On his first day as an assistant night editor for a horror production company, Brian learns the hard way that not all found footage movies are fake.

Interview with Writer R.J. Haynes

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

As a fan of found footage horror films, I'm fascinated by the inherent buy-in of "this is real" or "this is a raw video that was found." It's weird to think that someone's un-cut footage would be as engrossing as The Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity. So, pretending that it's all real, I get a kick out of wondering who prepared these films for worldwide theatrical distribution. Who is cutting together these blockbuster horror films?

The Night Editors comes out of that thought experiment. And when Chris Powers, the director, and I met at a digital media company, the cynicism and trendiness of that world bled into the premise nicely.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

You should watch this film because it's a meta, premise-based horror short. With The Night Editors, we were aiming for our favorite satirical horror properties-- Scream, Shaun of the Dead, and Cabin in the Woods. With the help of our incredible cast, exceptional visual effects team, and a dynamite audio mix by Max Braverman, I truly believe it's something special.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Chris brought an added wrinkle to my script when he hopped on board. He wanted to explore social media's unsettling grip on society. It was such a clean connection that we really leaned into it. We live in a world of both universal celebrity and voyeurism. We want to share everything about ourselves, but the darker side is we also want to peek into other people's personal business. The Night Editors extends that out to people's brushes with the paranormal and, ultimately, death.

Due to lots of bumps in the road, this film took five years to complete. Thankfully and horrifyingly, the themes we were touching on then are still just as relevant today-- maybe more so.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

Before shooting, Chris and I sharpened and honed as much as we could. Because the short is so premise-heavy, we really tried to make the exposition as breezy and fun as possible. We didn't want the first five minutes to read like a rule book.

Then, during our long post-production process, we had lots of time to tweak. And tweak we did! We added some lines in ADR, moved around the order of things, and eventually shot a new final image. This is the best version of The Night Editors there's ever been.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

People want more! This short is just a toe-dip into the idea of a found footage production company. Thankfully, audiences are getting as excited about this premise as we've been for years! I feel like we've stumbled into such a rich marriage of horror concept and social satire that, if you're into that idea, you really get into that idea.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

To be honest, the biggest point of view challenge I've heard is a few people want more clarity on the rules. Without spoiling anything, we have a main monster we refer to as "The Glitch Witch." I have a headcanon of how she works and why she works that way, but I never thought for a second that was worth exploring in the script! I'm a firm believer that rules and limitations can make the stakes higher as well as clearer in a horror feature. I just figured in a ten-minute short, it's best to leave things as ambiguous and sudden as the experience of the protagonists. I take this criticism to heart, though, and if we ever get to make our feature-length version of The Night Editors, I vow to give you answers.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I'd love to share it with more people! Chris and I are hoping to find a path to making our feature treatment a reality. I'm hoping to get my other horror scripts read and produced. We just really want to share this project with like-minded people and continue to work in this space.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

All of the above. We had a tough run of festival rejections over the last year until we got into the legendary Austin Film Festival. Then the acceptances started coming in a little more frequently. We are so humbled and grateful for the opportunities that have come about from our festival run and we're eager to accept more!

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I just want people to have a blast with it. I love this genre so much. A great horror story can be an adrenaline shot to the brain or a cozy blanket on a cold night, a waking nightmare that infects your thoughts or a legendary rager that leaves your heart pounding. It's just an honor to play in this space I adore and I just want to find ways to continue the party.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Would you be able to work for this company? How would you feel about milking a Hollywood narrative out of footage of someone's paranormal death? Is it that different from the digital companies that monetize footage of people's outbursts on airplanes? Drunken exploits? Waffle House fights? I don't know, maybe that's deeper than our film goes. Maybe just debate if it made you jump.

Would you like to add anything else?

I just want to say thank you to Dr. Carmela Baranowska and the team at We Are Moving Stories for the opportunity to talk about The Night Editors. This is such a service you are giving to independent filmmakers and we truly appreciate the questions.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Chris and I are developing a feature-length version of The Night Editors which functions more as a horror mockumentary. We'd love to find producers and investors who are as excited by the premise as we are.

I've also got a collection of un-produced horror scripts that are in the same tonal space as The Night Editors, so I welcome any interest there!

Interview: December 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

The Night Editors

On his first day as an assistant night editor for a horror production company, Brian learns the hard way that not all found footage movies are fake.

Length: 10:56

Director: Christopher Powers

Producer: Andreas Ignatiou, R.J. Haynes, Christopher Powers

Writer: R.J. Haynes

About the writer, director and producer:

CHRISTOPHER POWERS has been directing for most of his life. From his days as a teenager with a camcorder in Rochester, NY to a number of roles across Los Angeles in the new media landscape, his passion is creating. He's toured festivals with the short comedy-musical Special and the action-comedy Acting with Guns. He's directed multiple comedy specials and digital shows for several online brands including the Webby-nominated unscripted series This is Happening.

R.J. HAYNES is a comedy writer by day as well as horror film fanatic and writer by night. He’s written for AFV: Animal Edition on NatGeo Wild (available now on Disney+), Inglorious Pranksters on the LOL Network (available on Pluto and Roku), and the independent feature film This is My Year (available on Vudu, iTunes, and Pluto). The Night Editors is a reflection of his love of found footage horror and his passion for meta-genre commentary.

Key cast: Nicholas Cutro (Brian), Lindsay Ames (Gretchen), Alexandra Kyle (Heather), Courtney Pauroso (Shawna), Cailyn McIntire (The Glitch Witch)

Looking for: distributors, film festival directors

Instagram: @thenighteditors.short

Hashtags used: #thenighteditors

Other: IMDb

Funders: Self-funded

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

Sherman Oaks Film Festival/ Glendale, CA - 12/2/2023