Do Not Watch
Do Not Watch is a cautionary tale of madness that is told through the lens of an unseen Editor, who has constructed this film that unveils the events surrounding the disappearance of a post-production crew and the growing darkness that drove them insane.
Interview with Director Justin Janowitz
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I chose to direct this film, first and foremost, because of the incredible script. It had been on my radar for about a decade so when the opportunity came up to direct I jumped at the chance. The script plays with so many elements that intrigue me in stories, great characters, multiple levels of storytelling, playing with timelines, an unusual structure, and the chance to work in a genre in a way that isn’t often seen in that space.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Do Not Watch is a slow-burn psychological horror/thriller, a mystery of madness. Like some of the goliaths in the found-footage genre like The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield our story unfolds from the perspective of the characters who operate the cameras – as opposed to more security camera-based films in the genre – allowing the audience to experience events along with the characters and become participants in the story which I feel makes for an engaging film. That coupled with the multiple timelines, which take place over multiple decades, that the film continually jumps between creates a bigger world and makes the mythology of this film feel that much more grounded. The final layer of this film is the unknown, unseen editor who has cut all of this footage together and is the one presenting Do Not Watch to us and seeing the effect the dark energy of the footage has on them, and how that manifests in the film, is a unique storytelling device. The film builds slowly from the beginning and pays off in a chaotic and surprising way at the end, taking the audience on a fun ride.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The biggest theme that this film explores is that of addiction. I’ve had several people in my life who have suffered from one kind of addiction or another, and while some of them have the same addiction, how they’ve chosen to deal with it, or not deal with it, influences their life and the lives of everyone around them. Everyone’s experience is different, including the experiences of the non-addicts who are in their circle. In the film, there’s a dark energy that draws people into it, and I wanted to explore the different ways those addictive behaviors manifest differently from individual to individual even though they’re all being manipulated by the same thing.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
This script was in fantastic shape when I first read it so my early conversations with Ryan Toyama, the writer, were about strengthening themes and simplifying and beefing up some of the characters and their arcs but the bones of the film never changed. Rewrites were done throughout production to make the story fit locations as they were locked in, or to make some dialogue changes for characters as the actors began embodying their roles, but it was nothing major. Once we entered post-production, some scenes and transitions were manipulated to fine-tune the pacing of the film, but since most of the scenes in the film were shot as oners, I was pleased with how the vast majority of the film played out and didn’t need too much tweaking. The biggest evolution of the film that did come in post was the creation of the final layer of the film – the editor character who we never meet or see that’s cutting together this film. This character was in the script with how they make themselves apparent to the audience, but working with our actual editor Tyler Cook to create this ‘character layer’ and show their journey in editing this movie was a lot of fun.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The only real feedback that we’ve received from the film was from its premiere at Screamfest in LA. As a director you’ve watched the film you’re making in so many iterations and stages by the time that it’s completed the only real feedback that matters is also the most terrifying to endure, and that’s to sit in a theater with a bunch of other people and watch it. Our premiere was sold out and of the almost 300 people in the room with me, most had no idea what to expect. The audience laughed at the funny bits, jumped at the scares, and by all accounts enjoyed the film and the ride that it took them on. That’s the best kind of feedback I can imagine receiving and witnessing that in real time was a special experience
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
All the feedback we’ve received has been from one screening and it was extremely positive, and there were no comments that have been surprising yet. I’m looking forward to more people being able to see the film and am interested to hear what more people think of the film and the cinematic world that we created.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We Are Moving Stories is an amazing platform to shine a light on individuals who have historically been marginalized, under-represented and ignored. Our hope by having this film featured on the site is that it can bring awareness to the talent of the performers and crew who brought so much brilliance and hard work to this film and it can be a platform to allow them to be celebrated and discovered by other filmmakers so they can continue making inroads and connections in the business.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
One of the highest honors that a film can achieve is that it becomes part of the public conversation about filmmaking and storytelling, whether that be genre-specific or as part of the greater world of cinema. If future filmmakers find inspiration in anything that we did with this film and incorporated it, or started discussions around it, that would be amazing. We found at the premiere that this film plays very well in a theater and a group viewing environment added to the experience of watching it so hopefully it can find some kind of theatrical distribution. More than anything else, I’d just love people to see it and have conversations about it. I think we did some interesting things with this film and to have it discussed at any level would be a win.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What the audience takes away regarding the final layer of the film – the unknown, unseen, editor character who assembled the film that is Do Not Watch.
Would you like to add anything else?
I want to thank the cast, crew, vendors, locations, and everyone who played a part in bringing Do Not Watch to life. The people involved in the making of this film are brilliant professionals who worked incredibly hard on this film and it wouldn’t be what it is without all of their love.
Interview: November 2023
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. 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
Do Not Watch
Do Not Watch is a cautionary tale of madness that is told through the lens of an unseen Editor, who has constructed this film that unveils the events surrounding the disappearance of a post-production crew and the growing darkness that drove them insane.
Length: 1:24:00
Director: Justin Janowitz
Producer: JP Ouellette
Writer: Ryan Toyama
About the writer, director and producer:
An accomplished cinematographer and film industry veteran, Do Not Watch marks the feature-length directorial debut for JUSTIN JANOWITZ who also served as the film’s cinematographer. Prior to Do Not Watch, Janowitz has directed short-form documentary-style content and advertisements for clients such as Apple, Sony, DC Comics, and Ciroc Vodka, and has worked as director of photography on films and TV series for multiple outlets including streamers Netflix and Hulu.
RYAN TOYAMA embraced his descent into the dark void of madness while writing the script, Do Not Watch. He is a prolific writer who has worked in a variety of genres. He served as a writer on TV shows for The Jim Henson Company and Netflix, one of which includes a recent Halloween episode. He has worked in the entertainment industry for over ten years; gathering experience in multiple areas. He worked under Dexter creator James Manos, Jr. during the development of the hit Showtime show. Later, he worked on the financial side of production for many shows, including FX's Sons of Anarchy. In addition to Do Not Watch, Ryan has many other psychological horror-suspense films in development.
JP OUELLETTE worked his way up the ladder of film production from interning to then becoming a production assistant on major motion pictures. Next, he assisted creatives such as Richard Kelly, Michael Ohoven, Gary Fleder, and James Manos, Jr., before being hired to write and produce the horror film Captured (starring Brittany Curran) and then launching his own creative shingle, Circa 1888, Inc. He is most known for producing the Sundance hit MASS which was released theatrically by Bleeker Street. The emotionally charged film had a whirlwind of Oscar Buzz, then ultimately went on to win the Robert Altman Award at the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards!
Key cast: Ezekiel Ajeigbe (Casey), Alix Angelis (Director), Adetokumboh M'Cormack (Sqires)
Twitter: @DoNotWatchFilm
Instagram: @donotwatchfilm
Hashtags used: #DoNotWatch
Made in association with: Circa 1888