Interview: Director and Writer Frazer Lee
Frazer Lee Interview
Conducted by Keri O’Shea – December 2010
UK horror director and writer Frazer Lee started big, bold and nasty with his film career: On Edge (1999) cast Doug ‘Pinhead’ Bradley as a dental phobic’s worst nightmare – and Doug returned to work with Frazer in his next short, Red Lines, in 2002. Since then, in-between writing screenplays, working on horror fiction and working as a script doctor, the in-flight horror Panic Button – which Frazer co-wrote – has just wrapped, and Frazer is currently in the frame to direct supernatural schoolroom horror The Reformatory early next year.
Frazer took some time out to talk to Brutal as Hell about his projects and plans…
Brutal as Hell: You’re hopefully off to LA in the New Year… so, tell us about your latest project…
Frazer: I’m deeply superstitious these days about talking up projects that haven’t happened yet. For every project that sees fruition, dozens of others gather dust on shelves. So I’ll be cautious and just say The Reformatory is a supernatural horror feature that I very much hope to shoot in the not-too-distant, if the movie gods decree. It sings to my obsessions and as such is set in an institution that takes the concept of transformation to a whole new level. The movie is designed for a modest budget so I hope we (the producers and I) can pull it off. I’m excited by the possibilities. There are a few other projects out there with me as writer or director or both; hopefully one or more of those will happen too. If so, the next couple of years will be a really exciting, creative time! And if not, onto the next thing…
BAH: The Reformatory is a very participatory project: fans have been asked to suggest actors they’d like to see cast, as well as being asked to help raise funds to get the movie made. How is this going, and how do you find this way of working?
Frazer: I find the process fascinating and, as a bit of net nerd myself, get quite excited by the feedback and interactivity offered by social networking and crowd funding sites. The web offers instant market research into what’s hot or not for the audience at large. On the fund-raising side it is rare to see films get fully funded this way, of course, but if a producer thinks crowd sourcing is worth a try, then I say, “why not go for it?” I suppose it’s no different than going cap-in-hand to local businesses, as many indie producers do; in fact, it seems more intuitive to go cap-in-hand to the actual (potential) audience for your movie. Providing incentive enough for people to part with their cash seems the hardest part, so I applaud anyone who manages to make a success out of it. I’m always happy to help out in any way I can, but I’m not a producer, so my involvement is naturally more on the creative content side – casting and all that. As far as casting goes, I’ve been intrigued and amused in equal measure by some of the suggestions so far. It’s always good to keep an open mind when assembling the team, as a great cast is the bedrock to bring your story alive. The ultimate decision is never one to be made lightly, though.
BAH: Recently, the short film Simone — based on one of your screenplays — has scooped a few awards, including one at Shockerfest. How has the film been received generally and were you pleased with how your screenplay was interpreted?
Frazer: The film has gone down a storm at a lot of festivals, mainly in the USA. I was at the UK premiere at Dark Mills Festival in London and the Goth throngs seemed to lap it up there too. I have a lot of admiration and respect for Joops (Fragale, director) and Mike (Long, producer) of 386 Films who saw the project through to completion with the limited time, budget and resources that they had to beg and borrow from friends and allies. True indie filmmaking!
My original script, Hair of the Dog, was for a film around 8 minutes long, and Simone is nearer 17 minutes, so the film is very much an adapted work. My version was more black comedy as it focused on the hangover as “monster” – playing on that “morning after the night before” when bits and pieces of what you got up to come back to haunt you while you dry-heave into the bathroom sink. We’ve all been there… The filmmakers opted to explore the tortured psyche of the girl in question, and extended the running time accordingly. I was pleasantly surprised by the gloomy atmosphere of the finished piece and the excellent and committed performances from the actors. Simone is a different animal from what was on the page, but one that definitely has teeth! I found the process of releasing the screenplay — and moving onto the next thing while a crew on the other side of the globe had all the fun on set — strangely liberating.
BAH: As well as writing screenplays, you also write horror fiction. How different is the process? Do you prefer doing one to the other?
Frazer: It really depends on the mood I’m in at the time, and the material. Sometimes I’ll start writing a story outline for the screen and it becomes quickly apparent the thing will only ever work as a short story or novel or whatever. This way it’s rare for a good idea to go unused, which I like. The not-so-good ideas… well there’s no point coming back to them but they are filed away anyway, just in case there’s a seed of something else in them for future use during a dry spell. Overall I guess I enjoy writing screenplays because on a practical level I get paid to write them, and I have bills to pay. On another level, that of pure working practice, I’m quite impatient too and can turn around screenplay drafts faster than fiction drafts. Writing fiction does offer a level of immersion quite unlike anything I’ve ever experienced though; if for that reason alone, I’ll always return to it between screen projects.
BAH: Your earliest short films, On Edge, and Red Lines, are freely available on YouTube; why did you decide on this approach – did you consider keeping the films back solely for paying audiences?
Frazer: Both films sold well to TV and the internet – a matter of some pride for me, as it is rare for short films to make any money at all. They are primarily calling cards to show what you can do. I’m a commercial filmmaker, so I’ve always wanted as many people as possible to see the films and comment on them. Making the films available on YouTube, Openfilm, etc. does just that. In fact, one of my all-time favourite Red Lines reviews is on YouTube: “That was gay.” Thanks. And the quality of such online streams never matches a nice shiny disc of course, so hopefully people who are inspired enough to own a copy will order one from my website (hint, hint). I know Doug has been asked to sign copies at conventions, and this makes me happy.
BAH: You’ve worked with Doug Bradley on a couple of occasions; how did you find working with Doug? Do you see yourself working with him in future?
Frazer: Working with Doug was an absolute pleasure. I’m truly grateful for his amazing contribution to the short films. He never gives less than 110% on set, always turns up super-prepared and full of great suggestions. It’s just a shame we have to pay for his fluffer, his limo and luxury trailer, and all that bloody caviar! It really eats into the budget… I kid of course! To me, Doug is the Peter Cushing of his generation. I’d work with him again in an instant. We’ve talked about a variety of projects over the years, but all of them needed a bit of other people’s money to get started, and you know how that story often goes… shame. Never say never, though.
BAH: At University, your thesis was based on body horror in cinema, and a lot of your fiction uses the same themes. Where does that interest come from, and would you like to use it more in your movie work?
Frazer: I’ve been fascinated by medicine, surgery, dentistry, since I was a kid. I’m not sure where that obsession comes from, but I’m glad I never grew out of it because I think we all need such obsessions to fuel our creativity. Marry that to the gothic horrors I devoured as a kid — on telly, radio and in books — and that’s where it all comes together for me. The body-machine that we’re all trapped in, rebelling against itself, the monster within all of us — not only spiritually or psychologically but physically — I get a bit excited by all that. If I get to do more movie work, I think it’s inevitable some of it will creep into the picture; I don’t think I can help it. “Better out than in.” (Laughs)
BAH: In terms of horror: what scares you? What sorts of films have influenced you?
Frazer: Other human beings scare me; they’re the worst monsters of all. I scare me, when I fall asleep and relinquish “control” over my mental faculties – and then wake up silently screaming from some brain-shredding nightmare. The arseholes in government scare me because I’ve heard all their lies before and seen the consequences play out over and over like some tedious soap opera… Sorry, wrong meeting! Films that have influenced me – now that’s a more jolly subject. I think those films that evoke an atmosphere, and conjure an entire world, have influenced me the most and continue to do so. I’m not so much a fan of the typically British “kitchen sink” dramas, although I will watch them for the acting if not the lighting or direction. I’ve lived in enough rough areas to have had my fill of “reality” I guess. Most of the time (but not all of the time) I want films to give me a sense of “otherness” – to take me to a different world for a couple of hours. That said, the bland escapism of rom-coms and other contrived “product” leaves me just as cold. Thank the gods for genre movies, eh?
BAH: Do you see yourself directing non-genre projects, or would you choose to stick to horror?
Frazer: I’ll consider myself lucky to be directing anything to be honest; it’s a tough old game, plenty of competition out there and I’m not getting any younger – oh my poor knees, oh my aching back. Would I step outside horror as a director? It would all depend on the story. I’m a sucker for a good yarn and you have to adore something with a passion to be working on it for a few months at a time, I think. I was circling what might be called a “family movie” once, like a carrion bird from above. I was in love with the script and the possibilities it would offer on screen. Never happened of course and now I think of it, the screenplay did involve lots of dark tunnels, children in peril, a bit of disease and plenty of rats!
Many thanks to Frazer Lee
www.frazerlee.com
http://www.thereformatorymovie.com
