Imagine battling bats and being doused in dust and blood on your very first feature film set. So it goes for actress Victoria Nugent on the set of Michael and Shawn Rasmussen’s “Dark Feed.”
The film features Andy Rudick as Chris, a screenwriter visiting an abandoned mental hospital, the set of his latest movie. The large majority of the cast and crew have been at it for quite some time, so Chris bonds with another newcomer, Beth (Nugent), who’s joined in to work as a PA for the day. The grips are messing around, the director is demanding to get what he wants and the makeup artist is methodically decorating the wall with brains, but it’s all business as usual – that is until the true eeriness of the location starts to eat away at everyone.
“Dark Feed” is loaded with creepy imagery, bumps in the night, gore, and violence, and Nugent is right in the middle of all of it. Thanks to the Rasmussen Brothers’ passion and positive attitudes, “Dark Feed” isn’t just Nugent’s first big feature, but also an experience that informed the type of collaborator she’d like to be.
Check out everything Nugent had to say about going from average high school student to budding actress, some very real scares at the shooting location, working with the Rasmussens, and more in the interview below. Also, scroll down to get a peek at an exclusive and very bloody behind-the-scenes blooper from the shoot and be sure to catch “Dark Feed” in full on iTunes or DVD via Amazon.
To start, can you tell me a little about your background as an actress? Is this always the profession you were heading towards?
Victoria Nugent: To answer the second part first, yes, ever since I can remember I’ve wanted to be an actress. It’s followed me around like a shadow all my life. I’m not entirely sure why, I have my theories, but basically I’ve been attracted to acting both on film and stage since I was young. All that to say I have not been acting since I was young, even though I always wanted to. I spent most of my time growing up focused on sports, which in itself is a type of theatre. It wasn’t until I was a senior in high school that I finally decided to take the plunge and really try to pursue acting as a career.
And how about “Dark Feed” specifically? How’d you get involved?
I got involved with “Dark Feed” because of a web series I starred in during my senior year of high school. Nothing ever came of the web series, but I did get some local exposure, which, in turn, got me an audition with Shawn and Michael!
Are you attracted to horror films specifically, whether it’s enjoying performing in them or watching them yourself?
I’m really attracted to all types of film. This is the only horror film I’ve ever done, so I don’t have a lot of experience to pull from, but I loved the great deal of play that went into making the movie. I was constantly having fun and felt free to really go big and make interesting choices.
Was there anything about the script that really stuck out to you or maybe something that made you think this project was really worth being part of?
What stuck out was Shawn and Michael. A huge reason why I love making movies is because of the amazing people you get to work with. They were just so jazzed and inspired when I talked to them about it in the beginning, I knew that the project was going to be something special.
How was it making Beth stand out as a unique “final girl?”
I never really thought about it like that. I just thought about what it would be like if I was in her situation and made most of my acting choices based on that. Most of what you see in the movie is just me.
What about developing relationships in a piece that’s essentially a ghostly, gore showcase? Is it a challenge to have the humanistic qualities shine through the blood?
Yeah, I think it’s definitely a challenge. I found that this project was way more theatrical than any other film I have done. The trap there is that what you’re doing can come across as untruthful or overblown. I think what really helped was the fact that everyone used a lot of their own personalities in the movie so we were able to base a lot of our character’s relationship on our own real friendships. It also helps that everyone got along really well and that we had so much fun making it.
Is there anything you were apprehensive about? Maybe something that really did scare you to shoot?
Yes! There’s a scene in the movie when Jessica [Lauren Napier] and I were showing Andy [Rudick], the screenwriter, around the building and a real bat flew down the hallway right at us. I guess they kept shooting through the whole bat scare because there’s a point in the movie where you hear us talking about the actual bat. I was not amused. I’m not a fan of bugs, let alone bats.
How about the basement material? I assume the basement wasn’t actually flooded, right?
[Laughs] No. It was just this little room under one of the dye vats that had these little narrow stairs leading to it. They set up kiddie pools and had us shine our flashlights at the water to get the rippling effect on the ceiling. It took a while just to make sure that we knew technically what we were doing, but it totally paid off in the end.
Can you tell me about shooting the grand finale? How was it being right smack in the middle of all that blood and barrage of manic actors?
That was actually one of the last scenes we shot, if not the last, so it was really sentimental – and really fun. We’d been working every night for like four weeks, maybe more at that point, so we’d spent a lot of time with each other. I was used to being really dusty and bloody and so that stopped bothering me pretty quickly. We had it set up so I would run to the back of that caged room and bang on the window and then they would come up from behind me and carry me away. We practiced it a few times and then just started rolling. On the first take I actually broke the window because I was banging so hard so we had to take it back and rehearse a few more times.
How was it working with Michael and Shawn? Sometimes it can be tough enough taking direction from one director, so how was it working with two?
Michael and Shawn are incredible. They’re both so friendly and open and determined. They managed the crew really well and just made the environment a really creatively open and fun place to be, and that’s difficult considering how drab our surroundings were. Michael was really the director and Shawn focused more on the paperwork and making sure we were all staying on schedule so I never felt like I was working with two directors.
Is there anything specific about their style or process that’ll stick with you?
If I took away anything it would be the right attitude to have on set. I mean, we were shooting long nights for about four weeks in a row and neither Michael nor Shawn ever lost their cool. Shawn is always smiling and supportive and Michael is always really focused. They carry themselves with an incredible amount of professionalism without being pretentious or overbearing.
And how about this experience as a whole? You’ve got a ton of shorts to your name, but this is your first experience being a lead in a feature. Is there anything that surprised you or anything you learned making the movie?
Well, funny enough, I actually did this film before I did any of those shorts, so I was fortunate to be able to take what I learned from “Dark Feed” and continue to build upon it. So yes, like I mentioned before, I learned a lot about attitude, being positive, respectful and that being a team player can get you far. I learned a lot about making a movie, about being on set, what to expect. I learned that yes, you can survive four weeks on a Papa John’s diet, and finally that you are certain to meet the most wonderful and interesting people on film sets!
What’s the outlook from here? Any more features on the horizon?
I’m not sure. I’ll be in LA interviewing with agents in May and then we’ll see what comes from that.