| Q&A
with Chris Richards-Scully |
|
|
| How
long did your project take
to create, from conception
to final completion? |
| Iron
Bird took eight years to
complete from conception
to completion, beginning
as a short 10 minute film
in 1999. |
|
| Where
did your inspiration come
from? |
| A
colleague of mine came up
with an idea which was originally
set on a German bomber over
England, but being Australians
I thought that we'd have
a better chance making the
film if it was set on an
Australian bomber. It was
inspired by stories from
the war of pilots and airman
seeing spectral forms in
the skies whilst on combat
missions. |
|
| Is
Horror or Sci-Fi your primary
creative interest? |
| Sci-Fi
is one of my primary creative
interests. Intelligent storytelling
that deals with aspects
of the human experience.
Blade Runner is probably
the reason I started film
making, but I grew up with
the likes of Forbidden Planet
and Lost in Space. Now I
really enjoy good sci-fi
literature and shows like
Battlestar Galactica. |
|
| Can
you describe a typical day
in the creative process? |
| Typically
I have daily contact with
a number of writers I am
working with on various
screenplays for films I
hope to get made. I am also
constantly on the lookout
for new, great stories and
script. |
|
| Who
do you consider to be the
greatest horror writer? |
| Poe
still does it for me. |
|
|
| Can
you recall the first horror
film that left a lasting
impression on you? |
| The
Exorcist. As a young person,
that scared the "Shit outta
me!" |
|
| Who
do you consider to be the
greatest 'Master of Horror'? |
| Wes
Craven. |
|
| How
did you find your cast? |
| I
knew most of my main cast
before we got the funding
to make the film, but then
we cast through a local
casting director. |
|
| What
is you most memorable moment
while making your film? |
| Being
crammed into the fuselage
of a Lancaster bomber with
a large portion of the film
crew and cast. It was so
surreal, climbing over one
another to get the days
filming completed in such
a claustrophobic and cramped
environment, but also so
cool that we were filming
in this incredible piece
of history. |
|
| Was
the film re-edited after
its first screening? |
| Yes,
we had to deliver a film
by a certain date, but the
vfx were not up to the standard
we wanted so we went back
in and re-worked some of
the shots. |
|
| Did
you shoot on film or with
digital cameras? |
| Super
16mm film. |
|
| How
many members of your cast
and crew? |
| Twelve
castmembers, thirty+ people
in the crew. |
|
| If
you could choose any famous
actors to work with on future
projects, who would they
be? |
| Russell
Crowe, Eric Banner and Guy
Pearce. |
|
