A. D. John's Interview with Toby Wilkins, the Director of the Feature Film Splinter
A. D. John: Hello Toby, it's great to have Splinter playing at A Night of Horror International Film Festival. This really is a monster movie with a difference. What inspired you to carve out a career in the film industry?
Toby Wilkins: Movies have always been a big part of my life. When I was a kid I loved watching them, quoting from them, everything about movies was exciting. My dad was big in the advertising world, and worked extensively with Tony and Ridley Scott, so even as a child I was exposed to some pretty awesome aspects of the film industry and really found it exciting. So when I started making choices that would steer my career, I always gravitated toward the movie world, eventually moving from my home town, London, to Los Angeles in the mid nineties to really sink my teeth in.
ADJ: What films have inspired you stylistically as a director?
TW: Oh wow, that's a really long list. Maybe a shorter list would be directors who have inspired me with many films, like Ridley Scott with
Alien, Blade Runner, etc. Danny Boyle with
Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later, etc. David Fincher with
Seven, The Game, Panic Room, etc. Christopher Nolan with
Memento, Batman Begins, Dark Knight, etc. Paul Greengrass with his
Bourne films. Darren Aronofsky... the list really goes on and on.
ADJ: You have been someone who has certainly 'paid his dues' in the industry as a visual effects artist and graphic designer, was it always your ambition to move into directing? Was it a long process making the transition to the director's chair?
TW: I definitely had an eye on that world, even as a child, but it was a pretty gradual process really. I have been directing short films since the late nineties, pretty much on a parallel track with my work doing title sequences, trailers, and visual effect for bigger films. So, while I suppose if I stop and think about it, it has taken a solid decade to reach where I'm at now, it really doesn't feel like I was ever waiting around for something to happen. I was just doing my thing, making short films on the side, and slowly learning the ropes.
ADJ: I've read that your father was a novelist and playwright; do you think his works have in anyway; shape or form inspired you as a visual storyteller?
TW: Absolutely. My father's endeavors in every area of life have set an example for me, be it advertising, writing, even fine dining, the passion he puts into his work and his life, and the quality he strives for, has always been uncompromising and inspirational.
ADJ: You've made a swag of short films; do you think making shorts is a great way to prepare oneself to direct features?
TW: Without the slightest hesitation. Short films are an immensely important way for a filmmaker to grow, and learn. I would not be the filmmaker I am now if I hadn't allowed myself the time and space to experiment and learn from my past mistakes and successes. I can draw a line from my first experimental shorts, through my award winning later work, right up to getting my first feature. Every project I have done, no matter how small, has meant a step forward in my career.
ADJ: Not since The Host have I seen such a fantastic and original monster movie. How did the idea for Splinter come about? I noticed you are credited as co-creating the creature concept. Who came up with the idea and please tell us a little bit about the screenwriting process for this particular film.
TW:
Splinter was a really collaborative project, my friend George Cawood and I had been toying with the idea for the creature for a few years, we loved the idea of this parasite that could break its victims' bodies from the inside and control them like a puppet while they are still alive, and the way that might look on screen, but we never really found a home for the idea. Then producer Ted Kroeber handed me a script, originally called
"Tooth and Nail", and I really connected with it. It reminded me of everything I loved about horror movies when I was a kid, all the great siege based, survival horror films like
Alien, The Thing, Dawn of the Dead... stories that really clicked for me on a deeper level than fear alone. The two elements seemed to fit perfectly together, so writer/producer Kai Barry and I worked on incorporating the creature in my head, with the story in Ian Shorr's original script, and
Splinter is the result.
ADJ: Although you are a visual effects artist is it true that there were barely any CGI shots used in the film?
TW: That's correct for the most part. It was very important for me that we do as much as possible with practical effect. I can't stand CG creatures in all but the very biggest budget films, they always pull me out of the movie. So we enlisted Quantum Creation FX to design and build the creature, and the special effects make-up needed to shoot all but the most dangerous stunts with real people or practical puppets. We worked with a gymnast, a mime, and stunt performers to create just the right pieces of movement for the various shots of the infected victims. Any time you see growing or moving Splinters, those were usually a combination of practical and CG. Everything else was done with wires, puppets, trick photography, and the creativity of the special effects crew. There was a fair amount of digital retouching work to hide flaws and augment the practical effects when needed, but I'm happy to say we went pretty old-school with
Splinter.
ADJ: In your opinion, do you think in camera tricks and techniques will always seem more 'real' than those created with visual effects software?
TW: I think it depends on the skills of the people doing the work, and in a lot of ways that depends on the amount of time and money you have. I think we're getting much closer, with films like
Iron Man, and
Benjamin Button being the best examples I can think of. But we've all seen bad visual effects, and we've seen bad practical effects. I think the truth is that practical effects, even if they aren't quite right, or even if they are kind of silly looking on set, still look better than mediocre digital effects, and audiences will forgive a lot more if the thing feels like it was really there on the day. The other thing that's maybe more important than any of that, is that the experience for an actor is completely different if they are confronted with something real, and horrific, than if they are acting opposite a tennis ball on a stick. After all it's the characters and performances that really connect an audience with the story and the horror.
ADJ: Watching this film I was transported back to the first time I saw Evil Dead. Splinter seemed to have that raw independent edge that makes a horror film that little bit more terrifying. Was it a large crew you worked with? What kind of budget did you have for this production?
TW: Haha. That's a great compliment, thanks. For me it was essential that the film feel very real. I was going to be asking the audience to spend a big chunk of the movie in a confined space, with very few characters, and I knew I had to make them feel like they were right there with the characters, right in the action. But no, we didn't have a big crew at all, we had a very small, very hard working crew. And while even adjusting for inflation we definitely had more money than Sam Raimi had to make
The Evil Dead almost three decades ago,
Splinter was absolutely an indie production through and through, and would not have been possible without the hard work and sacrifice of everyone involved.
ADJ: The production process has its ups and downs. Can you tell us about a time on set when something went horribly wrong or which really frustrated you?
TW: I always say that even on the most frustrating day, making movies is still better than any day job I ever had. But shooting in Oklahoma in the middle of one of the rainiest summers on record we had our fair share of set-backs, and don't even get me started on the mosquitoes! There's a lot of that kind of stuff in the behind the scenes footage on the DVD actually, but the trick is to always have a plan-B, and C, and be ready to move fast to make up for lost time.
ADJ: Now that Splinter is behind you, what's next?
TW: Hot on the heels of finishing
Splinter I teamed with Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures to make
The Grudge 3 which will be coming out later this year. I have been collaborating with the amazing team at Ghost House since they saw my short film
Staring at the Sun at ScreamFest 2005. The film ended up taking home the award for Best Horror Short, and I got a call from Ghost House shortly after that inviting me to make a short film for them. That relationship has blossomed over the years and has led to some of the most creatively rewarding experiences I have had in my career including the short horror series
Devil's Trade for FearNet and ultimately
The Grudge 3.
ADJ: If you had to remake one film what would it be and why?
TW: If you twist my arm I would have to say Michael Winner's 1972 thriller
The Mechanic, which is an incredibly taught and timeless story with amazing characters, that I think could be a killer movie if updated and set in today's world. If you haven't seen it, check it out, I think it's one of Charles Bronson's best performances and the ending is a real kick in the pants.
ADJ: You are originally from the UK, yet you moved to the United States to further your career. Would you say if you really want to make it as a film director that America is still the best place to realise those dreams?
TW: I don't think that's nearly as true today as it was a decade ago. There are really strong film industries in almost every country now, Australia included, that are really showing that you don't need to be in Hollywood to make great films. And with so many American films being made outside of the US, the world is starting to realise that the mechanics of the process are less exclusive than Hollwood might want us to think. So much like with European film in the '60s and '70s the world is looking to the global artistic community for fresh voices in film.
ADJ: What advice would you have for the modern aspiring filmmaker?
TW: Just to get out there and make movies, lots of them. Now more than ever there is nothing to stand in your way.
ADJ: Thank you very much Toby for allowing us to grill you and I know I'm not just speaking for myself when I say I look forward to seeing more of your brilliant work in the future!
Splinter is screening at 7pm on Friday, April 3, at Dendy Newton as part of the 2009 festival.
Images from Toby Wilkins' feature film Splinter.
