Unexpectedly uncovering a riveting opportunity that can seemingly provide an easy chance of obtaining both your dreams and wealth is one that many people would happily take, without giving much regard to the consequences. It isn’t until the harrowing consequences of their hasty decision begin happening that people start to realize what a devastating mistake they made. Showcasing how looking into your future before it happens, in an effort to more conveniently achieve your goals, can actually be a disastrous decision is showcased in the new independent sci-fi thriller, ‘Time Lapse.’ The movie, which is set to be released in theaters and on VOD on Friday, marks the daring feature film writing and directorial debuts of filmmaker Bradley King, who shows how even inadvertently changing your destiny can ruin your life and future.
‘Time Lapse’ follows three seemingly close and content roommates, including Finn (Matt O’Leary), an artist who’s searching for the inspiration for his new painting as he financially supports himself as their L.A. apartment complex’s manager; his caring girlfriend, Callie (Danielle Panabaker), who’s encouraging of his creative aspirations and ventures; and their friend Jasper (George Finn), who’s struggling with his gambling addiction. The trio’s seemingly mundane lives unexpectedly change when Finn receives a routine phone call from the complex’s landlord about how their neighbor, Mr. Bezzerides (John Rhys-Davies), is late on paying his rent.
When Finn investigates why Mr. Bezzerides hasn’t been heard from in a few days, he discovers the disappearance of the older man, who’s a scientist, may be linked to his mysterious camera that prints Polaroids of events that are set to happen 24 hours in the future. So the roommates decide to use the machine to their advantage, and have the camera take pictures of them in their living room. Finn launches his art career by drawing inspiration from the paintings that are featured in the background of the Polaroids, while Jasper starts rigging greyhound races and Callie finds inspiration for her writing career.
But the friends’ luck drastically begins to change when Jasper’s bookie, Ivan (Jason Spisak), begins questioning his never-ending streak of luck. After Ivan visits Jasper and learns about the photographs, he demands a large cut of the group’s new-found fortune. Sensing that their luck is suddenly going to change again, this time for the worst, Jasper, Callie and Finn slowly begin to turn on each other, as they try to figure out how to not only fight back against Ivan, but also protect their futures.
King generously took the time recently to talk about writing and directing ‘Time Lapse’ during an exclusive phone interview. Among other things, the filmmaker discussed how he and Cooper decided to write the thriller’s script together after his fellow scribe offered him guidance on his earlier projects; how O’Leary, Panabaker and Finn were cast in the sci-fi film after he met with them and they discussed their similiar ideas about the roommates’ arcs; and how he cherished the process of filming in an actual apartment complex that was set to be demolished, as it not only allowed him the opportunity to create the production design he wanted for the apartments, but it also allowed him and the cast and crew to freely rehearse in the space before they began filming.
ShockYa (SY): You co-wrote the script for the new sci-fi thriller, ‘Time Lapse,’ with B.P. Cooper. How did you two decide to work together on the screenplay, and what was your collaboration process on creating the story and script overall?
Bradley King (BK): Writing together was a great process. This was the first script B.P. and I worked on together, but over the years, he’s always been the one I go to with my personal scripts. So we already had a good communication level. We also like a lot of the same movies, and are inspired by a lot of the same things. So it feels very natural to be working with him on this film.
In terms of the actual writing process, B.P. came up with the original idea for the machine that takes pictures of the future. From there, I started coming up with the story, particularly how it focuses on this group of friends who find something valuable, and then it tears about their relationship. From there, we just started outlining together.
SY: Besides making your feature film writing debut with the script, you also made your feature film directorial debut on ‘Time Lapse.’ How did working on the script influence the way you approached directing the thriller?
BK: I’ve only directed one (short film) in my life that I didn’t also have a hand in writing, so I don’t have a lot of experience directing things I haven’t written. I’m not opposed to directing projects that other people have written, but directing is so challenging. It requires a million hours of work, and it’s very stressful and comes with a lot of pressure. I think to survive all of that, and also really enjoy it, you really have to love the material. I’ve learned that from directing films I have written, I need to be really inspired by the material. To be inspired by it, I usually have to help create it.
SY: With the friends’ relationships unraveling after they discover the photo machine in their neighbor’s apartment, what was the casting process like for Matt O’Leary, George Finn and Danielle Panabaker, who play the roommates in the thriller?
BK: Well, we had gone to SXSW the year we had written the script for the film (in 2012), and we saw Danielle in the movie ‘Girls Against Boys.’ She delivered such a great performance in that film, and had such an interesting emotional range.
When we were writing ‘Time Lapse’ later that year, we didn’t write the character of Callie with her specifically in mind. But we thought, you know who would be great for this role? Danielle Panabaker. We didn’t think we could get her. Even when we started working with our casting director, he told us we wouldn’t be able to get her, because we didn’t have that much money, and I was a first-time director. But he helped us get the script to her, and she read it and liked it. So I met with her, and we clicked on what the character is about, and she came on board.
I love Matt O’Leary from ‘Brick’ and all of the other cool stuff he’s done over the years. He was cast late in the game, after we were interviewing and meeting with other actors. We had breakfast together, and during that conversation he seemed to really understand everything I wanted to put into the Finn character pretty quickly. So we knew he was the right one for the role right away.
Then with George, we had seen a clip of one of his performances from a role in one of his brother Nick’s movies. He had an interesting, edgy vibe that we thought would be great for Jasper. When we met with him, it felt right to cast him.
SY: How did making the sci-fi thriller independently on a short shooting schedule influence your creative approach while you were filming?
BK: I’m a big fan of creative limitations. With cinema, you can write anything, to show that the characters need to get from point A to point B. We knew up front that we were only going to have a certain amount of money, and would be shooting in one location for practical considerations. But I think those limitations helped us write the story, and forced us to get creative.
SY: With ‘Time Lapse’ solely taking place in the apartments of the friends and their neighbor, as well as the surrounding apartment complex, what was the process of working on the film’s visuals, including collaborating with the film’s production designer, Elizabeth Mary Moore?
BK: Well, we knew we were going to shoot in one location. So we were very fortunate to find an empty apartment complex that we could film in. As we started looking for locations, we realized that we were going to need to take over an entire apartment complex, and not just one or two apartments. For any amount of time you’re shooting, it’s too time consuming to get a bunch of neighbors to come on board with you, especially when you’re filming late at night. So we started looking for abandoned or derelict apartment complexes.
When we found the one we ended up using in the film, it was due for demolition. So we were able to take over the entire place and alter it the way we needed to fit into the story. We modified the whole picture window-it was originally much smaller, so we had to cut it to make it bigger. If we also needed to knock a wall down or repaint, we could. If we also needed to take the ceilings out to put more lights in, we could. So the location was great, and it was like our own little backlot. It allowed us, even on a small budget, to create the production design we needed.
SY: How did filming on location at the apartment complex influence the way you approached using the space, and making the film overall? Do you think shooting on location is beneficial, especially for an independent film like this one?
BK: Absolutely. Filming on location, particularly that apartment complex, helped everybody, especially the characters. We were able to rehearse in the space, and I was also able to storyboard at the apartment complex.
There’s so much time during production when you’re under pressure, like when you’re getting ready to shoot a scene, and you realize, there’s a wall here. Since the room is really going to be this shape as a result, how are we going to block this scene now? But since we were able to rehearse in the space, when the shooting day came, a lot of the blocking and logistics were already mapped out. That way we were able to just focus on the performances.
The same went for the camera and storyboarding. The fact that we were able to pick our shots ahead of time, as we were walking around the actual space before we began filming, made us more specific in our vision.
SY: Speaking of rehearsing, what was the process of collaborating with Matt, George and Danielle, as well as the rest of the cast and crew, on developing the story and relationships between the characters before, and while, you were filming ‘Time Lapse?’ How did rehearsing help the process of creating its film’s sci-fi elements, particularly the stunts and action sequences?
BK: I personally love rehearsals, as I like to experiment. Unfortunately, when you’re on set burning money, you just don’t have that much time to experiment. So I’m a big fan of the rehearsal process for all of the departments.
But you have to honor the actors’ process. Some actors don’t want to rehearse, while others want to rehearse more. I just can’t steamroll that; I have to check in with each person, and find out what their comfort level is, and what’s most helpful for them, in terms of rehearsal. Then I have to form a workable schedule that hopefully accommodates everybody.
SY: The movie is set to be released in theaters and on VOD on Friday. Are you personally a fan of watching films On Demand? Why do you think the platform is beneficial to independent films like this one?
BK: I have mixed feelings about Video On Demand. I grew up primarily watching movies in the theater. I love the theater experience of sitting in an audience in the dark, and having that communal emotional experience.
I also think theaters focus our attention in a way that a lot of times we aren’t able to when we’re at home. We can get distracted because of things like the phone ringing, or having to cook dinner. So I think the theater environment is amazing, and I hope that it persists in one form or another in the future.
But of course, I can’t deny the benefits of watching films on VOD. I watch a lot of films on Netflix, iTunes and Amazon, as I love the ease, accessibility and choice of it. I think for indie filmmakers, VOD is this brave new world, because it has added a lot of content, and it can be hard to keep track of everything that’s receiving distribution. But VOD is also affording indie filmmakers more opportunities to find an audience, and I think that’s great.
Written by: Karen Benardello