So tell us who you are and what are you doing here?
I am Bethany Pelton, I am the producer and co director of Death Canyon
I noticed that Fade In pictures has more of a photography background than filmmaking. Do you think that helps with the movies?
Yes, most of my background is in photography, but I think that can have some advantage. I studied art long enough to know what looks good and what doesn’t, which helps with scenery and set up, etc. But I did have to rely a lot on on my associate Helvijs (who is also the writer and co-director of the film) to help me make the transition. His experience in acting and movies helped me fill in the gaps of knowledge.
Tell us a little about your new project Death Canyon?
Death Canyon is an original film wirtten by Helvis Vigners, a close friend of mine with an amazing talent for writing. The film is about 6 college students who go camping in an abandoned mining town hoping to find some gold. But what they find is something they never expected or wanted, leaving them running for their lives. The unique thing about this film is that the screenplay was written to be improv. The actors where given the scene and a guideline of what should happen, and then left to decide what they would say and/or do in the situation. This allowed the actors to bring in their own creativity and create a much more real experience. For some of the actors it got a little too real and in a few scenes they are genuinely scared.
As far as the filmmaking process and for the other tech geeks out there, what are you shooting with?
The film is actually shot with HD handycams. Two of them Sony and one a Canon. Those appearing in the film are actually holding the camera and filming themselves.
It looks like you guys are in Utah. Do you think being in such a remote area hinders or helps you?
Actually being in Utah has been a big help. Mainly because we had several real ghost towns to choose from as our shooting site. Death Canyon is a real place and we did nothing to alter the scenery there. The area is so amazing I don’t think we could’ve found better anywhere else. Plus we found some amazing hidden talent right here, no need for Hollywood.
How did you go about casting for the film? Friends, relatives or did you do auditions?
We had a casting call listed on craigslist and held formal auditions. The original cast changed a bit before final filming, but I think we got the best around.
After completing Death Canyon, what are your plans for future projects?
We have a Web series called Wrong Memories that we want to get started on next. It’s about 3 siblings whose parents were killed when they were younger and now a killer is after them again. It’s more of a murder mystery than a horror film. We also have an amazing script for a Halloween movie: The Spell, that we hope to film in the next few years.
I know a lot of filmmakers use IndieGoGo and Kickstarter and your project is on there as well. How is that going for you? Do you find it beneficial or more difficult getting strangers to help with the finical aspect?
Indiegogo was helpful, we didn’t raise as much as we had hoped but we learned a lot from it and still were able to raise some money which was a huge bonus for us. After going through that there is a lot I would do differently to gain more success, but I think it was still worth it in the end.
What are some of your influences as far as movies and/or directors?
I would have to say Steven Spielburg and M. Night Shyamalan are my two favorite directors. But there are so many great movies and directors out there I’m not sure I could say one in particular influenced me more than another.
When can we expect to see the film? Any plans on distribution or festivals?
We will first go through the film festival circuit with Death Canyon, starting with the 2012 Sundance Film festival. We hope to be able to release it to the general public sometime next fall, depending on how it goes with festivals.
And lastly, what is your favorite horror film?
It might sound cheesy but I really like The Sixth Sense. To me a good scary movie is one that scares you, not just relying on gore and special effects. The writer, Helvijs Vigners, on the other hand, loves any and all horror movies and his personal favorite is My Bloody Valentine in 3D.
https://sites.google.com/site/fadeinpics/
