Slamdance - DAVE MADE A MAZE
Dave builds a fort in his living room out of pure frustration, only to wind up trapped by the fantastical pitfalls, booby traps, and critters of his own creation. Ignoring his warnings, Dave's girlfriend Annie leads a band of oddball explorers on a rescue mission into an ever-changing supernatural world.
Interview with Director Bill Watterson
Watch Dave Made a Maze on Vudu and Prime Video
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thanks! There was a quote posted in our pre-production build space, that made it over to our shoot location, attributed to Dennis Hopper: "The only thing worse than making movies is not making movies." It was a near impossible task with our schedule, budget, and limitations, but once you've got the idea, you owe it to yourself and the story to follow through.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It's a world to escape into. When we wrote it, when we shot it, when I watched it, I wanted to be one of the gang, to go on the adventure with them, to discover the new world alongside these fellow goofballs. Hopefully you will too! And if you're a creator, of anything, it should feel very familiar; at its heart, it's about the creative process, and how daunting and fraught with dangers, real and perceived, that process can be.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The only way to have a universal theme feel genuine and connect with people is to get personal. I know what it's like to be Dave, to have a bunch of grand and glorious ideas that go nowhere. That's what we tapped into, and it turns out, a lot of people can relate--that sense of being haunted by a lot of incomplete projects. James Urbaniak (as Harry) at one point says "You don't have to fail if you never finish anything." That stings; it hurts to hear, it hurt to write, and as soon as we wrote it, we knew we had to finish the film, or we'd utterly betray ourselves.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
Immensely. Characters were combined, eliminated, genders were swapped, the violence was dialed up and back down and then revisited as the confetti and silly string version you'll see in the film. Actors brought things I never imagined to their roles, contributed excellent suggestions and tight improvisations. And in the edit, we experimented with multiple different rhythms and presentations, highlighted new moments that we discovered in the footage, and even wrote and shot an entirely new scene. I'll let you try to guess which one.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The version that people have seen is (appropriately enough) incomplete. So to have it get accepted at Slamdance, to have landed our top choice sales agent in Submarine, and to have sold out our world premiere, speaks volumes to the film's potential. We actually only finished it last week, marrying final mix and color, and it has evolved exponentially in these final weeks building up to the premiere, so no one has truly seen it yet. I had to watch it so many times during the final stages, over and over again, back to back, through the night without any sleep, that even I haven't gone back and watched it yet with clear eyes. But I will say this--when I pitched the script to the editor about four years ago, he said it was a film custom made for him and his sensibilities, and he assures me that we've delivered on that promise!
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I was very proud that a version of the film with so many holes--missing scenes, missing visual effects, temporary score, temporary sound design--got the response it did from Slamdance. Programmer Drea Clark's description of the film sounded very familiar; it was clear that, even in a raw state, it landed. I can't wait until folks who watched it during the work-in-progress stages get to see the real thing.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I didn't make a movie that would appeal to everyone. It has some themes that I think are universal, but it's a gonzo film, and that was intentional. Call it genre, fantasy, retro, geek, whatever term you want--but there are specific, overlapping fan bases to whom this film will really matter. I don't need everybody to see it and to like it, but it is important to me that those like-minded souls get a chance to know about it and find it; it's for them.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Our focus now is on distribution. We have a lot of festival offers, and plan to spread word of mouth in that way. And we have a world class sales agent in Submarine. It's about finding the audience I described briefly in the previous question--through distribution, word of mouth, press, websites like yours. Where my Goonies at???
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
A lot of the artists came to this project saying "you're making a movie about me!" If an audience can walk away with that kind of personal connection, then the movie has succeeded. What more could you ask for? Failing that, it's a lot of fun! I think we've got the 4 G's--Goonies, Gondry, Gilliam, and Ghostbusters. There aren't a lot of films living in that world, and there should be. As far as impact, I want to make another one. And another. I want to put my team back together and get them a respectable day rate and a reasonable schedule and let them play in the sandbox of practical effects, absurd humor and heart again, but under more realistic circumstances.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
There was a fair amount of talk regarding whether or not what's happening in the Maze is really happening, or is it all part of Dave's imagination...are people really dying? Can this be happening? Or will it all get explained away? I enjoyed exploring that with the actors, but the answer is ultimately irrelevant to me. How it makes you feel is what matters to me. And if it makes you feel like asking questions, and sparks some disagreement or discussion, I couldn't be happier. I'm not interested in spoon-feeding an audience. The audiences I want to reach have a brain, they have opinions, and I want them to put them to good use.
Would you like to add anything else?
I hope you love it as much as we do!
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Production Designer Trisha Gum just got back from Australia where she worked extensively on Lego Batman. Writer Steven and I have two more scripts we're working on, and I've got a one-hour action comedy that is being haggled over by expensive lawyers. Producer John Charles Meyer is the handsome writer in the Volvo commercial that won't stop running (may it run forever!) and has a Nickelodeon sci-fi pilot called Buccaneer Galaxy. Cinematographer JB works non-stop, but still found time to shoot a series of shorts featuring a cranky puppet with me. VFX Supervisor Cam is in high demand, currently working on Son of Zorn. Editor David Egan worked on the new Mystery Science Theater, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, and many other projects. Art Director Jeff White works on the stop motion show Tumble Leaf. Production Designer John Sumner works on all things Stoopid Buddy.
Interview: January 2017
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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DAVE MADE A MAZE
Dave builds a fort in his living room out of pure frustration, only to wind up trapped by the fantastical pitfalls, booby traps, and critters of his own creation. Ignoring his warnings, Dave's girlfriend Annie leads a band of oddball explorers on a rescue mission into an ever-changing supernatural world.
Length: 80:50
Director: Bill Watterson
Producer: John Charles Meyer
Writer: Steven Sears & Bill Watterson
About the writer, director and producer:
Director Bill Watterson: Brown University alumnus Bill Watterson studied at The Second City Hollywood and Los Angeles Community College. A series of web shorts he wrote and directed have led to a TV deal with Brandio Entertainment. Acting credits include the video games LA Noire and Lost Planet 3; the films Ouija, Jenny's Wedding, and Clint Eastwood's Jersey Boys; and TV's Brooklyn Nine Nine, The Soul Man, and The Young & The Restless.
Writer Steve Sears: Steven Sears has written multiple screenplays and produced two short films. Dave Made a Maze is his first feature.
Producer John Charles Meyer: John Charles Meyer spent his twenties at a DC political media firm while touring the US with a rock band. Since then, acting credits include 14 TV series and countless film/stage projects. Producing work includes a Nickelodeon pilot and the forthcoming feature Granite Rapids Moon, filmed in the Grand Canyon.
Key cast: Nick Thune, Meera Rohit Kumbhani, James Urbaniak, Adam Busch, Kirsten Vangsness, John Hennigan (aka WWE champion John Morrison), and Timothy Nordwind (of OK Go).
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Distribution, Press
Funders: Butter Stories, Foton Pictures, and many Private Equity Investors.
Made in association with: Butter Stories, Foton Pictures
Where can I see it in the next month? We're going to Slamdance to find out! We will be playing in other festivals throughout the year, but haven't made those announcements yet.