*Recently I was lucky enough to land an interview with James Ward Byrkit. James is an extremely talented director and film creator. He’s humble. down to Earth, and doesn’t like to brag about his success. So, I’ll do it for him! Mr. Byrkit is the director of a new feature film called Coherence, which is generating quite a buzz around the internet. It’s still in the film festival circuit, where it’s won almost twenty different awards, and it’s also available in select theatres across America, where it’s stayed in the top 60 films nationwide for the last three weeks. I think what’s helping Coherence the most is expert marketing plan from Oscilloscope Pictures and word of mouth. People are talking about this movie! Coherence was released for instant streaming and HD download on August 5th and I thought this would be the perfect time to chat with James about this particular feature. Not having seen Coherence yet myself, I wanted to know why all of you HorrorSociety readers should go and stream it. I think after reading this interview you’ll know why! Check out my interview with James Ward Byrkit below!
H: I did a little research on you before this interview and I saw that you’ve previously worked on Pirates of the Caribbean and Rango. I know those are big movies and were very successful, but Coherence is your first shot at making it big as a director on your own. I was wondering, how did it feel to be tackling a big project like this where you’re the boss.
J: It felt amazing. It feels amazing. I was always directing my own projects even as a kid. When I got out of school my day job was as a story board artist. That was in service of all my crazy directing projects I was doing independently. All these years that I’ve been helping other film makers create their extravaganzas, I’ve been off with my secret band of friends making crazy experimental projects, stop motion musicals, and all sorts of madness. So, it was a pretty comfortable position to be [the boss]. We really wanted to do something that’s never been done before, sort of an improvisational puzzle piece. It was thrilling, and thrilling to be in the command chair of this herd of dragons that out of the gate you have to bring every tool that you have to survive. It was wonderful.
H: You mentioned the puzzle piece of a movie. It was mentioned to me that there were parts of the script that the cast members didn’t actually get to see. They got a placement card before the scene began that gave them direction of where they were supposed to go. Is that true?
J: Yeah. It’s more than just that. They don’t have a script at all. We shot Coherence over five days, so each day they’d receive their own secret card that had their specific character’s motitavion in it or backstories that they needed to share. In that way, the entire experience for them was unknown. fresh, and real. [In the movie] they’re all responding to the events that unfold in perfectly natural ways because they are experiencing it in a real way in real time.
H: That’s why you’re calling it improv; because they had to think right on the spot and react how they would if they were in that position.
J: Exactly. I had a master plan that I had created with my co-conspirator Alex Manugian. He and I had worked for a year on planning out this elaborate story, mystery, and puzzle, but that internal structure was unknown to the rest of the actors.
H: My biggest question is, because I do work for a horror website, how would you define Coherence in terms of genre? Is it a scifi-drama, does it have elements of horror? How would you define it if you had to put it in a category?
J: I hope there’s a category called mind bender. It’s just a mind bender. It’s in the category of things that screw with your perception of reality. I’m hoping that some day it makes a list of best of mind benders with Primer, Donnie Darko, Memento, and things like that because it’s a twisty kind of mind bender that makes you want to watch it again to understand after you’ve seen; to fill in all the gaps and talk about it with your friends over and over. It’s got a little bit of science fiction to it. I wouldn’t say it’s horror as much as it’s really tense, a fun tension. We were hoping for a little bit of Roman Polanski type things, and definitely the fun tension that an episode of “Twilight Zone” creates where the cosmic fabric is unraveling a little bit and knowing that puts everything into question. Some people tell me they got really scared by it but that’s not the primary feeling you’re going to walk away with.
H: They got scared because their minds were bent!
J: Yeah. I have to say – you’re on the edge of your seat when you realize what is going on and how things are falling apart. It’s not dreadful in the sense that blood is being splattered everywhere.
H: I want to ask you what happens because I want to know now, but I’m going to be downloading it tomorrow, so don’t tell.
J: It’s honestly one of those movies where the less you know going in, the better. You’re going to have more fun because you’ll be like, “Wow! That happened!”
H: You mentioned it before, so I have to ask. In all the articles I’ve done on Coherence, I’ve always mentioned that it seems like a modern version of the “Twilight Zone” episode The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street. Do you feel that that’s a fair assessment or is Coherence way different in that in terms of content and story line?
J: I think eventually the storyline is completely different. There are elements at the beginning that are definitely comparatble and kind of a wink to certain tropes that have been in stories like that “Twilight Zone” episode. We definitely embrace knowledge of previous incarnations of this story, but halfway through we completely diverge from it and it becomes our own unique story. There’s never been anything remotely like this story.
H: Right. The point of the previous question being that I want people to watch this movie. I want to differentate between The Monsters on Maple Street and nothing that’s been done before with Coherence.
J: It’s got 1% of a nod to that episode and then it’s completely its own thing.
H: With Coherence you have an actual cinematic experience, not just a Twilight type film where you 
know what you’re going into. Younger viewers like that stuff, but true cienema lovers will enjoy a movie like yours that’s improv, mmindbending, and never been done before. I think people who like that will get a kick out of it.
J: This movie was made for movie lovers, for people who get thrilled at seeing something new, who get carried away with the creativity of something that takes you to an unexpected place. If you’re expecting to see something you’ve seen before or get confused by things that don’t follow the exact pattern, you may not get this movie because it breaks all those rules.
H: Is that why you did the film festival circuit? Because the audience at film festivals are different than mainstream ticket buyers?
J: We knew that if we could connect with especially the Fantastic Fest crowd, that was the primary audience who could get the word out. They love movies in a way that the typical film crowd doesn’t. They get the references and they cheer on creativity. When we left Fantastic [Fest] we were suddenly on this wave of support that kept going. Then we went to the other places and then all the other place! We even won a Roomba from the Boston Scifi Festival, which is one of the coolest awards.
H: You have a right to proud!
J: I’m really proud of the people that are in the movie. That’s who deserves the credit. I love watching the movie because I love watching these people just go real crazy.
H: Yeah, and the cast is from all over. How did you get the cast together and pick who was in the movie?
J: They’re just friends who I knew I could call up and say, “Come to my house next week and trust me, we’re going to do this wacky experiment.” They’re all friends that I had a feeling could handle a nonscripted experience.
H: I have to ask you, from a strictly personal standpoint. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was my favorite show since I was it came out when I was 7-years-old. I’m now 26-years-old. I have to ask you, what was it like working with Nicholas Brendon on this movie?
J: It was awesome. He’s a mad man. He’s hilarious. He’s bonkers. He’s unbottled nuclear energy that’s expanding and contracting with the cycle of the moon. He’s great! He’s just an unlimited well of potential. If you can crack the code on how to maneuver that potential energy, then you have something really wonderful. He’s got so much more in him as an actor than people have seen and you get a taste of that in Coherence, which I’m really happy about.
H: So you think his fans will get a kick out of seeing him in this new character role?
J: Oh, my God, yeah! It even has a nod to something about his past even though he plays a different character. There are references to certain things that his fans will really appreciate.
H: The whole cast is extremely talented. Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Elizabeth Gracen – to name a few. They all have really good credits to their resumes. Was there a moment where you were sitting back and just letting the camera keep rolling and let them keep going because they’re just so good?
J: All the time. That was the whole experiment – to basically let the cameras roll and allow them to figure out the mystery on their own. I told them we’re not going to block it, we’re not going to rehearse, it you can go wherever you want in the house, and we’ll follow you. They sometimes went down these crazy paths, but I kept rolling because you never know.
H: I love behind-the-scenes stories. Is there anything specific – funny or interesting – a story you could share?
J: The first of many that comes to mind was during night four when we were in the deepest and darkest part of the movie. The lights were out and everyone was so tense and on edge and wondering what was happening next. We’re in the darkness of the room and suddenly there’s this knock at this door and it scared the Hell out of everyone including me. The cast is thinking, “what is James doing to us now? Is it an ax murder at the door?” Emily [Baldoni] goes to the door…and it’s the pizza guy. He was scared to death because he comes to this dark house with all these people who are wide eyed. He was so freaked out. The pizza guy will never be the same.
H: Did he see the cameras? Did you say anything?
J: I think he saw a body on the floor and blood and thought he stumbled into a satanic ritual. He just wanted to get out of there, but we tipped him well. I hope he sees the movie and says, “That’s what I came into!”
H: Well, the movie is in theatres now. I’m impressed because it’s been in the top 60 of all films nationwide for the last three weeks based off of only theatres. It’s doing well in theatres for such a small release.
J: That’s a testament to Oscilloscope Pictures. They have a plan and really master these small releases. They know how to maniupulate it right into the perfect places. It plays a few weeks, but brings the right audience. Oscilloscope Pictures knows what they’re doing.
H: Are people still allowed to try and do the Gathr.us screenings or do you think those are cut off?
J: Those will keep going. If you have the will, it’s a great tool. It’s amazing. If you’re in the middle of nowhere, you can get the movie to come to your town. The hard part is, of course, talking all your friends into getting tickets. The movie captaion has to be commited to making it work. It’s happened several times and been really successful.
H: Is there any last things you’d like to get across to the readers?
J: People should see it right away and watch it five times.
H: It’s one of those movies where you discover something every time you watch it?
J: Exactly! You’re going to want to watch it with your friends. They’re going to notice things you didn’t notice, and you’ll notice things they didn’t. We built it that way so you can compare theories with your friends.
*Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, James. I’ve become a huge fan and can’t wait for the world to discover Coherence.
You can stream or download Coherence by clicking here: Coherence Official Website.
