December 3, 2024 • 10 mins
Phil Volken, of "Flycatcher," joins us in a captivating conversation about his work featured at the Mammoth Film Festival. Throughout our discussion, he emphasizes the necessity of grounding suspense and horror in reality to forge genuine connections with the audience. Phil's creative process is as fascinating as the film itself, balancing the tension between suspense and terror while ensuring that the heart of the story remains relatable and impactful.
Phil also reveals the magic of improvisation and how it played a crucial role in bringing "Flycatcher" to life. Phil shares his insights into directing, focusing on character understanding and creating an environment where actors can thrive and the story can organically evolve. The world premiere at the Mammoth Film Festival marks a significant milestone, allowing audiences to witness and react to the film's thrilling journey. This episode offers a delightful glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of independent filmmaking.
For our listeners, CFA’s teamed up with We Make Movies to get you a discount on production management services, including access to comprehensive production insurance and workers' comp for your next shoot.
Visit wemakemovies.org/insurance and use code CFA23 on your intake form for 10% off your quote.
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Cinematography for Actors is a community aimed at bridging the gap between talent & crew through our weekly podcast & community events. Our weekly show supports the filmmaking community through transparent, honest & technically focused interviews with the goal of elevating the art of effective storytelling.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Everything comes from one simple idea.
It's the concept.
When something clicks, I feelthat everything, the story
writes itself.
Once you just something justsparks and you know the
characters and you know I haveto have heart in the story.
There's heart and you root forthe character.
Then you just evolve it andit's almost writes itself
(00:25):
because you, because you, canforesee the journey.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
This is the Cinematography for Actors
podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
More than a podcast.
Cinematography for Actors is avibrant community devoted to
bridging the gap between talentand crew.
Each week, our show offerstransparent, insightful
conversations with industryleaders.
We unveil the magic behind thescenes, from candid discussions
about unique filmmakingprocesses to in-depth technical
exploration.
Join us in unraveling theintricacies of filmmaking, one
(00:56):
episode at a time.
It's more than just cameras andlenses we aim to inspire,
educate and empower as we peelback the curtain on the art of
effective storytelling.
Now on to the episode.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Hi everyone and welcome to another episode of
the Cinematography for Actorspodcast here at the Mammoth Film
Festival.
We are joined Deanna Underhilland I am joined by my co-host,
jack Gibson.
Haley is on the switcher now,which is fun.
We get to switch our roles out.
Rotation.
Yeah, and we have Phil Volkinhere, a flycatcher, one of the
features here at the festival.
And now Phil, welcome, first ofall.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Well, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
And you are the writer and director of this film
.
Correct.
Yes, now Flycatcher, thedirector of our film Doomscroll
and also my partner, mikey.
He was saying that he wasreally looking forward to
Flycatcher and he told me aboutit before the trip even started
because the log line was soenticing.
He told me about it before thetrip even started because the
log line was so enticing andit's about a group of women at
(01:51):
sea who are stranded, get pickedup by fishermen and realize
that that might not have beenthe biggest threat being stuck
at sea.
And this is a thriller, right.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Correct.
Correct and without giving toomuch away.
The film is about humantrafficking, okay, and to me
it's one of the themes, that,one of the issues that I feel
strongly about.
So if anyone takes anythingother than entertainment away
from the film, then I've done myjob.
If it's like icing on the cake,it's the messaging.
(02:15):
The messaging and just it's adark movie.
Got it, it's a dark film at thecore of it, because it's real.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Wow, and so what was your writing process like for
this?
How did what we see on thescreen, what we're about to see
at this festival, on the screen,how does that reflect kind of
the journey that you've beenthrough with this project?
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Everything comes from one simple idea.
It's the concept.
When something clicks, I feelthat everything the story writes
itself.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Once you just something just sparks and you
know the characters and you knowI have to have heart in the
story.
If there's heart and you rootfor the character, then you just
evolve it and it almost writesitself because you can foresee
the journey.
It's cliche as it sounds,hero's journey.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Right.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
But you'd love to reinvent the wheel, but
ultimately all comes down to thesame formula that you just have
to overcome the obstacle that'sthrown in the character's way.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
And in terms of development of that kind of
heart.
I know I think every film hasits nuances and that's important
, but I think a lot of peoplecan reduce certain genre films
like thriller or horror to oh,it's scary, it's thriller, but
that ultimately leads you notreally to care for a lot of the
characters or the concept.
What was important to you indeveloping that heart as you
(03:47):
were writing and directing this?
Speaker 1 (03:49):
For me it's the utmost importance to have a
story that's rooted in reality.
Yeah, that's the connection.
If it's something real, if it'ssomething that you can connect
to, that's where it becomessuspenseful and scary.
I'm not big on most horrormovies because there's no
(04:09):
suspense to it.
Most of it is just thrown inyour face and you're supposed to
be scared.
But to me it's a lot more scarywhen you intertwine the
suspense and the character'sjourney Right.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
We have some exciting news.
Cfa has teamed up with we makemovies to get you a discount on
production management services,including access to
comprehensive productioninsurance and workers comp.
For your next shoot, visit wemake moviesorg, slash insurance
and use code cfa 23 on yourintake form for 10% off your
(04:45):
quote.
Yeah, now let's talk aboutproduction casting.
Actually, what was your castingprocess like for this project?
Speaker 1 (04:54):
I was fortunate enough to have a great casting
director on this film.
His name is Rick Montgomery.
He's been around the businessfor a while.
He did movies like the GreenBook and he's been doing studio
films for 30 years, so he has agreat eye for talent.
So we were lucky to cast IsabelGravitt.
(05:14):
She played in the Watcher,netflix the Watcher.
She was opposite Naomi Watts,she played her daughter and she
also did the Pretty Little Liars.
She's a really dramatic youngactress that, quite frankly,
she's one of the most talentedpeople I've ever worked with.
She's very young.
When we shot this a year and ahalf ago she was I think it was
(05:36):
18 or 19.
Yeah this a year and a half ago.
She was I think it was 18 or 19, yeah, and she's just so
engaging and so captivating thatwe were very lucky with her.
And we also had janae walton.
She's doing big things too.
She just appeared in candy canelane.
She played the eddie murphy'sdaughter on netflix.
So they're all young andup-and-coming actors that are
(06:00):
doing solid, quality work.
And, of course, our mainvillain I hate the word villain
our main antagonist is played byAlex Wraith, who is just such
an enigmatic persona and I feellike he nailed the character
that you can't quite read him,and that's what makes him very
(06:22):
unpredictable.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
So I feel that we were lucky to have our cast in
that regard and are you doingthe majority of the things in
the film in camera, or did youwork a lot in post, or what kind
of like directing method didyou have for your on set
workflow?
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I like to have actors improvise a lot.
Okay, that's one thing is justmake the script your own.
Whatever you see on the page,know it.
If you want to go by the book,go ahead, but just rewrite it
completely.
Throw these lines out thewindow, just go with the flow,
go with the character, and thatmakes it very organic.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
And very dynamic.
Some actors it drives themcrazy yeah, no, no, no, way, way
.
But most of them embrace it andso to me, that's one of the
things is is that you just throwit out there and becomes a
collaborative environment.
To me, it's one of the key.
One of the key elements ofdirecting is just letting people
(07:24):
explore the world, right andletting everyone just do what
they're, what they're passionateabout.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Fantastic.
What kind of tools are youusing to help guide those actors
in in improv, in terms ofmaintaining a tone that that
you're looking for, or is ittrue?
Improv of like?
Speaker 1 (07:43):
whatever, however you're feeling, put it on for
the union for the improv or justin general improv, like when
you're saying make the scriptyour own.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
Are you?
Are you going up and kind ofhaving conversations about the,
the heart of the character, orthe toned, overall tone that
you're looking for to help themguide through that, or do you
truly want them to just fromfrom scratch?
Speaker 1 (08:00):
improv no, absolutely .
It starts with the characterand the conversations before the
shooting.
Once we understand thecharacter and once we understand
the background and where thecharacter comes from, what moves
them and how they can hit thatspot where, if they need to go
in somewhere dark, what they'regoing to evoke in themselves to
(08:21):
get there.
So once you build that platformbefore you set foot on set,
then at that point it's like aself-driving car.
So once you build that platformbefore you set foot on set,
then at that point it's like aself-driving car.
Right, you can just get there.
Great.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Now is this the world premiere of Flycatcher at this
festival.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
It is, yes, fantastic .
Speaker 4 (08:41):
Congratulations.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Yeah, and so I know it's very limited who's seen it
thus far?
But from the reactions you'vehad, have they surprised you?
Have you felt like, yeah, thisis in line to what I wanted to
do, or is it surpassedexpectations?
Speaker 1 (08:57):
It's always a process .
It always surprises you.
Always, when you watch a moviewith strangers or even
colleagues, it always surprisedyou that certain people have
different reactions where youdidn't think they would.
So in that regard, it's great.
Yes, it's great, because whenyou write, direct and edit and
(09:17):
then it's all in your head andyou really just don't know,
until you separate yourself fromthe project, walk away and then
let it breathe a little bit,and then see your friends,
family or even strangers, andthen let it breathe a little bit
and then see your friend'sfamily or even strangers, and
then to see the reaction, thenyou're like, okay, it just
starts taking a different form.
That's something just not yours, but it exists on its own.
And then it becomes more real,not just a figment of my
(09:43):
imagination anymore.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
I know right?
Yeah, well, I'm so excited youwere able to sit down with us,
phil.
Thank you so much.
This has been an interview withPhil Vulcan, writer and
director of Flycatcher that ishaving its world premiere.
Congratulations, so exciting.
This week at Mammoth FilmFestival.
So thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Can't wait to see it it.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
Join us in bridging the gap between talent and crew.
Start by subscribing on yourpreferred podcast platform.
Sign up for our newsletter tostay up to date on vendor
discounts, community events andnew podcast releases, and
educate yourself through ourfree course releases on YouTube.
It all starts atcinematographyforactorscom and,
if you liked this episode,consider leaving a review to
make it easier for otherlisteners to find us.
Everything comes from one simple idea.
It's the concept.
When something clicks, I feelthat everything, the story
writes itself.
Once you just something justsparks and you know the
characters and you know I haveto have heart in the story.
There's heart and you root forthe character.
Then you just evolve it andit's almost writes itself
(00:25):
because you, because you, canforesee the journey.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
This is the Cinematography for Actors
podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
More than a podcast.
Cinematography for Actors is avibrant community devoted to
bridging the gap between talentand crew.
Each week, our show offerstransparent, insightful
conversations with industryleaders.
We unveil the magic behind thescenes, from candid discussions
about unique filmmakingprocesses to in-depth technical
exploration.
Join us in unraveling theintricacies of filmmaking, one
(00:56):
episode at a time.
It's more than just cameras andlenses we aim to inspire,
educate and empower as we peelback the curtain on the art of
effective storytelling.
Now on to the episode.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Hi everyone and welcome to another episode of
the Cinematography for Actorspodcast here at the Mammoth Film
Festival.
We are joined Deanna Underhilland I am joined by my co-host,
jack Gibson.
Haley is on the switcher now,which is fun.
We get to switch our roles out.
Rotation.
Yeah, and we have Phil Volkinhere, a flycatcher, one of the
features here at the festival.
And now Phil, welcome, first ofall.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Well, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
And you are the writer and director of this film
.
Correct.
Yes, now Flycatcher, thedirector of our film Doomscroll
and also my partner, mikey.
He was saying that he wasreally looking forward to
Flycatcher and he told me aboutit before the trip even started
because the log line was soenticing.
He told me about it before thetrip even started because the
log line was so enticing andit's about a group of women at
(01:51):
sea who are stranded, get pickedup by fishermen and realize
that that might not have beenthe biggest threat being stuck
at sea.
And this is a thriller, right.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Correct.
Correct and without giving toomuch away.
The film is about humantrafficking, okay, and to me
it's one of the themes, that,one of the issues that I feel
strongly about.
So if anyone takes anythingother than entertainment away
from the film, then I've done myjob.
If it's like icing on the cake,it's the messaging.
(02:15):
The messaging and just it's adark movie.
Got it, it's a dark film at thecore of it, because it's real.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Wow, and so what was your writing process like for
this?
How did what we see on thescreen, what we're about to see
at this festival, on the screen,how does that reflect kind of
the journey that you've beenthrough with this project?
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Everything comes from one simple idea.
It's the concept.
When something clicks, I feelthat everything the story writes
itself.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Once you just something just sparks and you
know the characters and you knowI have to have heart in the
story.
If there's heart and you rootfor the character, then you just
evolve it and it almost writesitself because you can foresee
the journey.
It's cliche as it sounds,hero's journey.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Right.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
But you'd love to reinvent the wheel, but
ultimately all comes down to thesame formula that you just have
to overcome the obstacle that'sthrown in the character's way.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
And in terms of development of that kind of
heart.
I know I think every film hasits nuances and that's important
, but I think a lot of peoplecan reduce certain genre films
like thriller or horror to oh,it's scary, it's thriller, but
that ultimately leads you notreally to care for a lot of the
characters or the concept.
What was important to you indeveloping that heart as you
(03:47):
were writing and directing this?
Speaker 1 (03:49):
For me it's the utmost importance to have a
story that's rooted in reality.
Yeah, that's the connection.
If it's something real, if it'ssomething that you can connect
to, that's where it becomessuspenseful and scary.
I'm not big on most horrormovies because there's no
(04:09):
suspense to it.
Most of it is just thrown inyour face and you're supposed to
be scared.
But to me it's a lot more scarywhen you intertwine the
suspense and the character'sjourney Right.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
We have some exciting news.
Cfa has teamed up with we makemovies to get you a discount on
production management services,including access to
comprehensive productioninsurance and workers comp.
For your next shoot, visit wemake moviesorg, slash insurance
and use code cfa 23 on yourintake form for 10% off your
(04:45):
quote.
Yeah, now let's talk aboutproduction casting.
Actually, what was your castingprocess like for this project?
Speaker 1 (04:54):
I was fortunate enough to have a great casting
director on this film.
His name is Rick Montgomery.
He's been around the businessfor a while.
He did movies like the GreenBook and he's been doing studio
films for 30 years, so he has agreat eye for talent.
So we were lucky to cast IsabelGravitt.
(05:14):
She played in the Watcher,netflix the Watcher.
She was opposite Naomi Watts,she played her daughter and she
also did the Pretty Little Liars.
She's a really dramatic youngactress that, quite frankly,
she's one of the most talentedpeople I've ever worked with.
She's very young.
When we shot this a year and ahalf ago she was I think it was
(05:36):
18 or 19.
Yeah this a year and a half ago.
She was I think it was 18 or 19, yeah, and she's just so
engaging and so captivating thatwe were very lucky with her.
And we also had janae walton.
She's doing big things too.
She just appeared in candy canelane.
She played the eddie murphy'sdaughter on netflix.
So they're all young andup-and-coming actors that are
(06:00):
doing solid, quality work.
And, of course, our mainvillain I hate the word villain
our main antagonist is played byAlex Wraith, who is just such
an enigmatic persona and I feellike he nailed the character
that you can't quite read him,and that's what makes him very
(06:22):
unpredictable.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
So I feel that we were lucky to have our cast in
that regard and are you doingthe majority of the things in
the film in camera, or did youwork a lot in post, or what kind
of like directing method didyou have for your on set
workflow?
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I like to have actors improvise a lot.
Okay, that's one thing is justmake the script your own.
Whatever you see on the page,know it.
If you want to go by the book,go ahead, but just rewrite it
completely.
Throw these lines out thewindow, just go with the flow,
go with the character, and thatmakes it very organic.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
And very dynamic.
Some actors it drives themcrazy yeah, no, no, no, way, way
.
But most of them embrace it andso to me, that's one of the
things is is that you just throwit out there and becomes a
collaborative environment.
To me, it's one of the key.
One of the key elements ofdirecting is just letting people
(07:24):
explore the world, right andletting everyone just do what
they're, what they're passionateabout.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Fantastic.
What kind of tools are youusing to help guide those actors
in in improv, in terms ofmaintaining a tone that that
you're looking for, or is ittrue?
Improv of like?
Speaker 1 (07:43):
whatever, however you're feeling, put it on for
the union for the improv or justin general improv, like when
you're saying make the scriptyour own.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
Are you?
Are you going up and kind ofhaving conversations about the,
the heart of the character, orthe toned, overall tone that
you're looking for to help themguide through that, or do you
truly want them to just fromfrom scratch?
Speaker 1 (08:00):
improv no, absolutely .
It starts with the characterand the conversations before the
shooting.
Once we understand thecharacter and once we understand
the background and where thecharacter comes from, what moves
them and how they can hit thatspot where, if they need to go
in somewhere dark, what they'regoing to evoke in themselves to
(08:21):
get there.
So once you build that platformbefore you set foot on set,
then at that point it's like aself-driving car.
So once you build that platformbefore you set foot on set,
then at that point it's like aself-driving car.
Right, you can just get there.
Great.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Now is this the world premiere of Flycatcher at this
festival.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
It is, yes, fantastic .
Speaker 4 (08:41):
Congratulations.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Yeah, and so I know it's very limited who's seen it
thus far?
But from the reactions you'vehad, have they surprised you?
Have you felt like, yeah, thisis in line to what I wanted to
do, or is it surpassedexpectations?
Speaker 1 (08:57):
It's always a process .
It always surprises you.
Always, when you watch a moviewith strangers or even
colleagues, it always surprisedyou that certain people have
different reactions where youdidn't think they would.
So in that regard, it's great.
Yes, it's great, because whenyou write, direct and edit and
(09:17):
then it's all in your head andyou really just don't know,
until you separate yourself fromthe project, walk away and then
let it breathe a little bit,and then see your friends,
family or even strangers, andthen let it breathe a little bit
and then see your friend'sfamily or even strangers, and
then to see the reaction, thenyou're like, okay, it just
starts taking a different form.
That's something just not yours, but it exists on its own.
And then it becomes more real,not just a figment of my
(09:43):
imagination anymore.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
I know right?
Yeah, well, I'm so excited youwere able to sit down with us,
phil.
Thank you so much.
This has been an interview withPhil Vulcan, writer and
director of Flycatcher that ishaving its world premiere.
Congratulations, so exciting.
This week at Mammoth FilmFestival.
So thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Can't wait to see it it.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
Join us in bridging the gap between talent and crew.
Start by subscribing on yourpreferred podcast platform.
Sign up for our newsletter tostay up to date on vendor
discounts, community events andnew podcast releases, and
educate yourself through ourfree course releases on YouTube.
It all starts atcinematographyforactorscom and,
if you liked this episode,consider leaving a review to
make it easier for otherlisteners to find us.
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