Harbinger Down the all practical FX monster movie from Studio ADI and Dark Dunes Productions is out tomorrow in a limited theater release but also on VOD! Let’s talk to Director Alec Gillis of Studio ADI and Producer Camille Balsamo (who also stars as Sadie the grandaughter of Captain Graff (Lance Henriksen) about the making of the film and its release.
Harbinger Down is out in theaters and VOD on August 7th, what has been the most difficult part of bringing it from concept to distribution?
Alec Gillis: No aspect of film making is easy, but I’d say the most difficult parts of any process are the ones you’re least familiar with. ‘Deliverables’, all the material one needs to provide distributors (from BTS video to trailers to Beta copies of the film) have been a real slog to fulfill. Though difficult, most everything else is fun by comparison!
You had a sold out premiere, has the reception to the movie been what you had hoped it would be?
Alec Gillis: Premiere night was a dream come true. We had not only cast and crew, but kickstarter pledgers as well. It could not have been a better reception for a film!
Camille Balsamo: The Kickstarter backers and fans of practical effects that have seen the film have been really happy with it, and that makes us able to withstand the bad reviews. Okay, we’ve only had bad review, but it’s tough to see someone pull apart your labor of love! I think that the folks who have been craving a throwback monster movie will be satisfied. It was ambitious to align ourselves with ALIEN and THE THING right out of the gate, but so far we’ve been getting great feedback from the people who helped us make this film and/or the people who this film was made for!
This movie is all about the practical effects. What have been some of the challenges of sticking so strictly to that format?
Camille Balsamo: In my opinion, none! Alec and Tom and StudioADI are such pros at what they do that it seemed like a breeze; it was like a little PFX playground for all of the ADI artists who haven’t had the chance to sink their teeth into a project like this in a while. That was my perception, the director/PFX master might have something else to say!
Alec Gillis: I’m proud that the pledgers got behind our mission to promote ‘real’ create FX. We were diligent about keeping our promise to create only practical creatures. CGI was used only as a tool to support the PFX. I think the audience will see the difference!
Alec Gillis: I’m proud that the pledgers got behind our mission to promote ‘real’ create FX. We were diligent about keeping our promise to create only practical creatures. CGI was used only as a tool to support the PFX. I think the audience will see the difference!
What inspired the look of the creature?
