Interview with Filmmaker Dan Robinette (DRAWN TO FEAR)

Dan Robinette’s short film DRAWN TO FEAR was voted “Scariest Film” at the August 2016 Horror FEEDBACK Film Festival. Quite the achievement when you look at all of the other excellent and scary films that were also showcased. It was an honor to interview Mr. Robinette and chat about his film and what’s next!

Matthew Tofolo What motivated you to make this film?

Dan Robinette: I was a child of 80’s horror / sci-fi / fantasy movies. I’m sure I was watching them at an insanely inappropriate age but loved films like Halloween, Friday the 13th, Alien, etc. When I jumped into directing short films a couple of years ago, I knew I wanted to tell a horror story – part of me was itching to create my own vision inspired by an array of clichés and stereotypes. Our group, 4 Leagues Media, brainstormed on concepts / ideas for months before this one clicked.

MT: From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

DR: Probably about 6 months.

MT: How would you describe your short film in two words!?

DR: Eerie and dark

MT: What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

DR: There are a few, but I would point out the difficulty of packing in content into a short amount of time. It’s important to understand the book’s progression in the film and there is so much more to the story than the short medium can convey sometimes.

MT: What were your initial reactions when watching the Toronto audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

DR: Happy and excited – it’s always the best to see and hear reactions from people separate or unassociated with our film.

MT: How did you come up with the idea for this short film?

DR: This was tough – we wanted an artifact to be involved (something other than a person that carried an air of mystery / unknown), and we wanted the base to be a classic horror tale. We bounced around an array of concepts and clamped down on this one when we decided how the book would work.

MT: What film have you seen the most in your life?

DR: The Goonies

MT: What is next for you? A new film?

DR: We’re working on developing Drawn to Fear into a feature length screenplay and wrapping up on post-production for our latest short film (drama / thriller) The Time Will Come.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of DRAWN TO FEAR:

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Fesival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.