Script : The promise
Writer : FRANK P MANCUSO, Chris J Adams
Tell us something about your love for stories. How important are stories in today’s world?
First and foremost thank you for having me. Without stories the world would be boring. Stories, it is what allows the imagination to churn and put smiles on kids faces as well as fear into people’s eyes. The imagination or creation of stories takes us into a different reality, an escape from our current situation for the time being. It allows us to dream to be someone else for that short period of time, giving someone inspiration to be that person. Without it, we wouldn’t be human.
Generally do you think the habit of reading books is slowly disappearing today. Would you like to suggest few books for the readers in us?
Ann Rice,I would say no. My family is big on reading. Both my wife and daughter love to read paranormal stories. I like Dan Brown and Tom Clancy.
How significant is screenplay for a movie as an act of potent initiation? What would be your suggestions for the budding screenwriters?
It is the foundation which the writer envisions his story to be told through his eyes. A writer envisions the story being told through the lens of the camera to share to the audience what he wants the audience to experience through his words put on paper. As for the budding writers, never give up and don’t think that when you have written your script that it is perfect. A writer is always evolving to make it better. It simpiler terms there are many drafts of the screenplay. You will no exactly when it is ready to share to the world.
Tell us about the place mystery has in modern cinema.
That is the writer being creative to tell his story in such a way that always keeps the audience guessing on where the story is going. Then the writer has done his job.
Tell us something about the Sound design required in depictions of mysterious sequences. Could you discuss the importance of sound in a movie like this, how much dependent is your on the sound?
In most films, sound is just as important as the visual show itself. The sound effects and the music lead the audience like the pied piper to cause reactions to what is going on visually. For example, when someone comes out behind a door and with the music and sound, it causes an emotional reaction of fear. That’s the purpose of sound. Without it, it does not provide any purpose to the film. They go hand and hand. Otherwise the film will not be successful.
What according to you is the role played by certain camera movements in thrillers full of jump scare sequences?
It is everything because if the camera does not create the right reaction for the audience, it leaves the film flat. That’s what makes the difference between a good thriller, becoming a classic like Holloween, Friday the 13th, which will be watched by different generations instead of just some random horror film that no one will remember.
How challenging was it for you to induce humour in serious situations?
It is hard, but you can’t always have the story tense. It allows the audience to drop its guard to right where you want them. To scare the hell out of them or get the reaction you want from them.
What do you have to say about the Significance of jump scare today?
Very important, it’s like if you would keep the score at a game. If you were to sit in the back row of the movie theatre and just watch people’s reactions on how many times they jumped. If they jumped a lot, your film did it’s job. If they only reacted once or twice, then you failed as a filmmaker.
There were tropes similar to Dark and Stranger things in the script. Were you inspired by these stories?
I wouldn’t say inspired, but more to create them into the storyline to make the story more interesting. This script being of the horror-sci fi genre having the tropes is what makes it work.
Can you elaborate about the horror we encounter in the uncanny, the familiar, here the scientists doing mysterious experiments?
These stories never fail because the world is full of mad people. It is just a question of how far do you want to take it as a writer. What level of insanity does the writer create his character to be? How far will the mad scientist go? How many people will he kill to create the perfect creature? That’s why even though most stories are uncanny or familiar, it’s what twists can the writer create to separate his character from all other films. What makes his film stand out. That is the difference of what makes a film memorable or not.
