Camping Trip is a new short film in development that promises to subvert the story of two young lovers, their RV, and an unexpected (and deadly) visitor while offering up some good scares in the process.

Leading the way on Camping Trip are Vancouver talents Amy McLeish (Director), Jaden Braunwarth (Producer), Zlatina Pacheva (Writer/Producer), Kevin Rigney (Director of Photography), Matt Popp (First Assistant Director), Ainsley Barteluk (Production Designer), Hannah-Rose Brearley (Key Costumes), Jenny Zheng (Propsmaster), Christopher Graham (Set Decorator), Emily Walsh (Hair & Makeup), and Tina Marie McCulloch (Casting Director).

We caught up with Zlatina Pacheva and Kevin Rigney to hear more about their horror-fueled ambitions for the project and their crowdfunding campaign.

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Can you start by telling us a little bit about you and your involvement with Camping Trip?

Zlatina Pacheva: I’m a writer/director/producer in Vancouver. I wrote Camping Trip a few months ago and approached the very talented Amy McLeish to direct. She’s brought together an amazing team and I’m now assisting Producer Jaden Braunwarth with pre-production duties.

Kevin Rigney: I’m Kevin Rigney, playing the role of Cinematographer for Camping Trip. Amy (Director) and I will be working closely together to create the look, style and feel of the movie. I love this genre, very excited to be working with a very a talented group of women on this. I’ve been working in film for 10 years and these independent projects are my favourite place to be. When I have the opportunity to work with friends and we get to create something together, I find that to be very rewarding and special.

What should audiences expect from Camping Trip?

Zlatina Pacheva: An unconventional plot with all the blood and guts you’d expect from a typical slasher film. We’re subverting gender depictions while also ensuring the film is scary and super fun. Also, our team is 70% women so we hope the female voice rings loud and clear throughout this – it even starts with an excerpt from a Sylvia Plath poem so… ya know.

Kevin Rigney: I think the technology driven youth of today will get a bit of a connection out of the film, It may make them think twice about social media.

Why do you think the horror genre has remained so popular?

Zlatina Pacheva: Having grown up watching horror movies every weekend with my best friend, I think the main reason is because it’s just so damn fun. Nothing brings people together like cowering under blankets or screaming your face off in a movie theatre.

In a more psychological vein – this Vice article discusses how horror films are a sort of cathartic release for those struggling with anxiety. As someone who has always been anxious, I can wholeheartedly relate to this.

Kevin Rigney: It’s really a way to experiment with the audiences fear, horror has evolved a lot with technology and it leaves people wanting more each time. If you go back 20 years, you didn’t really get to see the actual violence, now a days people want that pay off I think.

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“Nothing brings people together like cowering under blankets or screaming your face off in a movie theatre.”

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Which horror films have influenced you the most?

Zlatina Pacheva: Carrie, Scream and the original Poltergeist stand out as front-runners. I also love The Exorcist, IT, Insidious, The Ring and more recently, The Autopsy of Jane Doe.

When writing Camping Trip, I was very inspired by All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, Stage Fright and Addams Family Values (haha…but seriously).

Kevin Rigney: I really like classic horror and zombie films. The Shining, IT, Halloween, The Thing, Hellraiser and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. New age stuff; It Follows, 28 Days Later.

What are the three most important elements for a successful horror film?

Zlatina Pacheva: In my opinion: Good music and sound design, a mysterious villain or tormenting force, just the right sprinkle of comedic relief.

Kevin Rigney: Give as little information to the audience, to keep them guessing. Put the actors in a remote area with no help nearby. Lots of blood.

What books and authors have been influential to your career so far?

Zlatina Pacheva: Screenwriting – pretty much anything by Syd Field. Directing – Directing Actors, On Directing Film, An Actor Prepares. General – The Film Club by David Gilmour, Film Art.

What’s the most rewarding thing about your career right now?

Zlatina Pacheva: Working with passionate, talented humans who want to make movies for the sake of the love of movies and nothing else.

Where can we find out more about you and the Camping Trip campaign?

Zlatina Pacheva: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Indiegogo.

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Thanks to Zlatina Pacheva and Kevin Rigney for speaking with us!

You can support Camping Trip right here.

The post The Biz Interview: Camping Trip Feature appeared first on Biz Books.

We spoke with Jim Gordon about his love of film and his experience in entertainment.

How did you become interested in the entertainment industry and what steps did you take to get involved?

I became interested at a very young age, developing a love of movies thanks to my wonderful mother. When I was a kid, it was sports, movies and wanting to be a radio DJ. I got a TV/film review column in the local newspaper by the time I was 17 and also got involved in TV and radio, and DJ’ing in bars. I studied Film at the University of Waterloo, and along with my cousin, made a movie that was broadcast locally. That led to a 4 movie deal with a small movie company in Toronto after university. It was a great first break, and I loved it, but I kept doing film reviews as well.

How would you sum up what you do as a film critic and television personality? What’s a typical work day like for you?

As a film critic on CTV, my job is to convey my thoughts and opinions as quickly and succinctly as possible. I try to cover a wide variety of films/DVDs each week so there’s hopefully something for everyone. With our TV show, The Travel Guys, our approach over the last 11 years has been very similar in that we cover a destination with insight, information, and humour, hopefully giving the viewer a sense of what it’s like. As for a typical day, it varies, depending on what “hat” I’m wearing that day.

What’s the biggest misconception about film critics?

I’m not sure, maybe that we don’t like mainstream movies, which is not the case.

How would you sum up the films of 2014 so far?

I think it’s been pretty good overall. There have been some wonderful films this year from the Hollywood, as well as documentaries, independent and foreign films. I loved Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, and Philip Seymour Hoffman reminded me of all the great performances we’ll never see in one of his last films, the old school spy thriller A Most Wanted Man. The Lunchbox from India is certainly worth seeing, and though I’m so tired of anything with a vampire, Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston were superb in Only Lovers Left Alive. I’ve also enjoyed Birdman with Michael Keaton, Foxcatcher with Steve Carell and The Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch.

In your opinion, what are three elements that every film needs to be effective?

A well-written story, interesting characters, and solid acting.

What are your favourite movies?

My favourite movie is The Americanization of Emily (1964), with James Garner and Julie Andrews. It’s an anti-war, romantic drama set during the days leading up to D-Day. It was brilliantly written by the master, Paddy Chayefsky, who also wrote Marty (1955) and the prophetic film about the decline of TV called Network (1976). I also love Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960), and The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) which stars my all-time favourite actor, William Holden.

How about some memorable moments in your career so far?

As a film critic I’ve been very fortunate to have interviewed some well-known people in the business, Helen Mirren and Clint Eastwood rank up there. And Jeff Bridges was such a nice guy, really cool, the dude. But I’ll never forget the time years ago when and I saw Marcello Mastroianni in a Toronto hotel lobby, it took all my nerve to go over and shake his hand but I’m glad I did. He was the epitome of elegance and grace.

Co-hosting a travel show, there have been a number of highlights, but watching locals in Northern Malaysia bet on coconut-plucking, tree monkeys would rank up there.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a film critic?

See a wide variety of film. Read other critics (Time Magazine’s Richard Corliss is among my favourites). Write what you see and post it.

What books have been influential to you in becoming a film critic?

I’ve read so many great books on directors, writers and actors, but those which come to mind are screenwriting books by Syd Field, Hitchcock: The Definitive Study – Francois Truffaut’s book of conversations with Alfred Hitchcock, David Mamet’s Writing in Restaurants, and not too long ago I read the 2001 bio on film/theatre critic, Kenneth Tynan, and Todd McCartney’s 1997 bio on director Howard Hawks.

Where can we find out more about you and keep up with your current and future projects?

Thanks for asking. My film review segments air on CTV every Friday on the morning, noon, and 5pm News shows. You can also find other reviews/interviews at gastowngazette.com and prevailprevail.com.

The Travel Guys airs weekly on SHAW TV, CHEK TV, and NOVUS TV. You can also find me at travelguystv.com and @travelguystv & @jimctvmovies.

The post The Biz Interview: Jim Gordon of CTV and The Travel Guys appeared first on Biz Books.

Can you discuss the creative process of your involvement in Lawrence & Holloman from the earliest days all the way to release?

Yeah, I grew up as an actor and writer in theatre and so I’d seen three productions of the stage play Lawrence & Holloman (written by the amazing Morris Panych, winner of 2 Governor General’s Awards for Drama). So when Matt asked if I wanted to do the play, I looked at it again, and went: Wait, this would make an awesome indie feature. Like the cult hit Withnail & I or Labute’s Sundance hit In the Company of Men. So we brought producer Paul Armstrong aboard, who had seen and loved the play at the Arts Club in 1999, and we got development funding from Corus Entertainment and then the Harold Greenberg Fund and BC Film (now Creative BC). After 3 years of adapting it into a screenplay, we then attached Exec Producers Mary Anne Waterhouse and Andrew Currie, then Telefilm came aboard with production financing, then we raised the rest of the money, got Super Channel involved, and made the thing. It sounds easy, but that’s only the Coles Notes. It was a humungous learning curve on me and Matt’s part. We had made a 35mm short together (The Janitors) through the NSI Drama Prize and he had made a few other shorts, but writing this feature, securing the money, and making the movie was a mind-bogglingly complex thing — and if you strive towards it being the best it can possibly be, it’s all-consuming. Oh, I co-wrote, am on the producing team, and play Holloman.

From your experience in co-writing the film, what are the most important elements that a feature film screenplay needs to be successful?

I guess I found that it needs to be able to excite the people with money or who are going to make it. That’s what it comes down to. Sometimes people wouldn’t jive with the script and you have to just say “Okay, they’re not going to help us make it.” It doesn’t mean it’s bad (necessarily), it just means the fit isn’t right. So what are the elements that attract that interest? Again, it depends who you’re talking to and pitching to. I’ve heard some producers say they want something that will sell in foreign markets, which usually means a genre picture with a bankable name actor. Story is less important. Other people, the ones we were dealing with, mostly look for that fresh idea, a different spin on a universal theme, a story that compels. But again, the alchemy is so important … really it’s all about finding partners who grab hold of what you’re writing, and how you’re writing it. So you’re always writing with an audience in mind, and then trying to find that audience. That’s what I do. When I’m structuring a story, I’m always thinking two things: Where is the character at in their journey/what would they do next? And 2: What is the reader/audience feeling now? What emotions am I invoking, where to do I take the audience next, and why should they care? Writing a story is a very manipulative exercise. I picture it like sitting around a campfire telling a story to sleepy people: it’s got to have twists and turns and take them on a visceral, emotional, and intellectual ride, and keep them awake! And hopefully, if it’s really good, also ignite in their dreams.

What was your most memorable moment from the making of Lawrence & Holloman?

Actually the moment that sticks out the most is being on the phone one-on-one with Karynn Austin, who at the time was the regional director at Telefilm Canada, and hearing her tell me how much she enjoyed the script. No major notes, just “I loved it.” I still remember where I was, what time of year it was, and the inflection of her voice. That moment was the culmination of me, Matt, and Paul’s 2-3 years of work thus far, and is what spurred the eventual greenlight towards production. In my mind it was probably the most important moment in the film’s history; without it, it may not be in front of you today nor getting all the awards and accolades. Thank you, Karynn.

You’ve worked in both film and television projects. How are they different as an actor and how does your preparation change?

This is an interesting question because I’ve been in TV but never made TV. But I made Lawrence & Holloman. So when I work in TV it’s very different than this. TV gigs for me have usually been like being a small cog in a big machine; you show up, do your acting, commit to the moment, and then go home and collect the cheque. Whereas for L&H it was all-consuming. That said, I’ve been in other films where I wasn’t making the thing, so they’ve been a lot more like a TV set too. Everyone knows their job, and the actor’s job is to act in the part. When it comes to doing that, both TV and film are the same to me. And even though every project is different, the preparation is pretty much the same: learn the lines by learning the moment to moment beats, while also making choices about character, intention, motivation, and stakes.

What books have been influential to your creative journey as a writer and actor?

Awesome, love to answer this one. Cuz I read books like this all the time! As an actor, the most thumbed-through ones on my shelf are True and False by David Mamet, Michael Shurtleff’s Audition, Larry Moss’ The Intent to Live, and A Practical Handbook for the Actor. As a writer, Robert McKee’s Story, Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat series, The Eight Characters of Comedy, and Syd Field’s The Screenwriter’s Problem Solver. Oh, I also loved the book The Activist Screenwriter and I keep a copy of One Less Bitter Actor on hand!

What advice would you give to aspiring actors and screenwriters?

Read the books above! Actors, if you want to act, act. Whether it’s classes or making your own stuff, just do it. Learn. I started getting paid to do theatre when I was 12, but I still went through a conservatory acting program, and that helped solidify a career for myself in the theatre. Screenwriters, I hear a lot of people say to develop a database of story ideas, and sure that’s important, I have that … but in my experience nothing beats sitting down and wrestling those one or two projects into the best they can possibly be in order to get them made. Writing is rewriting, I’m a firm believer in that — and you must listen to your audience. Oh, and if you want get paid to act or write, you have to treat them like crafts, but also businesses.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career and what have you done to overcome it?

Biggest challenge has been and continues to be transitioning from a theatre-only actor to an actor who works on screen as well. What am I doing to overcome that? Making my own movies! I should probably do more to overcome it, but this is a start.

What would you like to share about your upcoming projects?

Well beyond the theatrical release of Lawrence & Holloman — which is already amazing — and the fact that it’s won 11 awards in 11 festivals, received “must-see” reviews, 9 Leo nominations, and is currently nominated for 4 Canadian Comedy Awards (all right all right all right) — I’m also thrilled that my other feature script Any Night just won the nation-wide CFF Super Channel Screenplay Award, which means it’s on Canada’s It-List of the best as-of-yet-unproduced screenplays and receives a pre-buy offer from Super Channel, worth $30K-$50K or more depending on budget. So hopefully that one will get made soon!

For more information about Lawrence & Holloman, please visit LawrenceandHolloman.com.

The post The Biz Interview: Daniel Arnold of Lawrence & Holloman appeared first on Biz Books.