John Whitaker: A Direction that Drives The Isolation Horrors into Lockdown

John Whitaker AKA 1i2c, an irritable and grumpy man who isn’t concerned with the isolation and needs his essentials, at any cost! Anomalous. John Whitaker as the character and filming. I required my daughter to help with one scene for an effect. John directed the segment of the Isolation Horrors titled Anomalous.

indieactivity : What is your experience working on the story, the screenplay, the production, premiere, and marketing?
John Whitaker (JW) : I have no problem thinking of original storylines. Parts of the idea started to form as I was first contacted about being involved in the project. As the film was only going to be a short film, I didn’t need a screenplay or anything in writing. I had the visuals in my head. I had an idea of angles I was going to use, how my character was going to behave and look. I was fortunate because I had a real untidy, messy beard, which helped make that character easier to work on. I had the initial idea to ask Nicolai about having a premiere online and it appears that it worked really well. Emma Dark has been the main force of marketing. I personally don’t feel comfortable with self-promotion. I was however chatting with individuals directly behind the scenes. I feel it best to use the techniques that you feel more comfortable with.

How did you put the crew and cast together? Did you start writing with a known cast?
JW : I convinced myself that I had to play the part! Actually, I had no choice; no one else in the house was going to be involved in my creativity. They think I am mad and I probably am. As mentioned previously, there was no writing involved.

What and how long did it take to complete the script?
JW : This was a solo project. The film was shot overnight. As soon as the sun disappeared I was on this film. I had to work around a family who were irritated by my antics and had to be pretty quiet also as they gradually went to bed whilst I carried on. Once I had finished the filming, I started editing. I started filming a little after 20.00 at night and completed my first edit by 08.00 am in the morning. Nicolai called me later in the day after I had slept and had changed several things, which I agreed with. Both versions have a different way of telling the story, mine was a little darker; Nicolai turned the film around a little to make it a little lighter. That really works in films like this and I learned a lot during this experience.

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When did you form your production company – and what was the original motivation for its formation?
JW : I do not have a film production company. I am a music artist and enjoy making music. Making music videos was a natural progression, but I always had a fascination with black and white films and films where there are little if no spoken words. I feel films like these can tell more and have a bigger impact. I love facial expressions and gestures that articulate the spoken word. My journey hasn’t made me active in making films, but my curiosity and involvement keeps pulling me in this direction. It depends how the films are interpreted and received? I only want to be involved in making art with high quality.

What was the first project out of the gate?
JW :  My first film had very little input. I just had the inspiration to make a music video with characters with hammers. That music video was ‘Hammer Blows’ made in 2016, with about 20% my idea and 80% Nicolai Kornum.

During the film production, what scene (that made the cut) was the hardest to shoot? And why?
JW : I have to laugh, I wanted a shower scene and a bedroom scene, but not like what people would assume! The shower scene had its technical issues. You don’t want the lens to fog us or have soap or water get into the mobile. You also don’t want reflections of your apparatus. The shower room is not large. Using many tricks, I got around this. I can’t mention the end of the film without spoilers, but getting that final scene was sheer luck! Not as easy as it might look!

What worked better in this latest production that mightn’t have worked so well in the last one you did?
JW :  I feel that I progress as I move forward. My last film really achieved a lot more views and comments than I was expecting, but I have bought different equipment and have wanted to try lots of different approaches to filming. This project insisted we use mobile phones to film and that meant reverting back and created limitations. As I move forward I focus and keep a set of rules. I take gradual steps to enhance the quality and stories. I feel I might well ebb away from making music videos, unless really necessary and make more challenging films.

You donned several hats on this film. What did it take you to put out all these qualities to get the film done?
JW : I have always been a character. I don’t see boundaries and love challenges. So it was important to have a story that could be told easily within minutes. It was deciding what character I was going to portray and how to make an inanimate object creepy. I didn’t feel that any of this was complicated, but I knew I would have to capture the right visuals whilst leaving the mobile to record and trust that I could fit within the perimeters. I wanted specific angles and love using light and shadow. The fact that it was night and peaceful really helped me to achieve what I wanted to do. I see in my mind what I am going to film first and somehow always achieve this.

What about independent filmmaking and the business do you still struggle with?
JW : I don’t struggle. I see independent filmmaking for what it is. If it felt constrictive or worthless I wouldn’t attempt to do anything. I treat the industry for what it is. I don’t have goals to achieve recognition or money. I just want to film and see how far I can go.

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Where do you think your strengths lie as a producer?
JW : Being realistic. There is always going to be the cost of making a film. That will have its limits. Therefore I am always conscious of where I am going to film and how I am going to do it. When I decide to make a film, I am organized, I have the equipment and people I need and we go out and fundamentally have fun. Getting to the end of making a film and having a beer during or after is the best. If you can express your visions to the cast and get them to understand the character they are playing and be relaxed. It should be a day of fun, even if you are making a horror film!

Let’s talk finance, how did you finance the film?
JW : This film? It cost me time only. I think I used my time wisely. The anthology this film sits in has had a great reception and wonderful reviews. It has more than paid for itself.

How much did you go over the budget? How did you manage it?
JW : As I see time as the commodity I used in making this film, I think I worked within my limits. I had the locations I wanted to film in and budgeted the time well in each scene to get the desired visuals. If I had to film over a few days, it might have got me stressed that I am not using my time efficiently and it might have even affected the drive? When you are in the moment, you have to grasp that.

How important is marketing? Do you think a project can make a dent without it nowadays?
JW : As I have previously mentioned, it’s not my strong point. It should be, but I feel that age and social media don’t bode well with me. Social media seems to be the way to get the message across or potentially the contacts and networks. I have my friends and networks, but I don’t want to push my work in their faces constantly. It’s odd, it’s like you want strangers instead to discover your work. There are huge limitations with being able to push the marketing and that does come down to money. However, there are still no guarantees that spending money will get you a return. It seems like a vicious circle? Amazingly, strangers who discover my work are my best supporters though.

Tell us about marketing activities or efforts on this project – and how it worked or didn’t work?
JW : Oh, I have tried to come up with ideas, but they soon got pushed down. I do have a dark sense of humor and don’t restrain myself to boundaries. Again, put this down to age, I grew up in a different era. People get very offended these days. I subsequently decided to listen to advise and interact with people instead. Twitter seems to be the best place for me to communicate with genuine people. Again, the real power behind pushing and driving marketing is Emma Dark. I think we have all been guilty of seeing her take this mantle and find a way of marketing this film. Obviously with great results too.

What do you hope audiences will get from the presentation of your film?
JW : Ha ha, that’s a good question. I am happy with any take they make of this film or any film I have made. I have my visions and ideas behind the films, but because there is little guideline to them, they are purely made for the audience to interpret how they see it. It’s like there is no wrong or right way of understanding my films. I have had much feedback where people indicate different variations and that amuses me and also means I have done exactly what I intended.

What else have you got in the works?
JW : I am playing around with more ideas relating to filming solo projects because I know that I can do this now. I have also been writing with Richard Markworth. We are very old school friends and remember sitting in junior school writing stories. Once lockdown is over and there is a feeling that life has a chance to return to how it was or better, I’m sure I will be even more creative. My new album is the next project that will get released this year, whether lockdown is still in operation or not. It’s called ‘Voices in my Head’ and is my first vocal album and should be released in June / July 2020.

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