Barry Griffith doesn’t
know it yet, but tonight is the night fate has chosen to be the night
of his death… his murder. At a gas station in the middle of
nowhere, late at night, his wife Jenny appears… no car… no coat
and looking older than when he saw her last. That’s because this is
not the woman he received a good-bye kiss from this morning. This
woman has been a widow for over four years and has made an impossible
journey back in time to try to stop her husband’s murder. Will they
be able to escape the killers or does fate only have one plan… one
possible outcome… ONE WAY?
One Way marks the first
production of Hours Apart Films, born of a partnership between
American author Jeff Lane and British film maker Aaron Thomas. The
original novel/audiobook's narrative was set in Maine, USA, but will
be transplanted to the UK for its film adaptation.
Aaron Thomas (film maker) and Jeff Lane (writer)
- partners in Hours Apart Films
A real page turner with
elements of time travel and darker, possibly psychic forces it
certainly has all the potential to make a gripping movie, with
crowdfunding support through Indiegogo. Thanks to the marvels of the
internet, I was able to chat with Jeff and Aaron about the project,
work in general and some their of own favourite movies and TV.
Purple Patch: Firstly
Jeff, where did the idea for One Way come from?
Jeff Lane: I have
actually always loved time travel stories. As a kid I loved Back To
The Future, Doctor Who, Quantum Leap and stories and shows like that.
Fast forward several years. I was working late at a call centre (in
Maine) and stopped to get gas on the way home. Heading back to my
car, I just got a magical, mystical feeling like anything could
happen. That feeling stuck with me for a few days and my mind worked
it into a story of getting visited from the future with a warning and
pulling me into a crazy adventure. That was the seed that I
eventually worked into a wife travelling back in time to stop her
husband from getting murdered.
Initially it was just
going to be a straight narrative of that night with all the reveals
about the "how" and the "what happened after"
being revealed through the course of the night. But then I got the
idea to split the narrative into the two timelines; the night of the
murder and the wife's timeline in the intervening four years between
the murder and her eventual journey back in time. That allowed us to
get to know Jenny and share her pain and journey more than her being
this mysterious enigma that shows up from the future. I Iiked the
idea of switching back and forth between the two "stories"
and eventually weaving them together.
It was also fun to play
with the rules of cause and effect. Every time travel story has its
own take on whether you can go back and make changes in the past that
will effect the future. I wanted to really pose the question as to
whether or not this is possible. Could you go back and stop the
Titanic from sinking or Kennedy from being assassinated? And if you
did, the very fact that these events had been changed, you would have
grown up in a world where that never happened, right? So how would
you know to go back and try to stop something that never happened?
These are the paradox discussions at the heart of many time travel
tropes, so I thought I'd add my two cents to the genre.
PP: Two things that
particularly struck me in the book: Firstly, Jenny's means of
travelling back is very (for want of a better word) organic. Although
scientific technology is involved to an extent, Jenny doesn't
actually board a physical vehicle to make her journey. I haven't seen
that approach used too often. Did you consciously aim for this from
the start, or did it feel like the natural way to go as you developed
the tale?
JL: When I first
started, I wrote the first 8 or 9 thousand words not knowing how she
got back. I knew I wanted it to be different... No DeLorean in the
bushes with ice melting off. The "organic" or innate part
appealed to me as it was very personal. Only Jenny could do this for
Barry.
PP: The second thing
that really struck me: The chief villain of the piece is the killer,
Jedidiah Folsom. He really is a nasty piece of work, and genuinely
chilling. I was intrigued by the unfolding realisation that he's more
than just a killer, there's a lot more going on inside his mind than
meets the eye, and (without wishing to give too much away) a hint of
hidden, possibly psychic powers that aids him in tracking his prey.
Again, did Jedidiah's character come to you fully formed, or did he
develop along the way? Was there any inspiration from people you
encountered or heard of?
JL: No, Jedidiah
revealed himself along the way. At first it was just two serial
killers, but as I realized I had to write some of the story from
their perspective, I had to give them motivations for doing what they
do. Rodney is just damaged and susceptible to an older leadership
figure. Jedidiah had to be more complex. And his metaphysical sense
of time and destiny made him a perfect antagonist for Barry and
Jenny. Not just any victim would do. It had to be Barry... And then
Jenny to make his chase compelling.
PP: I'd like to talk
now about the journey of "One Way" from book to screen.
Firstly, could you tell me about the process of publishing the eBook
(following This Paper World), the response and how you connected with
Aaron.
JL: Publishing as an
eBook was a follow up to releasing it first as a serialized podcast
audio book. I got such great feedback and so many requests for a
print edition that I had to take the steps to get ONE WAY (and my
previous book This Paper World) out in eBook format. It took a while
to learn to the ropes of eBook publishing; formatting, then different
distribution channels, etc. Plus reading it for audio, some of the
typos and grammatical errors don't come through when I read it aloud.
No hiding them in print though. So after a few more rounds myself and
some great volunteer proofreaders, we got "most" of the
errors. Then it was just a matter of getting the word out at grass
roots level. That's something I still work at every day.
As for meeting up with
Aaron, he actually reached out to me when I was podcasting my first
novel This Paper World. He was very kind and gracious, letting me
know how much he loved the book. I think there was a link in his
email signature which I followed to see some of his film work. I was
so impressed by what I saw. We kept conversing over email and then
eventually talked about collaborating creatively. We have been
working together for several years now. His production company filmed
a literary trailer (which you can find on YouTube) for This Paper
World. He also collaborated with another company to turn that footage
into an app; "The world's first playable trailer". Now we
are tackling our first feature together. (Our first together, I
should say. Aaron has an extensive filmography on his own).
PP: Aaron, if I could
ask you what attracted you to Jeff's work, and in particular to One
Way as a film project?
Aaron Thomas: As a creative I had been planning on collaborating with
another writer for some time before meeting Jeff. I listened to all
the great authors of today from Patrick E. McLean to Scott Sigler. I
came across Jeff's work and was totally immersed in his novel This
Paper World and began sharing his work with others and gave him
feedback on how I felt his work was truly great.
During this time I had
just produced a Stephen King trailer for his novella Big Driver, which
he has personally approved so I was on a high to contact Jeff and ask
him if I could do a trailer for This Paper World and he kindly
obliged.
As we were building a
great working relationship I suggested to Jeff I could help assist
his novels to get published, he was intrigued by this so I suggested
we have a marketing tool for each novel; This Paper World would have
an gaming app, One Way would be a movie and This Burning World would
be an art piece.
If I am honest the day
we created this partnership is one of the best days in this business
to date. Why we chose One Way is firstly when I first hear the
audiobook I loved it so much I listened to it at least four times. It
just made sense as we could recreate that world in London, Jeff has a
great following in Europe so the adaptation would hopefully not be
lost in translation. I hope this answer is not too long winded.
PP: Not at all. Jeff,
did you have any reservations initially about transplanting One Way
to a British setting for the screen?
JL: For me, I had no
reservations about moving the setting to England. I am a bit of an
Anglophile anyway. I love British and UK culture and art. I watch a
lot of TV and movies from "across the pond", and there was
nothing in ONE WAY that HAD to be set in Maine. We did talk about the
winter setting, as a big piece of the action happens around and on a
frozen lake. Rather than risk not getting the right weather
conditions in England, we decided to change the season to autumn and
the lake to a wide open field. But the overall story doesn't really
change.
PP: Jeff, on the
subject of TV and movies from "across the pond", could you
tell me about some of your favourites? You mentioned Doctor Who
earlier - are the British sci-fi/horror/thriller productions your
faves particularly?
JL: As for my favourite
British TV, let me see... I love Doctor Who as you mentioned. Have
since the 80's which is a bit of a rarity for a kid from the States.
Torchwood, Sherlock, Game of Thrones (that counts, right?). I love
the whole Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost thing, like Spaced and
The Cornetto Trilogy. The original Office. Hmm....Tons of UK
actors... especially those that have invaded some of my favourite US
shows like The Walking Dead, Deadwood, Homeland, etc. There is just a
wealth of talent coming from the UK. I really admire it.
PP: Aaron, as a British
film maker, what are some of your favourite movies and TV (UK or otherwise)?
AT: My favourite UK
film is Dumar Volume Two which has been released as episodes on
iTunes. (Aaron directed it! - Ed) Non UK is The Chaser,
Oldboy, Do The Right Thing and I Saw The Devil. Unlike Jeff I am not
a fan of UK TV, I must be honest and say I find it to be somewhat
dated and not diversified enough for me, however there are great TV
dramas like Red Riding I have found very much on point. I have found
US TV drama like How To Get Away With Murder, Breaking Bad and True
Detective outstanding and hope one day we can offer the same level of
entertainment in the UK very soon.
PP: Could you
tell me a bit about the actors you've chosen? Did you immediately
have actors in mind for the roles who you approached, or did you hold
auditions, or was it a mix of the two?
AT: I started casting
about two years ago and just finished in January. It was a great
process as I use the workshop method (term I coined some years back)
with a lot of improv. I do not see this as auditions and relay this
to all those involved, for me it takes away the tension an actor may
feel when usually going for roles.
This process goes on
for some time as it gives me an opportunity to learn more about the
person first then look at their abilities in front and behind the
camera. It is paramount to me all cast/crew are positive ambitious
people as once in the right setting as a team we can achieve
anything, support each other and most important learn from each
other.
______________________________________
One Way is scheduled
for festival screenings in mid-2016, followed by DVD/Blu-Ray release
and selected cinema engagements in December 2016.
You can find out more
about the project, crowdfunding, and perks available to supporters at
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/one-way-the-movie#/
One Way is available in
e-book and audio editions from http://jefflaneaudiobooks.com/one-way/
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