FilmArcade.net: The Independent Film Corner: Dav Kaufman

Dav Kaufman is a writer/director, who’s debut feature film “13 Hours in a Warehouse” has won awards at such film festivals as the Indie Spirit Film Festival (Best Horror Film) Crypticon, Seattle (Best Traditional Horror Film) and Worldfest, Houston (Gold Remi Award) and have this film distributed by a major film distribution company, all in a ten-month period. He’s also an acclaimed writer, with his 2003 book “Lake Desire”, which he independently distributes himself with his publishing company Crotalus Publishing. Today, he is here to talk about his latest film, “13 Hours in a Warehouse”.

Tell my readers about yourself, for those you don't know?

I’m a filmmaker, author, and reptile fanatic. I share my home with 24 snakes, and 3 lizards. I’ve been into them since I was a kid, and written many magazine articles about them. I have given talks on their conservation and husbandry from Elementary Schools to Universities. Movies and reptiles occupy 99% of my time. The other 1% I try to get some sleep.

After watching your film "13 Hours in a Warehouse" three times, it still holds up as one of the year's best horror films. Tell my readers about your film that's in stores now.

Thanks. “13 Hours in a Warehouse” was originally, in my mind, only to be a simple rung in the ladder, but it turned out to be so much more. I have an arsenal of scripts that are currently in various stages of development, but I needed to start with one that could be done for almost no budget, have a simple plot line, a handful of characters and yet still captivate an audience with it, let alone attract a major distributor like Maverick Entertainment. I accomplished those goals and more. By the end of it’s marketing/film festival tour, the film won three awards including the prestigious Gold Remi Award, received great reviews (and a few bad ones), and got a global distribution deal with one of the largest direct-to-DVD companies in the world…all within 10 months of wrapping production.

One of things that stood out for me in the film was the acting. How did each of the main actors and actresses become involved with this film?

We held an open casting call here in Minneapolis, and while I sometimes think I got really lucky, which I did, I also chalk it up to the incredible talent this city has to offer. Most directors loath the audition process, as do I to a degree, but with this film, it was one of the easiest parts of making it. I knew who I wanted cast after they read the first line.

What was it like shooting this film on a small budget that you had to work with?

It wasn’t as difficult as you may think. When working with a tiny budget, which “13” was made for under $75,000, organization is the key to its success. We had a fantastic crew both in the office and on set. Our SPFX department, production and post-sound department was phenomenal not only in the respect of their talent, but also that they all worked for a lot less than their rate because they believed in the project. We all knew going into the project that we were making a low-budget indie horror flick. We weren’t bogged down with the fantasy that the film would be a breakout box-office success, or get international critical acclaim that would plant our faces on the cover of Variety. We simply set out to make the best film we could with the financial recourses we had.

One of the things in my mind that made this film very haunting was the location. Tell me about the location that you shot film in?

It was filmed in a then vacant warehouse in NE Minneapolis. I had conducted an art show for local artists in the building some time ago, so I was familiar with the location before I ever thought of the story. That whole area of Minneapolis is alive with history, and I just love it there. There are still buildings there that have the old horse stables still intact and attached to the buildings.

The film has some very good ghost and blood curling effects. What was the effects process like?

I credit all of that to Crist Ballas, our SPFX make-up master, and Danny Kimura of ADFX who did all the digital effects. The only direction I gave them was “make ‘em creepy” and their individual talents took over from there.

I noticed on the film's official website that you are also a critically acclaimed author with the book "Lake Desire". Which is more difficult as a writer, writing a novel or writing a screenplay?

Writing a novel is far more difficult than writing a script. In a script, all you have to write is something like “She slowly walks down the hallway, stops, looks to her left, then screams”. In a novel, you have to describe the way she’s moving, what she’s thinking, what she expects to find at the end of the hallway, and how she feels when she feels when she discovers the horror that awaits her…let alone describing what exactly that horror is. However, having said that, I find writing novels a much more intimate process than writing a script, and that’s what attracts me to it.

The film to seems to be influenced by many crime and supernatural films. What films influenced you, when writing the screenplay?

It’s funny; some of the criticism of the movie compares it (some even calling it a rip-off) to movies I have never seen. I like the high action crime thrillers that most seem to shrug their shoulders at. I also like horror films with a story over blood and gore. I suppose “13” was a cross between those personal tastes.

One of the things that I found interesting was that the film found distribution so quickly as it world premiered back in February of this year, where most of these festival films take awhile to find distribution. How did you find distribution that quickly and tell how you approached by Maverick Home Entertainment?

Right after we premiered the film and it screen at its first film festival; the Nevermore Horror Film Festival in Durham, NC, I did something that I think a lot of filmmakers are afraid to do; I got on the phone, and called the distributors directly. It’s a common theme I hear from other filmmakers that they think distributors will either hang up on them, or ask for materials they don’t have making them look like morons. But the bottom line is distribution companies don’t make money unless they have product to distribute. Most distribution companies will welcome filmmakers pitching their work to them, and will work with you to fulfill deliveries. It’s not as formidable as people think it is.

Before I end this interview, what projects that you are currently working on that my readers should be on the look out for?

My newest movie is a feature documentary titled “Herpers” which explores the huge reptile culture in our country with segments featuring Henry Lizardlover, Chad Brown of the NE Patriots, and Slash among a host of others. I am also going into pre-production on another film titled “The Psychosis of Ghosts”; a psychological thriller that follows a psychology student who takes a job as a night guard in an abandoned state hospital that is in the process of being converted into condos. He finds that its lingering residents are far from cured, and discovers that after the physical state is gone, the mental state continues on. “Psychosis” will film in January 2009.

Mr. Kaufman, I would like to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk about your latest film “13 Hours in a Warehouse”, which is now available from Maverick Home Entertainment. Good luck on the success of this film.

I highly recommend to all you horror fans to check this film out. This is truly one of the year most entertaining horror films.

For more information on this film, you can goto: http://www.13hoursmovie.com

To read my review of “13 Hours of the Warehouse, you can goto: http://www.filmarcade.net/2008/03/13-hours-in-warehouse-review-by-anthony.html