1. "The Baby in the Basket" has just been released in the UK and US. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the film and what drew you to this particular story?
It started with a very rough idea that my mate Nathan Shepka (the co-director and co-producer on the film) had that was essentially a baby gets left on the door step of a Church and then it quickly goes into The Omen territory. I’m a big fan of gothic horror so what started as spitballing an idea turned into forming it into a treatment and then a script. We’re both quite keen on 20th century cinema, and so gothic horrors of the 40s to the 70s became a huge source of inspiration. We were also drawn to Powell and Pressburger films, particularly something like Black Narcissus. We wanted to dip a toe into that old style melodrama, but in a more 21st century, appropriate style. I was also a little inspired by films showing a descent into madness, which you also get in The Red Shoes (and Zulawski’s, Possession). The biggest thing was that as producers, myself and Nathan wanted to make something our way, not just making it for a studio who would have wanted a straight up Nunjuring.
2. Amber Doig Thorne stars in the film. What was it like working with her, and what do you think she brought to the role?
The UK indie film industry is very small. If you’ve not worked with someone you’ve had a mutual connection or you know of them. Amber I’d been aware of for a few years and she’d actually applied for the previous film I wrote and helped cast, for Nathan called When Darkness Falls. That one starred Michaela Longden and Elle O’Hara who were brilliant, so we wrote with them both in mind on The Baby in the Basket. But I was quite keen to cast Amber, as she made a good impression during the casting process of When Darkness Falls. We’ve also both worked with a lot of the same producers too and she’d starred in another film I wrote for hire, called Vikings: Blood of Heirs (the less said about that the better). She’s prolific in horror too, but I was really intent on giving her a challenging character to rise to and she knocked it out of the park.
3. The film has a dark and atmospheric tone. How did you approach crafting that mood, both in the script and during production?
As I say, I love gothic horrors and I love Asian and European cinema, particularly the Nordics with dark foreboding atmospheres and complex psychological character studies are all the rage there. From my point of view, I was intent on giving every character an arc. We then also came up with the idea to associate different deadly sins to each character and the film has several themes layered in there. You’ve got losing faith versus finding faith, and there’s a little social commentary hidden in the subtext too that some might pick up on.
Then from the production perspective, Nathan and his co-director and the cinematographer, Andy Crane, set about creating the visual style of the film. So dark, shadowy, gothic, moody and we wanted to have some slightly longer takes and tried to incorporate some old fashioned shot blocking too, which seems like a dying art these days.
4. You’ve written and produced a variety of films, from horror to action thrillers. How do you decide which projects to pursue, and do you have a favourite genre to write for?
When I first started out it wasn’t so much a decision on which to pursue, because I just accepted everything! A consequence of that was getting insanely busy on everything from tiny budgets up to low 7 figure budget movies. I’m a huge fan of cinema of all types. I’ve tended to do very commercial and simple scripts, just because as a writer for hire that’s what most studios want from me. A basic horror, or a formula driven action movie. However, when I produce my own I then tend to do a bit more of what I want and when it comes to horror for example, I prefer something cerebral. I still have to reign myself in a bit and bow to the market because at the end of the day we want to sell what we’ve made. As for a favourite genre, I actually love writing comedy but it’s the one genre that there just seems to be very little demand for. I can infiltrate my action scripts and even some horrors with pinches of comedy though, and I did that recently with Cinderella’s Revenge which was a fun blend of fairy tale horror with tongue firmly in cheek. I have become a little more selective in the past couple of years though and turn things down occasionally. In fact I turned down Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey. Had I not, I’d be a Razzie winning screenwriter now. If I’m being honest, the novelty value of writing films and seeing them released has worn off, so increasingly, some gig jobs are just about the paycheck. But when it’s something that gets the creative juices flowing, it’s still a pleasure.
5. "Renegades" featured legendary actors like Lee Majors and Danny Trejo. How did that project come about, and what was it like writing for such iconic figures?
Shogun Films were launching around five years ago (although it only feels like five weeks). Among a slate of action projects, Renegades was on the table and I was fortunate enough to get the gig. I grew up in the same era as Jonathan Sothcott, watching the same kinds of films and we’re both Cannon Films/Orion Pictures aficionados. I learned a lot working with him and also the late great, Daniel Zirilli who sadly passed away last year. At the same time we were also working on a Steven Seagal project that never came to fruition as for a number of reasons he’s torpedoed his value. Still, the cast on Renegades was nuts, and I was a fan of literally all the marquee names, from Lee Majors (I loved the Fall Guy), Louis Mandylor (I used to watch Martial Law), Nick Moran, Michael Pare, Danny Trejo (who doesn’t love Danny T?), Patsy Kensit and the late great Tiny Lister. Writing parts specifically for these icons was a joy. I think considering the film was challenged by the lingering restrictions (and those added expenses that offer nothing on screen) from Covid, it turned out well.
6. You’ve been incredibly prolific over the last few years, even during the pandemic. What drives you creatively, and how do you maintain that momentum?
When I started on my first feature back in 2018, it had been a long time coming. I’d been trying to break through for almost a decade with a few near misses. That first film (Scarecrows Revenge) wasn’t great by any stretch, but it was out on DVD on Amazon and suddenly I’d written a film someone could go and pick up in Walmart in the US. I’ve barely blinked since that moment and it’s been pretty much non-stop. I’ve not so much maintained the momentum as been swept away by the tide. That said, a lot of why I’m busy is through repeat work, forging relationships, networking and ensuring I’m easy to work with and hit deadlines. Because I do that, people keep coming back to ask me to write scripts.
7. As someone who started as a film journalist, how has that experience shaped your approach to screenwriting and storytelling?
I’ve always just loved film. Before I’d really contempleted the prospect of seriously writing screenplays, I was into writing film reviews and features. That began just doing user reviews on IMDB before getting a couple of articles up on Flickering Myth. Step forward 15 years and I still write regularly for the site (I’ve probably clocked over a thousand) and indeed, the editor in chief, Gary Collinson was a co-producer on The Baby in the Basket. I think the reviews, but possibly more so studying film theory at University, gave me an appreciation of storytelling techniques and crafting engaging characters. Like most jobbing writers however, my best and most original writing probably remains on my hardrive unproduced, because sometimes studios just want killer scarecrows or firenados. On the other side of it, filmmaking and the realities of just how Herculean an effort it takes to finish and release any film has made me a better and more constructive critic when I review something.
8. Are there any surprising challenges you faced while making "The Baby in the Basket," or moments on set that particularly stand out?
There have been times where we’ve felt like the film was cursed. From attempted sabotage by a rival filmmaker on our Kickstarter, to storms and floods losing shoot days and having to recast an actress because of the SAG strikes (despite us being a UK production, we still felt the blowback). There are all manner of infuriating things to deal with as filmmakers, beyond our control, including a shambolic (needlessly delayed) US release down to several factors, not least the platforms themselves like Amazon who care not a jot about whether indie filmmakers make money or not. Thankfully though, the cast were wonderful and the crew really worked themselves ragged to make it happen. As with every film, there are things that didn’t work, that you kind of have to accept and let go, but we also got some really good stuff in there.
9. Can you give us a sneak peek into what you’re working on next? Are there any upcoming projects you’re especially excited about?
Last year I wrote, produced and even scored a film called We Go Again. It was a little spur of the moment having had a rare space in my diary to shoot something. My brother directed, shot and cut the film, so we were able to cover a lot of bases between the two of us. Composing is actually something I’d love to do more of as music was a first love even before writing, but I don’t have the time, money or equipment setup to do it more expansively. The score for WGA was deliberately low key and simple, inspired by 80s synth scores. I gathered a great cast (casting is another thing I really enjoy), headed up by Zuza Tehanu (who I’d know about for a while and we’ve worked with plenty of mutuals), Charlotte Chiew (who I’d worked with before) and Annabelle Lanyon (from The Baby in the Basket and Ridley Scott’s, Legend). That’s being packaged up and has just signed with a distributor. I’m also developing a few more films with Nathan, and we’re in production already (along with Gary again) on Death Among The Pines, a Hitchcockian thriller. I have projects in the works with Mark L.Lester (Commando), a couple of Sci-fi projects I’m helping develop and an action horror with Michael Pare. I’m also right in the midst of a crazy fortnight having already handed off a family film, in the vein of Parent Trap as well as a horror twist on The Wizard of Oz. I’ve also got a horror spin on Red Riding Hood in the works, with Lisa Riesner (who is incredible in The Baby in the Basket).
10. What advice would you give to aspiring screenwriters or filmmakers who are trying to break into the industry today?
Temper your expectations first of all. The liklihood that you’ll be a jobber writing MCU films is almost impossible, unless you’re related to Kevin Feige. However, decide on where you want to focus, action, horror, whatever and write. Then write some more. Get peanuts for a first script to get your foot in the door and build a network. That first break is always the hardest, but from there on in, I found that I’ve never stopped. It is very, very tough. Opportunities are becoming fewer and even less lucrative and this business is powered by flash bastards with money to burn. The trouble is they want to save wherever possible and maximise profits, so AI will become prevelant and be abused and that will mean less jobs. So be ready. But...don’t give up. Even if you have to go out and make a film yourself. I made We Go Again for about 10k and it’s been picked up for distribution. Will I see a penny back? Who knows but it will be out in the ether. There’s no excuses not to be writing, if that’s your passion. I’ve written features on tight deadlines, even back when I was working full time in a 9-5 with a young child at home too. So find the time. Don’t rely on one script either. Have a few in the bank, which should increase your chances. If you’re feeling blocked though, like you’ve hit a wall, just remember (as the old saying goes) you can edit a bad page later. You can’t edit a blank page.
The Baby in the Basket is out now at
Amazon - https://amzn.to/4bt4lVJ
Apple TV - https://apple.co/3EYppHs
