Monday 14 October 2013

INTERVIEW: Director David Mun on House Of Good And Evil



House Of Good And Evil is the new feature from David Mun. With a distinguished career on camera duties including such shows as Sons Of Anarchy and Weeds, his directorial debut is already creating a buzz on the festival circuit in the US. It is now in the running for five awards at this week's London International Film Festival, with a UK release scheduled for early in the new year.

David is in the UK for the festival week, and was kind enough to answer a few questions from me about his film, his influences and future plans...

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PURPLE PATCH BLOG: House Of Good And Evil has been generating a lot of positive buzz in the UK, with five nominations at the London International Film Festival. How would you describe your film in a nutshell?

DAVID MUN: In a nutshell I would describe House of Good and Evil as a psychological thriller, following a young woman (Maggie) in overcoming the loss of her unborn child from a result of domestic abuse. Maggie and Chris try to start over and fix their marriage by moving into a house in the middle of nowhere. However, being left alone days at a time because her husband is away for work, isn't the most effective way in saving a marriage. Maggie's time alone in the house does crazy things to a person.

PPB: The film's been released to VOD in the USA and shown at several festivals, what has the reaction been like there so far?

DM: So far the reaction has been positive in the festival world. We have won awards in some festivals and when speaking with audience members after the movie, they loved the story. As far as the VOD world goes and people's response I really don't know what the reaction is, more so because I don't get to have that interaction with people at home. Maybe we should start a thread on Facebook and have people chime in on their likes of the movie. Then again, I'd hate for anyone to ruin the movie if there was a thread. So everyone, go watch the movie!

PPB: People who have seen the film are enthusing online about the film's emphasis on creating an atmosphere, as well as its use of sound. Was that what you were aiming for?

DM: Atmosphere and sound are important elements to any movie. During production of House of Good and Evil, there were so much bug sounds that you couldn't escape it, therefore it kind of becomes another character of the movie. I think with the overall look the mood of the movie has to change and progress to a darker state and we were lucky as clouds would roll in to create that moody atmosphere. 

PPB: You already have a strong track record as a camera operator. Has the move into direction always been your ultimate aim? And, was it easy for you to make the move?

DM: I've always wanted to direct. I think coming from the camera world has helped tremendously. It teaches you where the camera should be placed and [how to] block the actors. I think the transition was fine (even though I was a bit nervous but don't tell anyone that) and the nuts and bolts on shooting a movie was the easy part. I think my biggest challenge was the post world, having to edit and think of sound were the two most challenging things of the movie for me.

PPB: Which film makers inspired you to get into the business?

DM: Directors that have influenced me are, Scorsese, Tarantino, Kubrick, Spielberg, and many more, but I would say these guys had made some sort of impact on me as a filmmaker.

PPB: What do you enjoy watching, and what are your favourite movies and/or TV?

DM: Loved watching Gravity just recently for movies, and in TV I'm really sad that Breaking Bad has now come to an end. 

PPB: I see you're already in production on your next project, The Lycanthropist – can you tell me a bit about that, and when we can expect to see it?

DM: The Lycanthropist is a new take on the werewolf genre. We're still in early stages of funding the movie. I'll let you know when we start preproduction, production and post.

PPB: Finally, do you have any other projects on the back burner at the moment, or any other future plans?

DM: I always have projects on the back burner, you gotta plan a few projects ahead. Hoping that if one catches on, you'll have to be ready for the next. Like they say when it rains...

PPB: Thank you for your time, and good luck with the festival awards!

DM: Thank you!

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House Of Good And Evil will be released in the UK by Safecracker Pictures in early 2014, and it's down on my must see list! I'll post more details as I receive them, or you can keep abreast of developments via https://www.facebook.com/HouseOfGoodAndEvilFilm. In the meantime, enjoy this teaser trailer...

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