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Tom Millan talks about The Other Face (Horror)
Posted by:I'll never forget the constant requests I recieved about a short film I had submitted to Shaw Cable 10 in 1995. A show that would focus around videographers was to be titled Home Video Showcase. There was an original film I had shot before "Blue Window" that was called "Cherry After Dark". The plot revolved around a woman (played by Kirrily White) who was a loving wife by day - adultress by night. When she was younger, she went out with a dominating boyfriend which was John Stanton- better known as Redjek- a name with no fixed definition but to instill confusion, complexity, fear and shock. But the film was put on the back burner at the last second. I shot "Blue Window" which took two days to film. It was aired in August of 1995 as a final segment to four other segments from other prospective videographers.
After the show, nobody phoned the studio comment line to give statements about those other segments HOWEVER a flurry of phone calls came in about "Blue Window". The film was dark, manipulative and depressing (as a majority of callers stated). A whole bunch of my friends and their friends and room mates and so-on, watched the movie that night. It caused such a stir- some cheered, some even wept (???). But acouple of people, suffering from depression, got so upset from the film that they had to go to the hospital- to the mental health ward. The next day, I went to the studio to propose a series about John Stanton entitled "The Killer Of 2 Brothers"- based on a short story I had written. The program director at the studio commented on my work as artistic but not for a community channel. So he had no choice but
to ask me to move on. I talked with the producer of the show about the situation and he told me that the viewers want to see fun home videos with mediocre acting and bloopers so they could be able to stay "detatched" from their T.V. screens. He concluded by saying that the video show's goal was to imply that "anyone" can point a camera and shoot. Well, I DID NOT agree with that philosophy. My films aren't simple- I'm not a simple man. I like making films that stick in the mind- films that make people talk about it- films that have to be watched more than once with complete silence in the room. You gotta have talent. If you don't, you might just end up spoiling a good script like Brett Ratner did with "RED DRAGON"- a more seasoned director like Sam Raimi should have directed it.
Hannibal Lector and Tom Ripley made it happen: Many years later, I saw the films "Hannibal" and "Ripley's Game" and John Stanton was ressurected from the film grave yard. The Other Face began to implode my mind- I had trouble keeping up with the racing thoughts of ideas- the mind thinks faster than the pen. Paintings, landmarks, stills, scenery shots, Stanley Kubrick slow pans, and so- on became a dominant part of the film not to mention the Kubrick styled music from "The Shining". Symbolism and mind altering imagery are some of the key elements of this film. The film is within a film within a story book within a painting. There are no rules. Viserality and complexity make even the most mild of gore scenes seem too much to stomache. One scene has John peel a face off of an occupant a disguised himself as.
Stephen Stanton, John's twin, is in the mental hospital giving HIS side of the story to doctors and nurses and patients. He soon breaks out and goes on a killing spree- only he knows why- his main goal is to hunt for his brother as saving the best for the last.
Quite afew 'full fledged' movie makers rejected the film. "If we can't understand it, we don't want it." said one director. His producer agreed.
Some low key and local key film festivals rejected the film claiming that they are against violence and plan on protesting films like mine. Filming societies of Alberta were "pro nature" and "pro settler" types- basically, they were "pro feel good". But I wasn't worried because if the film was satisfactory in MY mind, that was the primary function. Among other videographers, that was a secondary function. Quite afew writers and painters liked the film's complexity and multi dimensional mirrors of analogies that cascaded throughout the film. Like John said in "Blue Window"-"Who runs the show now?...."
Tom Millan
Videographer
After the show, nobody phoned the studio comment line to give statements about those other segments HOWEVER a flurry of phone calls came in about "Blue Window". The film was dark, manipulative and depressing (as a majority of callers stated). A whole bunch of my friends and their friends and room mates and so-on, watched the movie that night. It caused such a stir- some cheered, some even wept (???). But acouple of people, suffering from depression, got so upset from the film that they had to go to the hospital- to the mental health ward. The next day, I went to the studio to propose a series about John Stanton entitled "The Killer Of 2 Brothers"- based on a short story I had written. The program director at the studio commented on my work as artistic but not for a community channel. So he had no choice but
to ask me to move on. I talked with the producer of the show about the situation and he told me that the viewers want to see fun home videos with mediocre acting and bloopers so they could be able to stay "detatched" from their T.V. screens. He concluded by saying that the video show's goal was to imply that "anyone" can point a camera and shoot. Well, I DID NOT agree with that philosophy. My films aren't simple- I'm not a simple man. I like making films that stick in the mind- films that make people talk about it- films that have to be watched more than once with complete silence in the room. You gotta have talent. If you don't, you might just end up spoiling a good script like Brett Ratner did with "RED DRAGON"- a more seasoned director like Sam Raimi should have directed it.
Hannibal Lector and Tom Ripley made it happen: Many years later, I saw the films "Hannibal" and "Ripley's Game" and John Stanton was ressurected from the film grave yard. The Other Face began to implode my mind- I had trouble keeping up with the racing thoughts of ideas- the mind thinks faster than the pen. Paintings, landmarks, stills, scenery shots, Stanley Kubrick slow pans, and so- on became a dominant part of the film not to mention the Kubrick styled music from "The Shining". Symbolism and mind altering imagery are some of the key elements of this film. The film is within a film within a story book within a painting. There are no rules. Viserality and complexity make even the most mild of gore scenes seem too much to stomache. One scene has John peel a face off of an occupant a disguised himself as.
Stephen Stanton, John's twin, is in the mental hospital giving HIS side of the story to doctors and nurses and patients. He soon breaks out and goes on a killing spree- only he knows why- his main goal is to hunt for his brother as saving the best for the last.
Quite afew 'full fledged' movie makers rejected the film. "If we can't understand it, we don't want it." said one director. His producer agreed.
Some low key and local key film festivals rejected the film claiming that they are against violence and plan on protesting films like mine. Filming societies of Alberta were "pro nature" and "pro settler" types- basically, they were "pro feel good". But I wasn't worried because if the film was satisfactory in MY mind, that was the primary function. Among other videographers, that was a secondary function. Quite afew writers and painters liked the film's complexity and multi dimensional mirrors of analogies that cascaded throughout the film. Like John said in "Blue Window"-"Who runs the show now?...."
Tom Millan
Videographer
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