Through Twitter I learned about a new indie film project in South Africa called Shady Valley, so I interviewed the film’s writer/director, Tyron Janse Van Vuuren.
TG: What’s your project called, and what’s it about?
Tyron Janse Van Vuuren: Our project is called Shady Valley, and its about a geeky kid who discovers that his made-up karate moves can slay demons.
TG: What inspired you to undertake this project?
TJVV: I am inspired by the talented people around me. For me, a film project is a way to bring my creative friends together and let them shine.
TG: Tell me more about the main people involved.
TJVV: The Shady Valley team is made up entirely of friends and family. This really helps when you’re making a film with limited resources, because we’re motivated by more than just a paycheck!
TG: You’ve said you think you’ve got “a pretty irreverent take on a horror concept.” What do you mean by that?
TJVV: Traditionally, fighting the forces of darkness is something that should be taken seriously. Even Buffy had a “calling” to fight vampires. But our hero stumbles onto his ability to slay demons, then spends the whole film trying to get someone to see how cool his made-up karate moves are.
TG: How did you come up with the karate concept?
TJVV: The script started out as a very serious horror movie set in the afterlife, and I was struggling to get it to work. At the point of giving up, I tried adding karate. And suddenly the whole story came to life because it was so funny. Also my dad is a black belt, so karate was always a part of my childhood.
Tyron Janse Van Vuuren
TG: How are you moving forward with this project as you pursue the “indie” approach?
TJVV: As new filmmakers, we need to have a good example of what our movie will look like to get potential investors excited. We are raising finance for our three-minute pilot with crowd funding so that we can make it our way—after that, we will use the pilot to pitch the project to anyone who is interested.
TG: When do you expect to reach your financial goal for the pilot, and when will you begin production?
TJVV: Our campaign to raise finance for our three-minute pilot runs until July 7. We’re planning to shoot the pilot at the end of September.
TG: How will you move forward after that?
TJVV: Once we have a kick-ass pilot video, we will shop it around and begin as soon as we have finance.
TG: Will Shady Valley be released to theaters or straight to DVD, or both? Worldwide, or South Africa only?
TJVV: The film will have a worldwide theatrical release. Watch for our announcements!
TG: What can my blog readers do to help?
TJVV: Join our team! There are super-cool perks for getting involved!
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