Now if you had the opportunity to make a movie, what type of a movie would you make? A comedy? A period drama? A futuristic adventure? Or would you make something like my buddy, Diana Townsend, has? A paranormal drama story set in Devon. True. Diana has. Here, check out this conversation I had with this great-great lady just the other day, whilst we were eating pasties and riding cows. Mooo!Deadly Intent
1) In a nut shell Diana, how would you describe your movie, 'Deadly Intent'? Deadly Intent is a Paranormal Thriller about a mother whose world is torn apart when an unseen presence begins influencing her young son.
2) Where did the idea behind this film come from? And was any of it based on your own personal experiences? When I decided to write 'Deadly Intent' I wanted to create a story that would make audiences jump and have an element of real fear. I tried to think back over my own life to times when I had been genuinely afraid and, to my surprise, I could only think of one.
Many years ago when my daughters were young my husband and I moved into an old school and began renovating it.
Before long we began to suspect there may be a ghost in the property. Whether there was anything or whether it was just imagination, I don't know, but my younger daughter began waking in the night screaming that her sister had been punching her when she was still asleep in her bed opposite. The thought that something invisible might be in my house attacking my child absolutely terrified me so I decided to use that fear as the inspiration for Deadly Intent.
3) What film, or amalgamation of films, could you compare your piece to? People who have read the script have compared it to 'The Sixth Sense' or 'Insidious', although I would not make those comparisons myself.
4) You are a writer from South Devon, and I take it that the majority of this film will be recorded in South Devon with a modicum of local cast. Now is there anything fundamentally Devonshire about this tale, and if so, what? The film will be recorded in Devon and was written here but the story itself is really an exploration of a parent's love for a child so I suppose it's fair to say that the theme is universal an could equally well have been set somewhere else. 5) There are numerous other projects with the name 'Deadly Intent' attached to them. Such as the late eighties Nigel Dick film, the Lynda La Plante book, plus the CSI video game. Firstly, did you know of these media related sources? And Secondly, why did you call this film 'Deadly Intent'? When I chose the name 'Deadly Intent' I wasn't aware of it having been used in the last 20 years and I simply felt that it captured the underlying threat that runs through the film without giving away the exact story-line.
6) If you could assign an smell to your film, what odour would it be and why? Maybe my film would smell like a forest. Fresh and clean in the morning but with hints of mould and decay as it becomes dark.
7) What are your aspirations for this project? Especially since you will be taking it to the Cannes Short Film Corner. Once it is finished I intend to enter 'Deadly Intent' into the main Film Festivals and then explore the various options for distribution. This is such an exciting time to be making films as the development of new platforms means there are more possible ways to distribute films than ever before.
8) What are your own origins Diana? I was born and grew up in Devon and I have been involved with setting up and running a number of businesses in the leisure industry but writing has always been my passion. I have written short stories and stage plays which have been produced by schools and community groups.
A few years ago I began writing short films, and after having four produced and shown at the Short Film Corner in Cannes, I decided the time was right to move on to a feature.
10) If your movie was a 'singleton' going on a date, who would it be attracted to and why? I'm not sure how to answer this one, but my 'singleton' would definitely be attracted to the wrong person, probably someone with a charming exterior that hides a dangerously insecure perrsonality. Someone with a welcoming smile and a knife in their pocket.
11) If there was a message behind this movie, what would it be, and why would you want to convey it? I think it is up to the audience to decide if the film conveys a message, but perhaps if there is one in 'Deadly Intent' it is that we should all beware of our love becoming too possessive and controlling.
I think people forget what a thin line there is between love and obsession.
Wow! Thanks for that Diana. Much Appreciated. So when you have the time dear reader, please check out the movie website, www.deadlyintentthemovie.com, plus don't forget to follow this project on facebook or twitter. Trust me. It's going to be good.