Past Filmmakers

Phil de Courcel
Broken Sword 13:42

1. How did you come up with the idea for the film?

I wanted to make something special. We had the privilege to shoot on film, and the convenience to end on video which offered many possibilities in terms of post. I have always been fascinated with Japanese history, their culture and myths, and when Chris Ferris found some really amazing facts and mixed them with an old legend, we quickly came out with a first draft. It took us however several weeks to polish the script, and get the structure right for the flow of the story, we only had 15 minutes, yet we had enough content for a trilogy! Coming up with the material was lots of fun, but it was truly challenging to make it all happen in such a short period of time.

2. How long did the production process take?

We had one week to shoot the film, but because of several snow days, we ended up shooting over a longer period of time.

3. What challenges did you experience in the creation of the film?

There were many. The most obvious perhaps was trying to reproduce Japan in the middle of Winston-Salem. One of the key scenes takes place at the very top of a mountain during a lightning storm, it took several months of hard construction work, and intense special effects to create the illusion. 

4. What is your favorite memory from creating the film?

We had a heavy schedule for each of our days of principal photography. After the first day was over, and we had gotten all we needed plus some more, it was like a victory. It gave us all faith that we could both complete the film within the limited time, and reach the level of entertainment we expected from the script.

5. When someone has finished watching the film, what do you hope they take away from the experience?

Lots of fun and thrills. I tried to keep things interesting with both form and content, so hopefully people will truly be able to escape from their seats for 15 minutes and be a part of the whole experience.

6. What type of reaction has your film received from viewers?

I knew we had something special when screened it for the very first time, but the reaction the film received made it so much more. People were truly cheering when the main title came up, to the point that one couldn't even hear the sound anymore. I guess it was a bit of premiere for the NCSA audience, since this isn't exactly the kind of film they are used to.

7. What advice would you give to aspiring young filmmakers?

Every time a movie is made its a bit of a miracle. There is so much hard work, time and above all passion necessary for a film to be accomplished, that my advice would be to simply aim for the best; its only worth it if you do.

8. Please tell us about the next film you plan to work on.

16 BLOCKS directed by Richard Donner with Bruce Willis and Mos Def.

9. What are your thoughts in the film industry in NC?

I think NC has a lot more resources than one would expect. The talent is there, and the state has plenty to offer in terms of locations, and great opportunities, now its up to the filmmakers to seize them.