Kit Ryan Exclusive Interview, Botched

MoviesOnline recently had the pleasure of chatting with Kit Ryan, director of the upcoming Horror-Comedy, Botched. “Ritchie Donovan (Stephen Dorff) is a professional thief whose luck has just run out. As the only survivor from a heist that goes terribly wrong, he is forced to take the rap and is sent to Russia to steal a priceless antique. Things begin to go badly for Richie and his gang when they are forced to take hostages during the robbery.” 

MoviesOnline:  How did this project come to light?

Kit Ryan: I became involved back in 2003 when the script was sent to me by three writers from Glasgow.  The initial script was very dark and moody, but had moments of genius that really made it stand out, which is why I came on board with it.  Over the next six months I collaborated with the writers, gradually evolving the script into more light-hearted territory, adding the comedy aspect.  Around this time Steve Richards over at Silver Pictures became involved, helping with the financing aspect of the film.  After some work on that end, we got a tax deal in Ireland that enabled us to shoot the film there.

MoviesOnline:  How did you find the collaboration with all of the parties involved?

Kit Ryan:  The producers dealt with the money issues.  We had financing coming in from the United States, Germany and other places, which led to issues with money being lost in global conversion.  So ultimately issues arose there however, the collaboration itself was brilliant. 

MoviesOnline:  What were some challenges you encountered while making the movie?

Kit Ryan:  There were many challenges throughout seeing as this was a low budget indie film. Our main challenge was dealing with the schedule and having enough time to do everything within the vision.  An example of this being that I’d always wanted to use prosthetic effects rather than CGI, but the problem with prosthetics is that it’s imperative that they work on the day of the shoot.  If there are any problems, we would be left up the creek without a paddle, which we couldn’t afford.   However, Paul McGuinness did such an excellent job with the CGI effects that it didn’t matter in the end. 

MoviesOnline:  Who are some of your filmmaking influences?

Kit Ryan:  I’ve been a huge fan of horror since I can remember.  The first influence that comes to mind is Sam Raimi with his Evil Dead films.  I love his work and his unique style.  Another influence would be Peter Jackson with Braindead and Bad Taste.  I like to think that my film has its own unique style and can stand on its own.  I ensured that it had a very British feel and look with the grains and textures even though the characters are from Russia. 

MoviesOnline:  What is it about horror that you enjoy?  Is there a direction you would like to see the genre go in?

Kit Ryan:  It’s sheer entertainment.  As a viewer when watching it you find yourself either frightened or laughing or both.  It’s like an emotional roller coaster that you can’t experience in real life, which is the thrill of the genre.  As far as the direction of horror as a genre, I can’t say that I’m sure. 

MoviesOnline: Was there an effort to break any taboos or conventions with this film?

Kit Ryan:  No, I wouldn’t say that.  It’s a film that I would like to see many different audiences become engaged in.  In addition to the 16-25 male horror demographic, I think this film can appeal to a wider viewership; be it couples in their late 30’s or 40’s, or even younger viewers. 

MoviesOnline:  What was it like working with an international cast?

Kit Ryan:  Stephen Dorff didn’t initially connect with the script, so some discussions had to happen around that area.  However, once he understood the humour and style he really fell in love with and came on board.  I was familiar with Jamie Murray (Dexter) from a British soap she did, which is why I wanted her involved.  Also, Geoff Bell and Jamie Foreman were great actors whose work I liked and respected, not to mention Bronagh Gallagher who is just great and has an amazing laugh.

MoviesOnline:  You recently won the Best Feature award at the New York City Horror Film Festival.  What was that like?

Kit Ryan:  It was a bit of a surprise to win that award as I wasn’t entirely sure how American audiences would react to the film.  So I was understandably nervous, but thrilled that the film had been embraced by the New York audience, which shows some of the universal appeal of the film. 

MoviesOnline:  I’ve read that the characters in the film are often painted with shades of gray rather than good or bad.  Was this important for you to communicate?

Kit Ryan:  In creating the characters I put myself in a room with the writers where we dissect each character.  For example Boris, who is meant to be an ex-Navy Seal, and also a crook.  There’s a bizarre dualism in the characters that I wanted to play off of, while making them almost believable as people the audience would know and relate to.  The juxtaposition comes from Stephen Dorff who plays the straightforward American hero in the film.  He is surrounded with all this absurdity and chaos, which is where the humour stems from.  Stephen would ask occasionally when he would get to do something comedic, so I had to reassure him that his mere existence in these situations ignited the comedy.

MoviesOnline:  How did you balance the many genres on display throughout the film?

Kit Ryan:  What I did with the film was try to give the audience and false sense of security then defy that expectation.  Early in the film Stephen Dorff commits a robbery that runs smoothly, only to have his dog randomly get hit by a car during the getaway.  Things then continue to go wrong from there.  The comedic elements of the film start from the getgo and stem primarily from the defiance of expectation.
 
MoviesOnline:  Have you always loved film?

Kit Ryan:  Always.  I came from a big Irish family where everyone would either sing, dance, play an instrument, or tell a story.  I was never much good at anything aside from telling a story, so I went from there.  I studied film briefly at the University of Southern California, but more at the London International Film School.

MoviesOnline:  What’s next?

Kit Ryan:  Hopefully Botched 2, if all goes well.  If that doesn’t happen I have many scripts to continue with; I did a lot of work during the Writer’s Strike, as I’m not a part of that union.  Later this year I have another horror coming out that is much darker and less comedic than Botched.  I also have a huge passion for drama, which I would like to try my hand on at some point, but in the near future I’ll be continuing with horror.