Interview with Albert Pyun
By Dag (2006-05-01)We've talked to Albert Pyun about his latest movie Infection.We've talked to Albert Pyun about his latest movie Infection.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about "Infection"?
A horror thriller with some sci-fi layers. A clever script by Cynthia Curnan designed to be a single, unedited shot. The film shows the infectious spread of an virulent alien organism in real time throughout a rural California valley.
Q: What is it you find fascinating with this genre?
It encompasses the emotions and imagination from our childhood before we get jaded and cynical.
Q: How was it winning the prizes at the Semana film festival in Spain?
Surprising. Shocking. It was the first festival I've ever attended so everything was new and overwhelming, particularly the enthusiam and love for cinema.
Q: One camera, one take... What's the challenges and how do you go about making a movie like that?
The challenge was really to get the cast and crew to "see" what were trying to accomplish. They had to understand the shot in order to do their part well, and it took every person on the film to make it work. Other than that, one was faced we the normal challanges...missed marks, technical glitches, mountain lions, poison oak and waiting for hours in the cold night.
We went about the film with careful planning (six months), a very experienced and talented cast who trusts the director's vision and a crew committed utterly to getting the vision on film (or hard drive in this case! My how the world is changing). Rob Ladesich (producer), Norbert Weisser (producer), Scott Paulin (second unit director), Tony Riparetti (sound design) and Jim Hagopian (DP) spents many hours doing tests and rehearsing so all the problems could be worked out in advance so the shoot would go smoothly.
Q: You say this is the best film you've done. What do you think sets it apart from the rest?
Well, it represents my pure unaltered vision (a first after 40 films). Its the only film I've done that is on screen exactly the way I dreamed it.
Q: We've also heard that you have plans for an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's "Cool Air". Anything you can share with us about that project?
CREEPY...EERIE...we're editing now and every time we look at the footage we get chills and nightmares. It's a very disturbing film wonderfully written by Cynthia Curnan. All the performances are chillingly great...Wendy Phillips...Morgan Weisser...Crystal Green. They will cause everyone many nightmares and anguish. My producers, Rob Ladesich and Norbert Weisser really created the perfect situation for me to vent my darkest impulses and pushed me to do so. Again, Tony Riparetti and Jim Hagopian are my collaborators in Cool Air's highly original picture and sound/music.
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