{"id":8906,"date":"2013-04-05T07:06:35","date_gmt":"2013-04-05T11:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=8906"},"modified":"2013-04-05T07:06:35","modified_gmt":"2013-04-05T11:06:35","slug":"an-interview-with-the-dream-seekers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2013\/04\/05\/an-interview-with-the-dream-seekers\/","title":{"rendered":"An Interview with "The Dream Seekers""},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Peter-Dukes-1\"<\/a>Peter Dukes and his comrades at Dreamseekers Productions have been giving genre fans some unique short films for many years, and most recently they delved in to the werewolf sub-genre with their short film “The Beast” co-starring Bill Obsert Jr. In the midst of directing his latest short film “Little Reaper,” director Peter Dukes took time out for an interview and discuss his love for film, his methodology, and his plans for “Little Reaper,” a short film about the grim reaper’s rebellious young daughter.<\/p>\n

For those unaware, who is Peter Dukes?<\/strong>
\nI’m an independent writer\/director\/producer based out of Los Angeles, where I’ve produced 15 films under the banner of my company, Dream Seekers Productions.<\/p>\n

What can you tell us about Dream Seekers Productions?<\/strong>
\nDream Seekers Productions is a company my sister, Aubrey, and I started back in ’05, although we’ve been making films together much longer than that.\u00a0 We specialize in horror, sci-fi, fantasy, thrillers, drama and (soon) comedy live action films, though we’ve dabbled in animation as well.\u00a0 Our work. Low budget as it is, has been featured\/reviewed in hundreds of sites and various publications worldwide.\u00a0 We’ve built a solid platform with a growing fan base, and we plan on staying busy and continuing to grow.<\/p>\n

How long have you been making films?<\/strong>
\nLike many indie filmmakers, I think it’s fair to say I’ve been making films since I was a young kid.\u00a0 It eventually led me to film school, and a few years after graduation I officially founded Dream Seekers.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been working hard to produce a picture, sometimes two, each year since.<\/p>\n

Which movies influenced your love for genre filmmaking?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019ll stick to horror on this one.\u00a0 One of my earliest influences was Steven Spielberg.\u00a0 DUEL, JAWS and POLTERGIEST, which Tobe Hooper actually directed, of course, but Spielberg was heavily involved with.\u00a0 Spielberg showed us that a film can be a summer blockbuster AND smart.\u00a0 For some reason, many think you have to choose between the two.\u00a0 I\u2019m also a big fan of Dario Argento’s DEEP RED and SUSPIRA, John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN and THE THING, Hitchcock\u2019s THE BIRDS and PSYCHO, Carl Theodore Dryer’s VAMPYR, Jacques Tourneur’s THE LEOPARD MAN and CAT PEOPLE, Joel Schumacher\u2019s THE LOST BOYS, Tomas Alfredson’s LET THE RIGHT ONE IN as well as\u2026well, I could go on and on.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t even get me started on books.\u00a0 I’m a book junkie.\u00a0 That\u2019s where a big part of my horror inspiration comes from.\u00a0 HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, Ray Bradbury, Mary Shelley, Henry James, Susan Hill, Shirley Jackson.\u00a0 These books aren\u2019t the goriest or most ferocious horror you\u2019ll ever come across, but they are stunningly well crafted and original and they set the bar about as high as one can set it. These people all had their own unique voice\/vision.\u00a0 They told the kinds of stories they wanted to tell, not so much adhering to whatever the current trends were, and that\u2019s why many of these films and books have stood the test of time.<\/p>\n

What genre have you yet to tackle that you’d love to someday?<\/strong>
\nA western I think.\u00a0 I\u2019ve done just about everything else!\u00a0 My dad loved westerns growing up, as did many kids in past generations.\u00a0 It was such a big part of their lives.\u00a0 That genre isn’t as big as it once was, nor will it ever be again as its time has come and gone, but I’d really get a kick out of making an old fashioned \u201chold on to your boot straps\u201d western, as a nod to the classics of yesterday and as a gift to all those people who still pine for the genre.<\/p>\n

Which genre has been your favorite to work in?<\/strong>
\nWe love all genres, so long as there is an interesting and challenging story involved, but we certainly have a soft spot for horror and fantasy.\u00a0 These genres generally allow for a tremendous amount of creative flexibility, where you can just kind of let your imagination run free, so we certainly enjoy taking advantage of that.<\/p>\n

Which person living or dead would you love to work with?<\/strong>
\nIn terms of film, I guess I\u2019d have to say either Steven Spielberg or Krzysztof Kieslowski,\u00a0 each representing different sides to the filmmaking spectrum.\u00a0 They both have an astoundingly consistent aptitude towards telling a story through the medium of film, which believe me, is not always an easy thing to do. They might not hit a homerun every time they step up to the plate (in this business, I don\u2019t know how that\u2019s possible), but the amount of high quality work they\u2019ve created is hard to wrap one\u2019s head around.\u00a0 Yet, they did it again and again and again through the years.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure most are well acquainted with Spieberg\u2019s films, but for those who haven\u2019t tried Kieslowski?\u00a0 Do so!\u00a0 I mean it.\u00a0 THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE, THE COLORS TRILOGY, THE DECALOGUE and others.\u00a0 He was an auteur and definitely worth your time to check out.<\/p>\n

Have you had a favorite film you’ve worked on, yet?<\/strong>
\nNo.\u00a0 There are some of my films that I personally enjoy more so than others, but I\u2019m proud of all of them in my own way.\u00a0 Each represented a certain step in my \u201ccinematic education\u201d, if you will.<\/p>\n

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned from working in the movies?<\/strong>
\nWhen I\u2019m asked this, my answer is always the same.\u00a0 Make sure you really love filmmaking.\u00a0 Sounds silly, I know.\u00a0 Always does, but it\u2019s the best advice I can give for people starting out.\u00a0 It really is.\u00a0 The rest is just details, which they\u2019ll figure out along the way.\u00a0 Loving FILM and loving filmMAKING are two very different things.\u00a0 Make sure you truly love the process and business of actually making movies, because if you\u2019re only in it for the fame and money, the glitz and the glamour, you are probably in for a rude awakening.\u00a0\u00a0 Not that there\u2019s anything wrong with incentives like that, but just consider them icing on the cake, not the cake itself.<\/p>\n

What has been the reaction to your last film “The Beast”?<\/strong>
\n\u201cThe Beast\u201d has received a tremendous response from both viewers and the press, especially for such a small lo\/no budget film.\u00a0 I\u2019m very pleased to see that there are still people out there who are interested in watching an old fashioned subtle horror picture, relying on patience and atmosphere, as opposed to the current trends of torture porn (as I call it) or in your face shock horror.\u00a0 There is a time and a place for that type of horror, and I can\u2019t knock it because it has a big audience.\u00a0 There\u2019s a long and rich history to this genre, and one of my goals is to help people remember that there\u2019s other kinds of horror out there.<\/p>\n

What was the experience like working with Bill Oberst Jr.?<\/strong>
\nThat was a very difficult shoot, which is often the case when you don\u2019t have a lot of money or time to work with.\u00a0 So, working with a guy like Bill was a life saver because he was such a gracious guy, and a pro.\u00a0 A cool customer who came prepared and rolled with the punches with no complaints.\u00a0 It\u2019s not everyday you work with someone who takes their craft that seriously while not taking themselves too seriously, or becoming a prima dona, etc.<\/p>\n

He made my job easier, and I can\u2019t thank him enough for that.\u00a0 Oh, and need I mention his talent in front of the camera?\u00a0 Yeah, that was nice tooJ\u00a0 Peter and Alexander Le Bas were also terrific actors, John Snedden photographed a beautiful picture with minimal resources and Giona Ostinelli wrote the perfect score for it.\u00a0 That film would not have reached the finish line without them all.\u00a0 People stepped up to the plate.<\/p>\n

With the economy as it is, do you find making films becoming more and more challenging?<\/strong>
\nWhen you\u2019re making films as low budget as mine, the economy doesn\u2019t impact the situation all that much.\u00a0 I was always used to producing on a shoe string budget anyhow!<\/p>\n

What are your thoughts on the recent Kick starter boom on the internet in terms of funding independent films?<\/strong>
\nI think people make the mistake of thinking sites like Kickstarter or Indiegogo make the process of securing investment easy.\u00a0 It\u2019s not.\u00a0 Never will be.\u00a0 What it does to is just offer another option to consider, and I think that\u2019s great.\u00a0 Why not?\u00a0 The more the merrier I say.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t worked on a crowd funding production before, as my process is a bit different, but kudos to those who\u2019ve done their due research, prepared themselves as to how to run a campaign like that properly, and gone on to achieve their goals.<\/p>\n

\"dukes1\"<\/a>What can you tell us about “Little Reaper”?<\/strong>
\n\u201cLittle Reaper\u201d is a quirky horror comedy about the grim reaper\u2019s difficult teenage daughter taking over her dad\u2019s duties for one day.\u00a0 Chaos ensues.\u00a0 I definitely went a little crazy with this script because\u2026well, why not?\u00a0 Ha.\u00a0 I had a lot of fun with this picture and I\u2019m hoping people really enjoy it.\u00a0 It\u2019s set to be released very soon.\u00a0 It stars up and comer Athena Baumeister and John Paul Ouvrier, with John Michael Herndon, Katharine Stapleton, Katy townsend, Allisyn Ashley Arm (of Disney channel fame) and Sorsha Morsava.<\/p>\n

This was the first film where I went out and secured investment outside of my own pocket.\u00a0 I produced it under the Dream Seekers banner with Danny Derakhshan joining us as Executive Producer.\u00a0 Melissa Cottingham, Shane Mehigan, Colin Mehigan and Justin Caustillo are on board as Associate Producers.\u00a0 They\u2019ve been a great producing team, and I hope to work with them again down the road.<\/p>\n

Where did the idea for “Little Reaper” stem from?<\/strong>
\nDeath is an important theme in many of my productions.\u00a0 Not in any macabre way necessarily, it\u2019s just something that\u2019s often on my mind.\u00a0 I\u2019ve tackled it in past dramas, thrillers and horror films, but I decided this time I was just going to take this theme, turn it on its head and have some fun with it.\u00a0 It\u2019s a wild script, and I think\/hope everyone involved really enjoyed the experience.\u00a0 I know I did.<\/p>\n

How long did the screenplay take to write?<\/strong>
\nOne night.\u00a0 I\u2019m a fast thinker\/writer.\u00a0 When I get inspired, my creative alter ego kicks into high gear and completely takes over.\u00a0 Revisions would come in the following days, of course, but the initial draft took only a few hours.<\/p>\n

Will it be a short film or a feature length film?<\/strong>
\nIt will be a short film.\u00a0 We hope to make the jump to features soon.\u00a0 It\u2019s a tough town when it comes to breaking into the indie feature scene.\u00a0 Finding investment can be tricky.\u00a0 It\u2019s easier to fund a three million dollar movie than it is to fund a half million dollar one.\u00a0 Sounds strange, right?\u00a0 Anyhow, I\u2019ve been close on more than one occasion, but it\u2019s proven an elusive goal so far.\u00a0 I would expect nothing less.\u00a0 It comes with the territory when you want to hop on the indie filmmaking train!<\/p>\n

What was the experience like working with fellow director Athena Baumeister?<\/strong>
\nLoved it.\u00a0 About ten seconds into Athena\u2019s audition for the title role, I knew the part was hers.\u00a0 She was perfect for it, that\u2019s the long and short of it.\u00a0 Her personality and vivacity were just what this film needed.\u00a0 Her experience as both an actress and a director was very helpful, as she not only came to set prepared, but knew what to do to make my job easier, knew the lingo and the on-set etiquette.\u00a0 Heck, she even corrected ME once or twice!\u00a0 It\u2019s always a pleasure to work with someone who\u2019s dialed in like that.\u00a0 I hope to see her go a long way in the business.\u00a0 She\u2019s got the acting chops and the personality to make it happen.<\/p>\n

Are you planning on sending “Little Reaper” to film festivals?<\/strong>
\nYes, we\u2019ll start with local festivals in and around Los Angeles and we\u2019ll just see where things lead after that.\u00a0 I enjoy the film festival experience, but it\u2019s generally not my main focus when producing these films.<\/p>\n

What about “Little Reaper” appeals to you creatively?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s the kind of script that has very little boundaries in terms of where you can take the story, and when I give myself free reign creatively, it\u2019s always a fun ride to see how crazy things might get.\u00a0 I\u2019ve done heavy drama and broody psychological horror, among other things, so this is just one of those lighter scripts that I wanted to have fun with, wherever that might lead, and that\u2019s a process I very much enjoyed.<\/p>\n

What kind of experience is it working with your sister in the industry?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m a big family guy, so it\u2019s been very nice having Aubrey close by all these years.\u00a0 We get each other, so whenever she\u2019s on set it helps me do my job more effectively.\u00a0 When things get tough, she knows how to help alleviate the stress, the distractions, the burdens.\u00a0 She\u2019s been very busy these last couple of years working on major motion pictures such as THOR, CAPTAIN AMERICA, THE AVENGERS, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, PACIFIC RIM and others, but she\u2019s still a big part of Dream Seekers and always will be.<\/p>\n

Finally, what advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers looking to get their first film made?<\/strong>
\nHonestly, what new filmmakers will learn the most from is just going out and doing it.\u00a0 Live and learn, my friends.\u00a0Just make sure you\u2019re prepared.\u00a0 Don\u2019t rush into a film before you\u2019re ready, but don\u2019t wait too long either or you\u2019ll never do it.\u00a0 There\u2019s always a hundred reasons why you could wait a little longer.\u00a0 Sometimes you just have to pull the trigger.
\nWhen preparing for your film keep in mind that EVERYTHING will take longer than you anticipate.\u00a0 If you think a scene will take an hour to shoot, in reality it will probably take two or even three, and so on and so forth with all aspects of your production.\u00a0 You\u2019ve gone to all the time and trouble to bring the production together, so it\u2019s worth it to spend just a little more time and money to make sure you get the film you really want.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Peter Dukes and his comrades at Dreamseekers Productions have been giving genre fans some unique short films for many years, and most recently they delved in to the werewolf sub-genre with their short film “The Beast” co-starring Bill Obsert Jr. In the midst of directing his latest short film “Little Reaper,” director Peter Dukes took […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[285,359,472,477,501,502],"class_list":["post-8906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews","tag-directing","tag-filmmaking","tag-hollywood","tag-horror","tag-indie-film","tag-indie-filmmaking"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8906\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}