Quite excited, if those trailers are anything to go by.
The second film from special effects gurus-turned-filmmakers Colin and Greg Strause (should we mentionAVP: Requiem?
Maybe not), looks like a far bigger film than its small budget would suggest.
IfSkylineis anywhere near as good as their pitch, we could be in for a treat… We got to do whatever we wanted to do.
And you know, it was kinda funny.
It started out as a really small movie.
Because, obviously, youre doing a little independent film, and we kind of solidly did aParanormal Activity.
And were like, well, weve got better cameras than that guy.
And Gregs got a cooler house.
Weve gotta be able to do something kind of neat here.
We liked the idea of this light thing that attracted people.
You know, usually the aliens come down with laser beams and start blowing shit up.
Its like, what if they just used the simplest weakness of human nature?
Its like curiosity killed the cat.
We cant stop but look at something like that.
And having this high-rise building in LA was one of the sickest views of the entire city.
You know, it basically gives you front row seats to the end of the world.
And that was kinda the concept of the film.
Liam ODonnell:Its a little shock and awe, with the way that they take us out.
But I think its very surreal from our very humble origins.
The fact that we had huge support from Universal for Comic-Con.
You know, its on over 3,000 screens.
So, its gonna be a big release.
Its like … this is pretty full scale action here.
And its a little unheard of, actually.
Its a pretty unique situation.
And it does have a Roland Emmerich feel.
You cant help but think ofIndependence Daywhen you see aliens and big buildings.
So, did you talk to him about your plans?
I remember going to see shitty movies in the theatre just to see theIndependence Daytrailer.
Because that was before Apple …
LO:Before the Internet, really …
CS:Before the Internet.
So, you had to pay the ten bucks to go and watch the trailer.
And it was an event.
LO:I remember people applauding at the end of the movie too.
I think it was something from the Clinton era, because we didnt have a real war.
People were like, We beat them!
CS:Yeah, we showed those alien scum!
[laughs] And theres definitely a part of us that likes that jot down of movie.
But theres also like …Aliensis one of my favourite movies as well.
And we like that kind of claustrophobia.
You know, those are the jot down of movies we like to watch.
And we all have very similar movie tastes.
Theres a worldwide event happening, but youre following a group of survivors in a high-rise condo.
Thats what Im actually most excited about seeing with an audience.
LO:Are you sure you wanna say that, though?
[laughs]
We can play that down.
If you dont want to raise expectations too much … [laughs]
[Spoiler-y bit has gone now!]
CS:I think its gonna be one of the cool things.
And that has been one of the most frustrating things with the marketing.
Where the movie goes, you cant show.
You know what I mean?
So, its kinda like … fuck!
I want people to think its justIndependence Daybecause that is one aspect of the film.
But there is also … its a survivor story.
Their whole world changing emotionally while the whole world is changing physically.
That was one of the things we wanted to do also with the movie.
Theres almost a thousand effects shots in the film.
Which is a staggering amount of work in a movie like this.
LO:… youve already seen them all in the trailer.
Thats just not the case.
Youd have to have a thirty minute long movie trailer to show every shot in the film.
Theres like a ton of work in this thing.
But its got to be more economical with its special effects …
LO:Its a very different … the only thing in common I guess would be creatures.
But theyre just very different films in general.
CS:We kind of went with the more is more.
Literally, this is the end of the fucking world.
You want to see that.
Youre in this building, you want to see that.
I mean, what the fuck do you do, you know what I mean?
We wanted to confirm …
They did some really great shit, but it was fleeting glances and stuff.
And its all in the daytime, which is also, to me, kinda scary.
LO:Yeah, its not a dream, its not a nightmare.
I can dispel that as not the twist ending.
[laughs]
We mentionedMonstersand there are a few other big alien movies coming out.Battle: Los AngelesandSuper 8.
We pre-sold some of the foreign territories … that wasnt until the Berlin Film Festival.
So, we started making the movie with absolutely no fucking clue if it would ever be released.
We just kinda rolled the dice and were like, You know what?
we gotta at least try it.
Were gonna make it, lets pray for the best.
And if we can pull off what we think we can pull off, we know itll land somewhere.
LO:We felt ours was different than any other take.
CS:Yeah, I meanBattle: Los Angelesis basicallyBlack Hawk Downwith aliens.I Am Number Four…
LO:Twilightwith aliens…
CS:Yeah,Twilightwith aliens.
I dont wanna see those things and knock …
LO:Ours isDawn Of The Deadwith aliens.
CS:Yeah, ours isDawn Of The Deadwith aliens.
[laughs] So, there you go.
Each movie is its own kinda thing.
And no one knows what the fuckSuper 8is.
So it seems … you know,District 9was Apartheid with aliens.
LO:[Laughs] Its your favourite old movie:Apartheid.
CS:But you know what I mean.
Each of these movies, to me, can stand alone.
You know what I mean?
Its not like a romantic comedy with a little twist.
I think each of these … just because aliens is a common theme doesnt necessarily mean … And after this andAVP: Requiem, some people may see you as sci-fi filmmakers.
But hearing about your rumoured future projects they sound quite diverse.
A sword and sandals epic …
LO:It has a big fantasy, the sword and sandals.
I wrote the script.
Its calledWar Of The Ages.
And It definitely has a big fantasy …
I guess its not fully sci-fi, but it is kind of a mythological fantasy element.
So, yeah, we nerd out and everything.
CS:Yeah, and then our other movies an American James Bond meets disaster movie.
What if the horrific, giant thing happens at the beginning, you know what I mean?
And those are the sorts of movies we want to see.
You wanna throw onFight Club.
You wanna throw onAliens.
You wanna throw onPredator.
Id like to throw inSkylineor one of these other movies that we do.
Because we just want to make fun shit that people want to watch …
LO:Its just the most fun stuff to make.
And then were filming it, and then were doing the effects for it.
Its the most satisfying.
And with these new projects would you do the same thing youve done withSkyline?
Work outside of the studios while youre making it?
You wouldnt think about going back to the kind of thing you had withRequiem?
I dont want em, dont need em.
LO:Its good to have it developed and made outside.
Were the guys who know whats cool.
But we need distribution.
Theres no such thing as independent distribution.
But we want to be independent filmmakers.
Its like, it also lets us be riskier.
We can do more interesting projects because were not spending eighty million or a hundred million dollars.
Literally,Skylinewas filmed … Making movies is hard enough as it is.
Its a fucking nightmare.
And its really difficult, its really stressful.
And thats when everything goes perfect.
Whereas, I feel great.
Were already in development.
LO:Im not even allowed to enjoy myself …
CS:Yeah.
Were just going to push in.
Because it was fun.
I think thats an important thing.
I think thats something directors should feel.
CS:We like doing both, though.
We had a great time working onAvatar, working with Fincher onThe Social data pipe.
These are our idols.
I love working with them.
You get to do different things.
It is kinda neat.
But theyre the key in of movies we loved working on because they posed whole different creative challenges.
And thats just kinda exciting to us.
You both seem very into movies.
Is there a film youve seen this year thats blown you away?
CS:Man, I havent seen shit this year.
[laughs] Its like, I wanted to seeInceptionin the theatre and I couldnt.
The only movie Ive seen this year that I really liked wasKick-Ass.
LO:Yeah,Kick-Ass.
CS:I finally got to watch it like a week ago.
CS:Yeah, that too.
Thats a risky movie, you know what I mean?
I wish I was able to support that risk in the theatres.
But we were so busy working I wasnt able to go see it.
But we bought it on demand, so they get my couple of bucks, you know.
[laughs] Better late than never, I guess.
Colin Strause and Liam ODonnell, thank you very much.
Skyline is released on Friday12thNovember.
