have been acting professionally ever since!

What have you learned about the craft of acting while making Almost Human and how did you apply that knowledge  to The Mind's Eye?

As with anything, I just try to be as truthful moment to moment on-screen as I can be - and I think that's especially true with horror films. It's so easy to comment on something at outrageous as some of the scenarios you find yourself in with a horror movie, but it's so much more effective to live it honestly and react truthfully to the ridiculousness going on around you. If you're believing what's happening to you, then the audience will, too. I think that was the main thing I kept with me coming out of Almost Human: I had to do my best to ground Seth in what was going on so that the audience would take that ride with me. The same I feel is true for The Mind's Eye - or any role, really. It also should be said that having worked with Joe on Almost Human just helped to solidify our friendship and make working together on The Mind's Eye that much easier. There's a shorthand we developed really quickly on Almost Human, and that just continued on into The Mind's Eye. Plus it just makes it fun!

Making a film can be such a surreal experience. Do you have any funny anecdotes from your time on film sets?

There was a really weird, hilarious moment on the set of Almost Human that was thankfully captured in the special features on the blu-ray and DVD, that is truly one of those things that only an actor would ever find themselves doing. I had to record some wild lines at the end of a long day out on a cold forest road - it was freezing cold, it was getting dark, we were all exhausted, and they had to get several takes on audio of me yelling various obscenities - "fuck, shit, goddammit" - all the things my mother would have hated hearing me say. And so there I am, screaming these curse words at the top of my lungs, covered in blood, freezing cold, just shouting them into the air while like twenty people just stood around watching me. It wasn't til it was over that we all burst out laughing. Such a weird, surreal moment.

As an avid aficionado of horror films are there any performances that you have drawn inspiration from?

Oh man, there are so many... Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead 2 is one of the greatest cinematic performances of all time. Same with Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West in Re-Animator. It's not exactly a horror film but Stallone in First Blood is like one of my favorite performances of all time. Also Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani in Possession are two just totally remarkable performances, in what must have been a tremendously difficult film to wrap your head around as an actor. Marilyn Burns in the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a testament to commitment as an actor - any time I would ever get tired or sore or whatever, I would think to that performance and remind myself of her and what she went through, and that I needed to suck it up and push through. I really admire the work of some of the old greats - Peter Lorre, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Vincent Price...there's an elegance mixed with madness that they brought to every role that I think every actor should study. Oh! And who could forget the great Robert Englund! There's so many...!

THE MIND'S EYE screens:
Tue, Sept 15, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thu, Sept 17, 3:30 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS
Sat, Sept 19, 7:00 PM SCOTIABANK

THE MIND'S EYE: Interview with Director Joe Begos

Joe Begos returns to the Midnight Madness program with his sophomore film The Mind's Eye. His first film Almost Human the alien abduction, slasher film threw a bunch of blood and alien slime upon the Ryerson theater screen. I recently I had the opportunity to speak to Joe about the making of The Mind's Eye. -- Robert A. Mitchell

Where did the idea for The Mind's Eye come from? 

It just sort of organically evolved from me wanting to do a really violent, badass telekinesis movie. There are really far too few of them. I was itching to do a revenge movie as well, and the two seemed like a match made in heaven, and I built the story from there. Like my last film, I wanted to make something that I would KILL to see.

You have assembled quite a cast for the film. Larry Fessenden (Stake Land, You're Next) Noah Segan (Deadgirl, Brick) John Speredakos (The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers). You are also working again with Graham Skipper who played the lead in Almost Human. What was the casting process like? Did you write parts for specific people?

The casting process was pretty awesome. I wrote the lead for Graham from the start, and then handful of the roles were written for specific people, and the rest of the roles were filled out by me picking up the phone and giving someone a call. I have a love for actors that look supremely blue collar, to me it makes there movie more realistic, so it was important to get actors that are recognizable to the genre, but can also act their asses off and don't look like a cosmopolitan model. I think we hit a pretty good balance, as everyone was able to turn in a phenomenal performance, and to me, look like they could be believable civilians in 1991 New England. 

What did you learn from making Almost Human and how did you apply that to The Mind's Eye? Did you expand upon your usage of practical special effects?

Yeah, there are so many effects in this movie my SPFX guy, Brian Spears wanted to kill me on numerous occasions haha. Not only did we have practical blood and gore, but he had to coordinate with a few other departments as we had tons of wire work, pyrotechnics, squibs, breakaways, you name it. I learned what was possible and how to stretch the budget on almost human even more than I had on any of the shorts I had made in my life. I was determined to take whatever extra money we could get for our budget and put it ALL in front of the camera. 

Both films are set in the winter. What do you like about this season as a backdrop to your stories? 

I love when seasons give movies a specific characteristic and atmosphere to the point where the season IS almost a character. I had actually planned to shoot this film in the fall, with all of the beautiful autumn colors, but we weren't able to obtain money fast enough. So therefore the movie was pushed to winter, and we were (un)fortunate to have almost 100 inches of snow during shooting. This was a MAJOR pain in the ass, but man does it look awesome!!

What kind of cinematic experience awaits the Midnight Madness audience who enter into this world of telekinetic people?

My biggest goal is making sure people have an absolute fucking blast when watching one of our movies

THE MIND'S EYE screens:
Tue, Sept 15, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thu, Sept 17, 3:30 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS
Sat, Sept 19, 7:00 PM SCOTIABANK

Anticipating THE MIND'S EYE A Look Back At ALMOST HUMAN

As the anticipation builds for the world premiere of Joe Begos' The Mind's Eye a look back at his first feature film is in order. One of the great aspects of the Midnight Madness program is seeing new voices in cinema emerge.  Such was the case in 2013 when the film Almost Human had its world premiere. The film was written, directed and photographed by Joe Begos. The film is an alien abduction, slasher hybrid which reminds one of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Fire in the Sky.
The movie transcended its low budget limitations with a lot talent, determination, passion and  outstanding practical special effects. Programmer Colin Geddes said this, "Almost Human is a raw indie film that delivers the splatter, drawing from many of the touchstones of cinematic shock for a refreshing intense thriller bound to excite a new generation of moviegoers."

The film is a testament to the do-it-yourself ethos and an inspiration to fellow independent and aspiring filmmakers.

The Almost Human crew wore their love of horror films on their T-shirts as well as their skin. Dawn of the Dead, Videodrome, Fright Night, Phantasm tattoos were clearly visible. There was no question of their passion and love of genre films so it was really no surprise that Joe, editor/actor Josh Ethier and lead actor Graham Skipper attended every single midnight screening.

Another great aspect of the Midnight Madness program is the return of alumni directors. Joe Begos is set to premiere his sophomore film The Mind's Eye. It will be great to see what he has done with all the knowledge he gained from the making of Almost Human and what new thrills and chills await the audience. It sure looks like Joe and his regular collaborators Josh Ethier and Graham Skipper have really upped the ante and delivered a solid horror film with lots of telekinetic action aka exploding heads. It'll also be great to once again be around their passion for genre films. Here is my interviews with them at the Almost Human red carpet.



THE MIND'S EYE screens:
Tue, Sept 15, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thu, Sept 17, 3:30 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS
Sat, Sept 19, 7:00 PM SCOTIABANK
 

Getting the Invite to Midnight Madness

I know what it is like to anticipate attending Midnight Madness as film lover and I was wondering what it was like as a filmmaker to get the call that your film was going to be invited to Midnight Madness, so I decided to ask a couple of Midnight Madness alumni for their reflections and advice to the filmmakers having a premiere this year. I recently spoke with Trent Haaga TH (screenwriter for Deadgirl) & Noah Segan NS (lead actor from Deadgirl)

1.) What was your initial reaction to the news that your film was being invited to the Toronto International Film Festival?

Trent Haaga

TH Disbelief. I love the film and the script was very special to me, but I had been told for so long that no one would ever make or watch the movie that I had begun to believe it. Getting into Midnight Madness at the TIFF was, quite simply, unbelievable at the time. TIFF is one of the most prestigious festivals in the world and they're premiering one of MY movies? The guy who wrote THE TOXIC AVENGER PART 4? Really?

Noah Segan

NS When I heard that Deadgirl had gotten into TIFF, I immediately called my Parole Officer and Rabbi (They're actually the same guy. Hollywood. Go figure.) for permission to attend! In all seriousness (or a little seriousness), I was nervously excited that a screwy little movie like ours had gotten the attention of such a prestigious festival.

2.) Could you share some of your memories of being at the festival in 2008.

TH My wife (and also the film's costume designer) and I decided to take a walk to the end of the line for the first screening of Deadgirl, we walked around one city block, then another, then another before we found the end of the line and every time we turned a corner I was shocked and amazed to see how many people were queued up to see the premiere ... we ended up selling out the Ryerson, which was amazing. It was also our first trip to Toronto, which is a great city.

NS TIFF was a whirlwind. I remember a couple really, really good buffets for us movie-folks. And a few protestors outside our theatre at midnight. Colin seemed just as surprised as we were to be a part of something so wild, just as much of a kid in a candy store. The best part was having an audience that "engaged" the movie. They didn't have any kind of snobbery. They laughed and screamed and joked and snarked and made it a party. That's my kind of scene. So in a way, it felt like I was just hanging out with pals.

3.) How has having your film premiere at tiff changed your life?

TH Premiering at the TIFF was definitely one of the pinnacles of my career thus far and it made Deadgirl the most successful film I've been involved with, both critically and financially. The film may have found its place over a longer period of time outside of TIFF, perhaps, but being discovered at the TIFF was the greatest exposure the film could have asked for.

NS Deadgirl went from a no-budget flick on the fringe to a hipster indie-darling thanks to TIFF Not only did the festival legitimize the movie, but having it in the scope of Colin's program made it appropriate. It's probably the first and last time I'll ever be "legitimately appropriate". How ironic that it's for a flick where I play a sociopathic rapist? I knew about Midnight Madness and how cutting-edge it is for a program, but I also knew that movie distributors really pay attention to the T.I.F.F. program, and that it could help lots of folks see our flick. It did.

4.) What advice would you offer filmmakers that are about to experience the world premiere of their films this year?

TH Enjoy it! Life isn't like a movie. It's not chock full of defining moments ... having a film premiere at TIFF during the Midnight Madness is one of those defining moments that you see in the movies. Well, it was for me, anyway ...

NS Get some sleep, you'll need it. Also, people in Canada really are as nice as they seem. It's not a scheme. Just roll with it.

5.) What projects are you currently working on?

TH I wrote a film called Fetch (www.themoviefetch.com) that is premiering in September, I've just completed my directorial debut, Chop (www.chopthemovie.com), and I turned in a screenplay for Deadgirl 2 a few months back ... Also working on the most important projects of all, sons Maximillian (8 years) and Bronson (8 weeks) ...

NS I need a killer gig so I can come back to TIFF!