Other Worlds Austin 2018 - Encounter
A group of friends uncover an otherworldly object in a rural field, which they soon discover holds greater secrets than they could imagine.
Interview with Writer/Director Paul J. Salamoff
Watch Encounter on Vudu, Prime Video and iTunes
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I’ve always been obsessed with movies and have been working in the film/TV industry for over 28 years, wearing a lot of different hats as a Make-UP FX Artist, Writer, Producer, Executive and even a Storyboard Artist. I decided a few years ago that I was ready to try my hand at directing a feature (I had directed a few shorts). I knew if I was going to be given the chance that I would try to make something special. Not a piece of product, but a film I could be proud of that would make people think and hopefully haunt them long after they saw it.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I think the reason to watch any film is to take a journey. If the movie is done right, it also includes an emotional journey along with the plot machinations. You care about the characters up on the screen and you want to go on this journey with them even if it’s messy and emotionally taxing. ENCOUNTER endeavors to take the viewer on such a journey (of course, time will tell how well I succeeded at that). It’s about the characters dealing with an otherworldly “thing” that comes into their lives, but at its core it’s about universal themes that we all can relate to.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
ENCOUNTER is a Sci-Fi/Drama that is more concerned with the characters than the Special FX. So it’s primarily theme driven and explores the concepts of loss, grief, fear of the unknown and ultimately hope. Every character expresses loss in some ways. In one character, it’s the loss of loved ones, while another character is just “lost” and directionless and yet another is having a crisis of faith.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Originally ENCOUNTER was to be made with a very small budget, but as the film started to come together I was able to expand it and introduce the outside world more making it far less claustrophobic than it was originally intended to be. This continued into our additional photography. Because we came in on schedule and under budget, I was given the opportunity to shoot 3 more days of material to flesh out the film a little bit more and that included an action scene at the beginning and a scene at an airport, amongst some other scenes to help craft a little more tension for the main characters.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has exceeded my expectations. I’ll be the first to admit that ENCOUNTER is an unusual movie. It starts off with a number of genre tropes and clichés that make it seem run of the mill at first but where it goes is into new directions and some of these can be challenging for some audiences. But at the end of the day, I made exactly the movie I wanted to make without compromising anything. This is the story I wanted to tell in the way I wanted to tell it. So if people don’t like it, that’s on me. But I can live with that.
Fortunately, the audiences I’ve seen it with get what I’m trying to do and have been excited by it and touched by the emotional intensity of the film.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It’s more that I’m pleased when people understand what I was trying to accomplish with the film. There have been some that don’t like it or it doesn’t work for them but that is expected when trying to take risks and do something off the beaten path. I feel confident that I at least did my best and there is nothing that I regret in the film. That’s all I can ask of myself. And so far there has been far more praise than criticism.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I’m hoping that it will help get the word out about ENCOUNTER and entice your readers to seek it out. We are already talking to distributors, so it will be hopefully available soon and thanks to the glowing reception of its World Premiere at the 2018 OTHER WORLDS AUSTIN Film Festival, two other film festivals have requested to screen ENCOUNTER.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Distributors and film festival directors would be great, as we haven’t closed a distribution deal yet. I would really love some Journalists to review it! We’re now listed on Rotten Tomatoes, so anything that can help build buzz would be helpful.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
ENCOUNTER was never designed to be a BIG movie. It was designed to have a limited theatrical release, supported by a wide digital release. What I ultimately want if for people to see it and recognize that I was trying to do something different. That I was trying to make a movie that would stick with them and they’d want to discuss with other viewers. Obviously, I hope people (especially reviewers) recognize that. This was done on a smaller budget, so there’s no way to compete with the studio level films on a technical level, but we did the best we could with what we had and tried to make something worth an hour and a half of viewing time.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Ultimately: what does the ending mean for the characters, and what could happen next? There was never a plan to continue the story. It’s meant to be a one and done. I always imagined it like a feature-length OUTER LIMITS or TWILIGHT ZONE episode. That said, there is more story to tell and there are some fascinating and challenging questions that the ending brings up. Plus new themes to explore especially about what defines a family.
I guess if ENCOUNTER really resonates, there is a chance I might want to continue with the story. But if I did, it would expand it and go off in even more atypical directions. This was always about subverting expectations of the audience and that would definitely continue in a sequel.
Would you like to add anything else?
I hope that if you watch ENCOUNTER that you have an open mind and give it a chance. It’s the science-fiction of ideas and is influenced by movies like SOLARIS, STALKER, ARRIVAL and ANOTHER EARTH. It’s meant to be an intimate story and if I’ve done my job right, it’ll emotionally resonate with you. It might even make you cry.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I just completed a script for a big budget JUMANJI-esque film that I just started pitching to the studios. I’m also discussing a few other smaller screenplays to develop with some production companies as well. On top of that, the 4th Edition of my book ON THE SET: The Hidden Rules of Movie Making Etiquette just came out, so I’m promoting that. I expanded it by over 50 pages and it includes over 20 new interviews (there are over 90 in the book!) with Industry insiders. I’m very proud of the book as it’s used in film schools around the world and not only has it helped a lot of people understand how film sets work, but also how to navigate the industry.
Interview: December 2018
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ENCOUNTER
A group of friends uncover an otherworldly object in a rural field, which they soon discover holds greater secrets than they could imagine.
Length: 1:32:00
Director: Paul J. Salamoff
Writer: Paul J. Salamoff
About the writer, director and producer:
PAUL J. SALAMOFF has been working for over 29 years in Film, TV, Video Games and Commercials as a Writer, Producer, Director, Executive, Comic Creator, Storyboard Artist and Make-Up FX Artist.
Key cast: Luke Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Tom Atkins, Cheryl Texiera, Glenn Keogh, Vincent Ward and Christopher Showerman
Official website: www.alien-encounter-movie.com