Who and what are your influences, as a film-maker?
Animation is my top influence because of its limitless creativity and bold exaggerations. I’m also inspired by real-life moments, which often sparks story ideas. It is endless fun and creative flexing to watch the world around me and create absurd narratives. As for specific individuals who influence me, Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Dairo Argento, Sam Rami, Ryan Larkin, and Terry Gilliam stand out for their way of making the unbelievable believable.
 

 

Who is the person in the background of some of of the scenes?
This was Ben. We wanted to slip him in as an easter egg and subliminal tie in for what’s to come. Ben is always there because he is the only one there. Also, he is in more shots than you may have noticed.

 

Why would someone want to watch this film?
Hopefully to be inspired to let go of the cycle, what’s selling right now, what we are supposed to write, act, be. Trust yourself and put the work into that. Not what others think you should be. We need more original independent content.

 

How did you come up with the idea for Have a Good Day?
Living it. Really. Banging my head against the wall writing idea after idea to make the perfect story, then realizing that using the REAL moment and emotions I was going through could create this special little UNREAL film. It was write it or throw the laptop out the window. I still have the laptop. Needed it as a prop anyhow.

 

What are you most proud of about Have a Good Day?
Dude. There is waaay too much to list for this. To keep this short enough for the press kit, I’ll say The cast and crew. What they put into this brought me to tears of joy daily. (And I am not one to cry) I see all their creative contribution in each frame, and that fills me with endless joy.

 

Tell us a fun behind-the-scenes fact?
Sure. The DP was towed by a rope on a skateboard to get the Vampire POV approaching Jodi, and the Vampire himself was also on a skateboard to “float” into the room and up to Jodi. (Surprisingly no one fell)

 

 

Tell us a bonus fact about yourself!
I have a compulsion for pranking on set. This tends to make me the ADs worst nightmare.

 

Did anything actually scary happen while filming?
You mean other than how scary it is normally to commit to that shot, or editorial choice, or cutting that scene?,,, You betcha. Lucy Davis showed up on set the morning after we had filmed the finale fight with a neck brace on. I dropped the inserts we were filming when I saw her, ran to the van and was overcome with fear that my dear Lucy was injured from what we put her through, and confusion as to why production brought her to set! Until… She pulled off the neck brace and confessed it was all a prank.

 

 

What was the funniest thing that happened on set?
This is tough. I feel like we were always laughing. All the way from in prep battling invincible watermelons that didn’t want to blow up, to the school bus of kids passing by set when we were putting the monster kids through the wood chipper, all the way to adding squeak sounds to the stuffy in the fight scene through post. We were all very easily amused. And that’s what its all about. The enjoyment of the whole process.

 

 

 

Did you set out to have this balance of Comedy Horror?
No. Not at all. It was originally written to be more horror than comedy. But once we got on set and started to see it come to life and succumb to the ridiculousness of what we were doing with the wondrous performances, we embraced it for the whole ride. Taping a doll arm holding a knife to the camera while the DP runs across the floor could never be horror alone.