If you've ever wondered just how exactly you go about making a film or where to even begin, this interview with Troy Escamilla provides a lot of insight. Troy is the writer, director, and producer of the upcoming slasher film Party Night and the film is his first venture into feature filmmaking. Party Night is about six friends who become prey for a sadistic psychopath when they decide to ditch their high school's after prom party for their own celebration at a secluded house. I was happy to be able to connect with Troy as he took the time to share his experience of making Party Night with us.
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Party Night was the first film you wrote and directed. What was the experience like bringing your story and characters to life?
Troy: Thanks so much for the
opportunity to discuss Party Night! I honestly did not know what to
expect at all when we began shooting Party Night. Believe it
or not, it was the first film set that I have ever stepped foot on.
Though I have always been a huge fan of film, I just never dabbled in
the technical aspect of filmmaking. My passion has always been
writing. Those who know me, know that it has always been a goal of
mine to produce one of my screenplays. Though I have written four
slasher screenplays, Party Night seemed just to be "the
one" from the moment I finished it. With its dark and brutal
tone, likable characters, and winks at several other slasher films, I
knew I wanted to share it with other fans.
The first day on set was surreal, and I
honestly do not think it has totally hit me that Party Night has
actually been filmed. I have to give such major kudos to our cast. I
am still amazed that I was able to assemble such a talented,
passionate, and dedicated cast for my first feature. Seriously, the
level of talent this cast possesses is mind boggling and to a level
very rarely seen in low budget slasher films. They put so much trust
in me and my vision, and I'll forever be grateful to them for that.
But back to that first day of true
filming; the very first scene we filmed was a tuxedo shop scene with
our three young male actors. Though short, it is one of my favorite
scenes in the script and hearing the actors give life to the dialogue
that I wrote was, to sound corny, magical. And then, the very next
day, we did a bedroom scene with the three girls and they were
equally brilliant in bringing these characters to life. The
performances were extremely important to me because, and this is
where the film does stray a little away from the 80's slasher
formula, I wanted the audience to really care about these kids. To
get to know them. To root for them, so that when what happens to
them--and it is very brutal--finally does, it has that much more of
an impact.
A few days into filming, the
directorship fell into my lap. Along with Renee K. Smith, who
co-directed with me, I forged forward with very little knowledge of
how to actually direct a film. I just knew the vision I had for the
film and how I ultimately wanted certain scenes to play out; I
quickly found that I enjoyed having the input to shape the scenes how
I saw them in my mind, and it helped drastically that Renee knew and
shared my vision for the film. This would be a good point to give a
major shout out to our talented Director of Photography, Derek Huey,
who can only be described as a true artist. I have to mention as well
that some of the best moments on set were the filming of the death
scenes. Our special effects make up artist Heather Benson is amazing
and also went above and beyond to pitch in other areas when needed.
Her effects are gruesomely brilliant--I did not want any cop out off
screen deaths, and Heather ensured that we are able to show every
death in its bloody glory. It was a blast to see how these effects
are put together or pulled off from behind the scenes.
The production of
the film would not have gone nearly as smooth without the commitment
and dedication of everyone involved. We truly did have a very small
crew and cast and everyone eagerly wore multiple hats. We all stayed
in the house that we filmed at for the sixteen days of shooting, and
while this could have led to conflicts, instead it led to bonding and
friendships. We all still chat on a regular basis and are all equally
excited to share this film with audiences. I believe we all learned a
great deal on set, and I know I am certainly more prepared for next
time. In the end, I do not think I could be happier at how the
production went and with the footage.
You raised money on
Kickstarter to fund Party Night. What is it like running a crowd
sourcing campaign and what challenges were there?
Troy: Running a crowdfunding campaign,
as I quickly learned, is no easy task. Statistics show the majority
of them do not achieve their goal which concerned me greatly before
launching the campaign. Moreover, after tons of consideration, I
decided to use Kickstarter, which is all or nothing and added to the
stress of the whole experience. I did some preparation before
launching the campaign, including getting a teaser trailer shot,
researching similar campaigns to determine desired perks, and
discovering how others promoted their campaign. Once I launched the
campaign and the initial "excited for you" pledges wore
off, I did get rather panicked. I was sharing the Kickstarter
campaign several times a day and messaging and emailing all of my
contracts, certainly exhausted them. Still, there were literally
stretches of days when no pledges came it.
Halfway through the campaign, I gave
the Kickstarter page a face lift. I added a video of myself and
another producer, Renee K. Smith, discussing the film and our passion
for the genre. I asked our cast to submit introduction videos that
could be posted on the page as well. Additionally, I reached out to
various blogs, etc.. to see if they'd be interested in interviewing
me regarding the film; these actions did ignite interest and pledges
increased. The cast and crew were also instrumental in obtaining
pledges because they also shared the campaign extensively. Luckily,
with two days of the campaign left, we reached out goal. I was
ecstatic and vastly relieved and thankful.
I
have been asked a few times if I would ever do another crowdfunding
campaign. My answer is yes. I'd like to do at least one more so that
I can put everything I learned from the Party
Night campaign to use.
For example, I'd definitely spend a lot more time planning and making
contacts well before I launch the campaign. Most of my contacts
didn't even know I was launching one until it was live.
But my big lesson, and one that I want to stress to those who are
thinking of launching a crowdfunding campaign is this hard truth:
your friends and family are not going to be enough for you to reach
your goal (unless you have rich friends and/or family members). In
order to be successful, you have to reach beyond your personal
contacts and get fans of whatever genre or product you are trying to
fund to WANT to support it. Though I tried not to take it too
personal, many close friends and relatives who I thought would pledge
something ended up not doing so. On the other hand, a vast amount of
people I had no connection to did, which was an honor because it
meant they were taking a chance on my dream.
Lastly,
crowdfunding campaigns are very time consuming. I spent hours a day
for 45 days doing something related to the campaign. And keep in
mind, if your campaign is successful, the work doesn't end; you still
have to remain in contact with your supporters and provide them with
the perks that they earned for pledging (please follow through with
this--if you don't, it makes people who have been burned not want to
pledge to any other campaigns!). In the end, I can say the experience
was very stressful, but I learned a great deal. I am so, so grateful
to everyone who pledged to make Party
Night a reality.
Party Night is a throwback to
the Slashers of the 80's. What films influenced you most when writing
the script and is there a specific movie in particular that made you
think you wanted to make movies?
Troy: I grew up on 80's slasher films.
Films like Sleepaway Camp, The Burning, Prom Night, Happy Birthday
to Me, and Hide and Go Shriek are directly responsible for
me being the huge horror fan that I am. Party Night, though,
arose from my fondness for the film The Mutilator. There is
something about the disturbing tone and atmosphere of that film that
I have always found unique. Sure, it may not be the best film in
terms of acting and production values, but I still find it to be one
of the most effective slasher films to come out of the 80's. And
let's not forget the gore; it is replete with gory and what many
would consider mean-spirited death scenes. With Party Night, I
wanted to create the same foreboding tone and impactful death scenes,
but with a tad more character development. I would really call Party
Night a cross between The Mutilator and Prom Night.
As far as films that inspired me to write screenplays, and now
actually direct, I'd say Halloween, Black Christmas and Psycho
are the three genre films I admire most from a filmmaking
perspective. This is kind of ironic since each of these films thrives
on the "less is more" concept and Party Night is
pretty graphic and in your face.
Why do you think the 1980's is such a revisited decade for horror these days and what's the big difference, in your opinion, between the presentation of horror then and the presentation of horror in the films of today?
Troy: Undoubtedly, the 80's are the golden era for slasher films. I
feel like what makes many fans long for the era and constantly
revisit it is that slasher films released during that time period
simply made no apologies for what they were. Fans knew what to
expect: a group of young adults in an isolated setting being picked
off one by one by a deranged killer. Though I love the film, since
the release of Wes Craven's Scream back in 1996, it seems
slasher films since then have felt the need to be self-aware,
tongue-in-check, and somewhat apologetic for being slasher films.
Though there are a few, it is really hard to think of a slasher film
in the vein of Sleepaway Camp, Intruder, Slaughter High or The
Prowler that has been released in the past few years. Sadly, the
few that have been released have been widely ignored or criticized by
a new legion of horror fans who may not be all that familiar with the
80's slasher formula.
Certainly I will be the first to admit that the slasher genre suffers
from a lack of originality, but the fact is these films still possess
a great deal of charm for many people. Honestly, how many different
ways can you have a masked killer stalk a group of unsuspecting kids?
But because it has been done before does not mean there is no place
for true slasher films anymore or that filmmakers who like the genre
should feel like they somehow water their film down or give it
self-aware comedic undertones. Party Night is a true slasher
film. I don't apologize for it. Of course, my hope is that fans will
enjoy it and it will bring them a feeling of nostalgia.
You're also the president of
the Fright Meter Awards, tell us about that and what the goal of that
committee is.
Troy: In addition to being a
horror fan, I am also a huge film awards buff. I am an Oscar trivia
machine and diligently follow awards season. It has always bothered
me massively that the horror genre is virtually ignored by mainstream
awards. There have been some truly great performances in horror
films—performances that rival, or are often time better than those
that won Oscars their perspective years. Several years ago, I started
a personal blog called Fright Meter, where I posted reviews of horror
films, etc. I decided to combine my love of horror and awards by
giving out my personal awards on an annual basis. After getting to
know some other horror bloggers, I got the idea to put a committee of
horror lovers together to help with the awards. The result is what
you see currently; we have a committee of over fifty members involved
in various aspects of the industry and are gaining notice and
attention within the horror community. The goal is to become the
premiere award given to the genre.
What's the plan for Party
Night regarding a timeline for finishing post production? Are there
any dream festivals you'd like it to play at?
Troy: The goal is to have the film ready to premiere in October.
Editing is in the early stages, and we are also working on assembling
a suitable and impressive soundtrack and score for the film. As far
as festivals go, I definitely need to begin doing research on ones
that could potentially screen the film, but I would absolutey love
for Party Night to screen at Texas Frightmare Weekend next
year! Honestly, I would be excited for any festival that screens
Party Night because I just want to share it with fans.
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Thank you so much to Troy Escamilla for taking the time to answer our
questions in such an honest and detailed manner! We'll follow the
progress of Party Night and encourage readers to connect with the
film on social media and keep an eye out for this throwback slasher
to screen at a festival near you in the future.
Watch the teaser for Party Night here!
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