This is a transcript of SYS 458 – iPhone Filmmaking With Hunter Johnson .
Welcome to Episode 458 of the Selling Your Screenplay Podcast. I’m Ashley Scott Meyers, screenwriter and blogger with sellingyourscreenplay.com. Today I’m interviewing writer director Hunter Johnson who just co wrote and directed a contained horror feature film called Sawed Off. It’s a very high concept horror idea where people keep dying, sort of like in Groundhog Day where they die and come back to life obviously, in a horror setting. So, there’s the three people just killing each other over and over again, makes for a really contained, easy to produce high concept horror film, so it’s definitely something to check out. We talked about how this film came together for him and how he got it produced. So, stay tuned for that interview. If you find this episode valuable, please help me out by giving me a review in iTunes or leaving a comment on YouTube or retweeting the podcast on Twitter or liking or sharing it on Facebook. These social media shares really do help spread word about the podcast, so they’re very much appreciated. Any websites or links that I mentioned the podcast can be found on my blog in the show notes. I also publish a transcript with every episode in case you’d rather read the show or look at something later on. You can find all the podcast show notes at www.sellingyourscreenplay.com/podcast and then just look for episode number 458. If you want my free guide How to Sell a screenplay in five weeks, you can pick that up by going to sellingyourscreenplay.com/guide. It’s completely free. You just put in your email address and I’ll send you a new lesson once per week for five weeks along with a bunch of bonus lessons. I teach the whole process of how to sell your screenplay in that guide. I’ll teach you how to write a professional logline and query letter, and how to find agents, managers and producers who are looking for material really is everything you need to know to sell your screenplay just go to sellingyourscreenplay.com/guide. So, now let’s get into the main segment, today I’m interviewing writer director Hunter Johnson. Here is the interview.
Ashley
Welcome Hunter to the Selling Your Screenplay Podcast. I really appreciate you coming on the show with me today.
Hunter
Hey, thank you for having me. I really appreciate it, Ashley.
Ashley
So, to start out, maybe you can tell us a little bit about your background. Where did you grow up? And how did you get interested in the entertainment business?
Hunter
I grew up in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I started as an actor, in children’s theatre and in the school plays and that type of thing. So, I did a bunch of acting and amateur filmmaking in high school. And once I got to college age, I decided I wanted to pursue acting full time. And rather than being one of the actors that was doing all the college theatre productions, I was the actor that was hanging out with all the film students and doing all the student films and, and kind of learning the process of filmmaking just by being on set and watching it happen. So, once I graduated college, I went to Columbia College Chicago, I decided to start making my own films and began just, you know, making small no budget independent films. And I’ve always been a horror film fan. So, it was I was kind of in that genre. And yeah, so that’s kind of how it all started.
Ashley
Okay, perfect. Perfect. So just bring us up then from you’re doing these shorts. These basically no budget shorts, bring us up to the point where you’re now starting to do features, and then we’ll get into sold off specifically, just take us through that process. What are those leaps that you had to get over going from just no budget shorts to actual feature films?
Hunter
Yeah, for sure. I think the biggest leap for anybody, and for myself, in particular is a mental leap. You know, it’s almost just as hard to make a short film as it is to make a feature film, depending on what kind of feature film you’re doing. You know, so the I made my first two shorts in Los Angeles when I moved there after college. And then I decided I wanted to try to do a feature. But I knew that logistically, it’s very difficult to raise money and get a crew. So, I just figured to shoot my first feature film on an iPhone, I had some friends that had done it and were successful with it. I knew I could keep the budget and the costs very low, I knew I’d have a lot of flexibility in terms of where I could film it and the amount of crew I needed to have to man, that type of film. So really, it was a just kind of putting my will to it and deciding to do the feature and keep it as affordable as possible. And once the first one was done, it was a lot easier to take that people and say, hey, I’ve made one feature film. Let’s make another one and kind of grow from there.
Ashley
Yeah. Excellent advice, for sure. At what point, your career is very much you know, in with horror films. You have a horror film website, which we’ll talk about briefly as well. At what point did you really start to gravitate towards that as a genre and sort of make that the genre that you were going to work on? Was there a point was something as a kid were you really into horror films when just talked about that why horror? Why did you sort of specialize in that?
Hunter
For sure, my favorite films ever since I was a kid. Were horror films, I didn’t really get into a lot of the more violent horror films until I was an adolescent. But when I was a kid, I grew up with aliens and Creature from the Black Lagoon. And I remember watching Friday night frights while my mom worked third shift with my dad and my brother and I would stay up late and watch those old black and white campy horror films. And we would just, you know, scare the crap out of us. So, I’ve always kind of gravitated towards for it’s always been my favorite genre to watch. It’s also been my favorite genre to act in because it’s very fun to play with really extreme emotions as an as a performer. So, it’s always kind of been in the cards with that genre. I’ve dabbled in other genres before, and it’s always a lot of fun. But horror is just where my heart has always been, and it continues to be up until this point.
Ashley
Yeah, gotcha. So, let’s dig into your latest feature film. It’s called Sawed Off. Maybe to start out you can give us a quick pitch or logline What is this film all about?
Hunter
Yes, sure. So, Sawed Off follows two hunters that are invited to a hunting weekend by their ex-girlfriend. She dated both of them in the past, and they’re all old friends. And after a freak hunting accident, they find out that they’re caught in a spiral of death. And, you know, it sounds kind of crazy. But that’s the 32nd pitch. But yeah, it’s a three characters, one location, but a lot of deaths.
Ashley
So, talk about that a little bit. I mean, when I was just reading the logline on IMDb, it strikes me as sort of the perfect low-budget contained horror film, as you say, there’s literally an unlimited number of deaths, you only need three actors, your location is pretty easy. How much does this play into your thinking when you’re taking on a movie, and you’re trying to get a movie produced? Just the practical aspects of something that you can do?
Hunter
Yeah, no, I mean, it worked out perfectly. It is, I mean, it’s a low budget picture. But you know, there’s so much logistics, that, that you have to think about when you’re deciding to do a film. So, we knew the original screenplay that we wrote our URL that we adjusted, I should say, had a lot more characters a lot more locations. So, we kind of pared it down to just three actors one location, or one principal location, I should say. And you know, so that definitely played into it. And also, you know, I’m attracted to character driven pieces. So, the thought of doing a three actor, one location piece was appealing to me, and I hadn’t really done anything like that before. So, you know, so it was for logistical reasons, but also for like, a creative challenge on my part, and, and to find three great actors that could carry a film for 80 minutes. So, it was kind of a combination of both. I wouldn’t say we let the budget hinder us. But you know, it’s definitely part of the part of the process when you’re planning a film.
Ashley
Yeah, for sure. So, I noticed on IMDb, the story by credit goes to Chuck Wagner. I guess that was a comic book from the 80s. Can you talk about that a little bit? Number one, how did this comic get on your radar? And then ultimately, how were you able to secure the film rights for it?
Hunter
Well, it’s funny enough, one of our executive producers, James Bresic, I have worked with on several projects over the years. And he was working with Jeff Miller, our other executive producer on securing the rights to the comic. So, they actually approached me with the material saying; Hey, we have the rights to this comic, we have the rights to a screenplay that Chuck had written based on his comic, is there anything that you want to try to do with it? So, myself and Jody Barton, my co-writer on the final screenplay, we read the script, and we read the comic, we started developing our own ideas, so and James had a lot of ideas that he wanted to put into the film as well. So, it was kind of amalgamation of, you know, 1/3 of the original script, 1/3 of James’s ideas and 1/3 of Jodi and I’s ideas. So, it was kind of a cool process with a lot of different inputs. And yeah, so you know, in terms of acquiring the material, you know, that was kind of done before I got on board with the with the project, but then we kind of ran from it from there with it, I should say.
Ashley
And I had James on the podcast a few weeks ago, and just he just did a film, actually. Now, I’m blanking on the exact film, but I had him on and I’m curious, how did you develop a relationship with him? Like, how did he happen to approach you with this material and say, is this something you might be able to do?
Hunter
Well, I met James on a, I was hired as an associate producer on a couple films that James was doing years ago, and while I was on that set, I was actually a fan of his work. And he had done a film called To Jennifer that he had shot on his iPhone. And I had watched it, I had reviewed it from my website prior to even really meeting him. And once I kind of got to know him, I kind of like, pitched him a sequel idea to and I said; Hey, like, you know, I love your film To Jennifer, would you ever entertain the idea of doing a sequel to it? And he said, Yeah, like, you know, write something up, and we’ll see if we can do it. So, my first feature film was a sequel to one of his early films. So, you know, we kind of had a relationship started there, and then we work together on and off on a variety of different projects in the year since then. So, you know, I’ve always kind of been, I guess, on his radar in terms of being a filmmaker and trying to stay active and making more films. So yeah, I’m not sure if I was the first filmmaker he reached out to, in regards to sawed off but once he did, I was like; Yeah, let’s do it. Sounds great.
Ashley
Okay, perfect. Perfect. So, let’s talk just a little bit about the actual collaboration. So, you have James’s ideas, you have this original screenplay from Chuck. And then you and Jodie are now tasked with sort of getting a screenplay together that you’re actually going to go shoot? How did that process work? Were you and Jody in the same room? Did you start to go through the old did you like import the old screenplay into final draft? And then start editing from there? Did you just start fresh? Just take us through sort of the writing process of this, how you were able to bring all of these different ideas together?
Hunter
Sure, sure. So, Jodi and I were actually living together at the time we were roommates, which made the writing process very cool, very easy. We both read Chuck’s original script, and like I said, there were a lot of, you know, things we wanted to kind of shift and change. So, we did kind of start from scratch. Initially, we wrote the treatment together, you know, so we kind of had the full storyline fleshed out, Jodi ended up writing most of the first draft with my input, and then I kind of took it from there and revised it. And we kind of passed it back and forth a few times. Kind of riding independently. But you know, we would, I’d pop into his room and say, hey, what do you think of this? And he’d pop into my room and say, hey, what do you think of that, but Jodi is a very talented screenwriter. So, you know, it wasn’t like sitting at the same table working out stuff, it was mostly like, you run with it for a couple days, then give it to me, and I’ll run with it for a couple days. And eventually, we got to the point where we had to shootable scripts.
Ashley
was Chuck involved with this at all? Did you get notes from him? Did you have any interaction with the original writer?
Hunter
You know, we didn’t and that simply because we, you know, we were bringing so many new elements into his story. It wasn’t necessarily by choice, but it was, you know, it’s just how it worked out. You know, Jodi, and I, like I said, we were living together. We were, Jodi was going to star in the film, we didn’t know which role he was going to play while we were writing it. But, you know, we looked at the original screenplay in the, in the comic and I mean, that was plenty to work with there in terms of developing our stuff.
Ashley
And so how do you so you have James in here, and this is executive producer, so he has some clout on this project? How do you manage to move forward if you guys don’t necessarily see eye to eye? And the question can go with Jodi as well. But James as well, were there any ever any moments where, you know, maybe you didn’t like one of James’s ideas? How do you get past that? Or were there some ideas that he pushed down? Maybe he didn’t like him at first, but you like to eventually but talk about that, what happens when there’s differences of opinion in a situation like this?
Hunter
You know, we did do a fair amount of compromising in, and James’s ideas are grand, you know, and there were times where we had to say, hey, I don’t know if we can pull that off, you know, with, you know, the just the budget and the logistics of what we’re working with. So, there were some compromises there. And then Jodi also had some Bless his heart and he’s very grand also. So, there were times when he would hand me the script, and I’d go, God, how are we? How are we going to film this? Like, I love it, don’t get it twisted. I’m a big fan of what you wrote. But how are we going to film it and be like, well, you know, I wasn’t writing thinking like that I was writing because I wanted it to be the best it could be. You know what I mean? Like so really, like I would say the majority of the conflict was mostly in logistics not really so much in the creative, but mostly in the, okay, I love this, but how can we change it or adjust it to make it a little more film.
Ashley
Gotcha, gotcha. Okay, so once you guys had a draft of the script, what were the next steps did James have financing in place he was able to bring in Did you guys have financing what were those next steps going from screenplay that you guys were all ready to go and actually getting it into production?
Hunter
Yeah, so we knew once we had the script, we would have financing in place so once we kind of have agreed on the script, we sent it to Jeff and James, the two EPs to approve, once they read it and kind of heard our pitch and our, you know, plans to do it, they said, let’s go for it. So, you know, it was, it was a it was a, frankly, an easy process. And I know it’s not always like that. But it was, we kind of knew that if we handed them a halfway decent script that there was a real shot that it could get made. So, you know, I appreciate the Robert, the opportunity that, you know, they gave us with that. And I know it’s not usually that easy. But yeah, you know, that’s the benefit of, you know, making prior films and kind of having a reputation knowing that, like, if you know, we’ll get this done, you know. Yeah, so that just worked out that way.
Ashley
Gotcha. Gotcha. So now that you’re doing feature films, you know, there’s definitely a headwind of what you’re doing. What advice do you have to new writers, new actors, new directors, trying to break into the business and establish themselves? What advice would you give those folks?
Hunter
I don’t want to sound cliche, but I think there is a lot of truth to it. And that’s simply to find a way to create content. When I first moved to LA, I was auditioning, I was, you know, 100. Auditions, get to callbacks, get no roles, or one role, and that’s just the reality of the business, there’s so much competition, and nobody is going to hand you anything necessarily, you know, so you know, people want to work with people that are hungry, you know what I mean. And if you can find a way to create content, even if it’s no budget, even if it’s just with your friends, even if it is, frankly, even if it’s not great, you know, it’s a matter of finishing something, being able to show your work to other people, to get people interested in your work. You know, the first couple films I did had had budgets that were $1000 – 2,000, you know, so it doesn’t take a lot to, to fit. If you have the gumption and a couple good people with you, you can make a film and you know, so I can’t stress it enough. Just figure out a way to make content that you believe in, that you’re passionate about. Don’t worry about what anyone else is going to think about it, getting it finished is the most important thing. And then, you know, go from there because people want to work with people that are actually doing stuff. You know what I mean?
Ashley
Yeah, yeah. Sound Advice, for sure. How can people see Sawed Off? Do you know what the release schedule is going to be like?
Hunter
The Sawed Off is coming on digital and DVD on October 11. I believe it’s going to be on the major like streaming platforms. Um, I don’t have the total specifics yet. Unfortunately, I’m kind of I’m with everybody else I’ll find I’ll find out on the 11th. But you know, if you just go to your search bar on your computer, your TV and type sawed off that should pop right up.
Ashley
Gotcha, gotcha. And what’s the best way for people to keep up with what you’re doing? I will round this up for the show notes, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, a blog, and you can mention your own horror website as well. We can link to that.
Hunter
Yeah, of course, I appreciate it. My website is Lahorror.com. My social media handles are at Lahorror.com. And that’s where I’m posting links to everything.
Ashley
Gotcha. Gotcha. Well, perfect Hunter. Well, I really appreciate you coming on and talking with me today. Good luck with this film and good luck with all your feature films as well.
Hunter
Hey, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Was lovely talking to you.
Ashley
Thank you. We’ll talk to you later. Bye.
I just want to talk quickly about SYS select. It’s a service for screenwriters to help them sell their screenplays and get writing assignments. The first part of the service is the SYS select screenplay database. Screenwriters upload their screenplays, along with a logline synopsis and other pertinent information like budget and genre, and then producers search for and hopefully find screenplays they want to produce. Dozens of producers are in the system looking for screenplays right now. There have been a number of success stories come out of the service. You can find out about all the SYS select successes by going to sellingyourscreenplay.com/success. Also, on SYS Podcast episode 222, I talked with Steve Dearing, who was the first official success story to come out of the SYS select database. When you join SYS select you get access to the screenplay database along with all the other services that we’re providing to SYS select members. These services include the newsletter, this monthly newsletter goes out to a list of over 400 producers who are actively seeking writers and screenplays. Each SYS select member can pitch one screenplay in this monthly newsletter. We also provide screenwriting leads, we have partnered with one of the premier paid screenwriting leads services so I can syndicate their leads to SYS select member as there are lots of great paid leads coming in each week from our partner. Recently, we’ve been getting 5 to 10 high quality paid leads per week. These leads run the gamut. There are producers looking for a specific type of spec script to producers looking to hire a screenwriter to write up one of their ideas or properties. They’re looking for shorts, features, TV, and web series, pilots, all types of projects. If you sign up for SYS select, you’ll get these leads emailed directly to you several times per week. Also, you get access to the SYS select forum, where we will help you with your logline and query letter and answer any screenwriting related questions that you might have. We also have a number of screenwriting classes that are recorded and available in the SYS select forum. These are all the classes that I’ve done over the years, so you’ll have access to those whenever you want, once you join. The classes cover every part of writing your screenplay, from concept to outlining, to the first act, second act, third act, as well as other topics like writing short films and pitching your projects in person. Once again, if this sounds like something you’d like to learn more about, please go to sellingyourscreenplayselect.com. Again, that is sellingyourscreenplayselect.com That’s the show. Thank you for listening.