The behind-the-scenes production of quarantine

Remake is just a movie attitude

For almost 10 years, screenwriter and director John Eric Dowdall produced films through a "mock documentary" With a realistic movie environment, he has almost become a pioneer in the horror movie genre. Now, he has accumulated some reputation among pure fans. The most interesting thing is that this reputation was established without many people having seen his works. It is undeniable that the "mock documentary" style of shooting that he and his partner and brother Drew Dowdall created in their works really made many people take a breath of air-"mock documentary" It's a style of filming perfected on "Blair Witch" and perpetuated by "Cloverfield," often shot using a camcorder. Everything the Dowdall brothers have done is not only improving this film technology, but also making it a film language with Total's characteristics. And this "Quarantine" will be the first naked test they face together. As for the "Poughkeepsie Tapes" they produced before, it was also bought by MGM Films. The film has obtained distribution rights and will be released in 2008.

"Quarantine" is a remake of the 2007 Spanish film "Death Tape". Before the official start of filming, the director of the film, John Eric Dowdall, specifically requested that all participating actors, including staff, Among them, you must be familiar with the Spanish original film. One of the leading actors, Columbus Short, said: "After watching the original film, my first reaction was that I was so lucky to be able to star in such a film. You must know that it is not only an experimental product, but also represents a film attitude, just like "Blair Witch" or "28 Days Later". Its shooting method is so strange and interesting in the latest version. In the film, I play Danny Wilenski, a black American. I think this is a very great role, and what I need to do is not only break some acting taboos, but also make a complete change.”< /p>

Danny, played by Columbus Short, is a policeman in the film. After reading the original work, he found that he had finally found a model for shaping the character. Short said: "Actually, I was watching When I watched the Spanish version of "The Death Video," it was purely out of interest, not to find an entry point for my own character. However, after watching the film, I was convinced that my character did not want to be that kind of policeman. Because the story environment is the same, but the time and place have been changed, the character in it should have completely changed his image, including the way he handles problems. The only thing retained in the new version of the film is this character's overeager personality. So I’m working hard to find a new balance for my role.”

At the same time, Columbus Short also made it clear that the acting industry is not a one-man show. , it is necessary to interact effectively with other actors to create the most dazzling dramatic sparks. He continued: "At such a moment, all actors must condense into the most solid whole, including the photographer, we We must always look at each other and ensure that every step is consistent. We are like an organized system, always paying attention to everything around us... At first glance, this process is quite daunting, but It’s also a challenge, and I think that’s why we were chosen to star in this film.” Jonathan Scacchi, who came out of "Fun and Killing Night", immediately stepped into this "Quarantine", making him almost a gold-rich horror fan. Scacchi said: "In fact, every movie The storytelling styles are all different, especially when a horror movie is almost fake and real, it is more likely to cause panic... In short, this has become an unspoken rule followed in the field of horror movies. ’, isn’t it?”

In addition, Jonathan Schacchi also said that the shooting techniques of “Quarantine” are still somewhat different from his previous works: “In the film, I Playing Fletcher, a firefighter... For this reason, I went to the fire brigade as an 'internship' for a long time, just to make this character as real as possible. Our producer, Clint Culpeper, had brought all the actors together before to explain his vision, and he told us that what he needed was more than just a realistic approach to presenting a character. story, but also hope that we can get corresponding fun and experience from it. We also mixed all the real and unreal elements together so that there is no obvious difference between them. Therefore, I grew a beard for my character, just hoping that the audience would not recognize me at once. face. I still remember the days when I was in the fire brigade and found that almost 50% of the firefighters had beards. The reason why I had to synchronize their sleep and eating with them was to capture the subtle differences between them and ordinary people, and then use These are all poured into their own characters.

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"Quarantine" uses a lot of long shots, but for the actors, whether it is long shots or close-ups, the impact is not big. They still only need to perform Just use your character to tell a clearly identifiable story to the audience. Jonathan Scatch said: "Sometimes, the so-called 'performance state' actually depends not only on your own situation, but also on your relationship with other actors." Cross induction. So when we have nothing to do, we will often get together and exchange our opinions on the same scene. Even if there are sometimes no close-up shots for you, you still have to have a strong awareness that the camera is facing It touches you, and what it requires is not your words and actions, but the chemical effect you create with other actors. You must ensure that the camera can capture such an environment. Of course, it's easier to perform if you know there's a shot in which you won't be in close-up, and there's no need to prepare for it. All in all, "Quarantine" feels more like a stage play to me, except that you don't have to spend too much time preparing in advance. ”

The film’s writer-director John Eric Dowdall and co-writer Drew Dowdall, a pair of brothers, are still completely new faces in the field of horror movies. , but they don’t give people the feeling of being a fledgling newcomer at all on the set. Jonathan Scacchi said: “I really don’t know what the so-called ‘newcomer’ should look like, but the Dowdall brothers Not only smart but also very in control, I've seen their work "The Poughkeepsie Tapes" a long time ago, it's scary, but in a way you've never seen before, that feeling, it's like everything in the film It's really happening around you... Tobe Hopper made a similar attempt in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in 1974, but he only used one camera to shoot the entire film . "

The first woman infected with the virus in "Quarantine" showed symptoms that were very similar to rabies, and it was an acute state that was out of control. Jonathan Scacchi continued: " The virus introduced in the film can survive in the air for 6 weeks and is very deadly. If you are infected but do not receive correct treatment, you will die. This virus can affect your respiratory system, invade your brain, and cause mutations in your thoughts. It can make people aggressive and extremely restless. This is why dogs can be so aggressive when they have rabies. sex. I've been attacked by rabid squirrels, and they were so angry that they didn't end up hurting me. "

Although it is a virus with the characteristics of rabies, in the film, corresponding changes still need to be made in order to enhance the drama of the story. Jonathan Scacchi said: "First of all, the film Let us believe that this virus is real. In fact, it is more like a mixture of multiple viruses based on rabies... It spreads very quickly, and infected people will turn into zombie-like creatures. Flesh and blood of the same kind are extremely thirsty. But unlike real zombies, these people are clear in their hearts. They want to restore human characteristics and use emotions to override behavior. They are actually asking for help, but in such an agitated way. Only then will they be misunderstood by normal people. I think the image of vampires is derived from rabies patients. Rabies is also called 'hydrophobia', and vampires cannot touch holy water - it seems that all imaginations are derived from real life. "

Jonathan Scratch's character was unfortunately infected with the virus in the end. He described this as a very interesting experience: "After the infection, Fletcher had to drag a broken leg. Walking seems very strenuous. The further you walk, the more exaggerated the shape of the broken leg becomes. This is really a creepy moment. I can’t wait to sit in the cinema and watch it... In fact, this is what I saw This is the most interesting part of the whole film, including heavy breathing, noises, and twitching, and I found that I acted the best when I was twitching. "

"Invisible killers" like viruses are far more terrifying than the real villains. Jonathan Scacchi said: "In fact, viruses are the 'villains' here. The character, and what others need to do is how to survive in such an environment... The film is using the 'unknown' to create terror, just like when you get home and find that the door is open, in fact it is probably just It's just a visit from a relative or friend who has the key to your home, but if you don't know what's going on inside in advance, you will definitely feel frightened. "

"Haunted Halloween Haunted Mansion" is a seasonal Halloween celebration held by Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. It will be re-launched in October 2009 ’s 36th Halloween event has a haunted house with the theme of “Quarantine”. This is the third time this event has used a feature film as a reference. The first two were the 2006 American version of “The Grudge 2” and 2007's "Beowulf."