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I talian director Dario Piana describes The Deaths Of Ian as “a supernatural thriller”, while
American producer Brian J Gilbert calls it, unequivocally, a “horror film”. What, however, gives the title – shot in London
and the Isle of Man - its undeniable, and very special, cachet is the fact it comes from the prolific LA-based Stan Winston Studio, presided over by the 60-year-old special effects and make- up wizard behind films like the Terminator and Jurassic Park series as well as the more gruesome excesses of Aliens and Predator.
Piana is an award-winning com- mercials director with a background in sfx and illustrating whose debut – and till now only - feature was 20 years ago (“I was very young then and I think it was a mistake – I prefer to think of The Deaths Of Ian” as my first feature”). He notes: “It’s difficult to define our film. Obviously it’s horror because we have creatures in it, but the mood is more sophisticated than a classic ‘slasher’ movie.”
So, consider these unusual ingre- dients. All-American kid Ian Stone (Mike Vogel) has a great life and a lov- ing girlfriend Jenny (Christina Cole). Late one night, while driving home, Ian comes across a bewildering dis- covery, what looks like a dead body near the railway tracks. Investigating, Ian’s attacked by the ‘corpse’, forced on to the tracks and run over by an oncoming train.
Waking up in an office cubicle, Ian discovers he’s still alive and living with a beautiful if mysterious new woman (Jaime Murray). Jenny’s still around but not now his girlfriend, just a co-worker and merely one of a num- ber of apparently familiar faces.
Ian soon discovers he’s being hunted, and to makes matters even worse, every day at the same time, the clocks stop and someone or some- thing comes for him and kills him. The only problem is that Ian won’t stay
dead but he remains in constant fear that, unless he can finally make sense of what’s going on, the next attack may just spell his last.
Based on an original screenplay by Brendan Hood (They), The Deaths Of Ian co-stars Michael Feast, Andrew Buchan and Michael Dixon.
Originally set in the US, the £10 million production, which filmed for 41 days, was mildly reworked for the UK when, says Gilbert, it was clear “what kind of incentives the British Government offers. Then the Isle of Man Commission also came on board as an equity partner and was also extremely supportive.
“London made a great backdrop for the film. It’s all meant to be London, even the bits we shot on the Isle of Man, including a big portion that takes place in what’s meant to be a rather eerie and disturbing hospital. It was my first time shooting in the UK and it was probably – and I hope this doesn’t sound patronising – the best professional experience of my career.”
Piana was equally enthusiastic: “Filming in the UK was great. My wife’s English and so is my commercials’ agent so it’s like England is my second home. I worked with a great crew and the atmosphere of London really suit- ed the mood of the film – better than a sunny place like Los Angeles!
“The lead actor’s American but all the other cast members were from here and they’re all very good. That makes me particularly happy because this is definitely a character-driven movie, where the creatures and spe- cial effects are blended in.
“Yes, the actors did a great job, especially Mike Vogel when you think of the action, all that make-up and having to die five times. It was, physi- cally, very hard for him. I am sure the actors’ performances will give the film more credibility.”
Of course, with the name of ‘Stan Winston’ on the credits, that was yet another strike for credibility especially
when it came to fashioning the final ‘look’ of the film.
Says Gilbert: “A lot of what we did on the film was actually in-camera. At the studio, we have a division called SW Digital. The practical and the digi- tal share a design team so everyone’s working together. Our creature charac- ters in this film were, literally, guys-in- suits so if you looked at the raw footage, it may appear a little strange. The notion is that we’ve also got a dig- ital component so when the practical and digital finally come together, you’ll get an end result the like of which many people won’t have seen before.
“Are we blazing a trail? I don’t know about that. It’s just putting something to use that comes together because we happen to have two teams under one roof so the level of co-oper- ation is greater than usual. The ‘post’ isn’t as complicated as you might think. It’s a combination of art and technology. The tech’ employed is pretty standard; it’s the artistry and care we lavish that’s so special.
“As for Stan himself, he’s very involved. We have teams of people here but he oversees the whole thing with regard to the physical and digital work.”
Gilbert was very impressed by the Fujifilm stock – the Eterna 500T and 250D - which Italian DP Stefano Morcaldo used on the film. “It has that ability to shoot in low light and worked definitely for the moodiness of our film.”
Together with fellow producers, Odyssey Entertainment, who struc- tured the finance – “a very healthy budget for an independent film,” says Gilbert – the Winston studio expects a release sometime in 2007. “The timing is important,” adds Gilbert. “Horror films usually do well either in the spring or the fall.” ■ QUENTIN FALK
The Deaths Of Ian was originated on 35mm Eterna 500T 8573 and Eterna 250D 8563
in production
MAKING A KILLING
So many ways to scare the living daylights out of us. The award-winning Stan Winston Studio takes on The Deaths Of Ian.
6 • Exposure • The Magazine • Fujifilm Motion Picture