From Horror Short to Hollywood Success!
Niall Cassin tells us about the struggles he encountered writing and producing his first short, The Night Girl, and the lessons he learned that set him up for life in the show biz.
Q: So how did the project come about?
A: I had been working as a PA (production assistant) on big Hollywood blockbusters like Deadpool, War for the Planet of the Apes, and Power Rangers during the week and writing at the weekends. PA work is great but your not involved with the creative process. I met a few like-minded people in the same boat as me, actors, directors, DPs, etc all looking to be more creative. We sat down and hatched a plan to make a horror short and use it as a calling card.
Q: Sounds pretty straightforward.
A: Oh gosh, it was anything but!
Q: Oh no, what happened?
A: Straight away, me and the director had issues. To explain, I would write and produce, and someone I knew would direct. I fully understood that there will be creative differences but there was push back from the director on everything… and I mean everything.
Q: Can you give us an example?
A: Sure. Locations. Crew. Food. The script. Castings. The whole idea was it was meant to be a joint effort. We’d all chip in and have something we created and be proud of at the end of it. But the director would throw a spanner in the works for everything and then sit back and watch me try to fix it.
Q: Stressful?
A: Immensely. We had decided to film the last act on 16mm, it was expensive and so much hassle. I was also running around like a headless chicken trying to put out all these practical fires.
Q: But I thought producers are shouty, powerful people on movies and tell everyone what to do?
A: Powerful, yes. I have been on lots of sets and the shouty producers wield the least respect. The mistake I made was try to do everything myself and not fight my corner. In my mind I kept saying to myself, you have to do it. It’s your responsibility. Not in a controlling way, more like a safety net. I should have sat back and let things run their course.
Q: What was the worse thing that happened on set?
A: So many to choose from! I lost the head at someone, which I’m not proud of. I was a shouty producer for a minute. I apologized after of course. But I think the worst thing was a heated confrontation with the director.
Q: What happened?
A: There’s a scene where our lead is followed by a car. They and the driver of the car have a conversation and then the car speeds away. The problem was the way it was being done… there wasn’t enough coverage to make it work. I told this to the director, they disagreed and we got into an argument in front of the cast and crew. Needless to say, when the editor put the film together there wasn’t enough coverage, so the entire sequence had to be cut.
Q: Any other incidents?
A: That was the worst. A few other small mishaps. We filmed it over two weekends and I remember when one of the leads came back the second weekend and had gotten their haircut! I had to go outside and count to ten…
Q: Honestly, sounds like a nightmare shoot.
A: Not at all. Was it tough? Yes. Did I learn from it? Absolutely. It’s probably one of the most valuable lessons I have learned in filmmaking and in some ways life.
Q: Can you go into a bit more detail?
A: I learned that the creative process is a powerful thing and not everyone is going to see things how you see them. Just because someone is eager to produce or direct or act or write doesn’t mean you should work with them.
Q: How have you applied what you learn during the making of The Night Girl to the rest of your career?
A: I think I have a better feel for people now, what they’re about. The director on The Night Girl has gone off and done other things and had some success but looking back they weren’t the right fit for the project. Making movies is hard and you don’t want to spend a couple of weeks or months working with someone you don’t get along with.
Q: So safe to say, you’ll be sticking to screenwriting and won’t be producing anytime soon?
A: On the contrary, I’m going back to Canada and producing something I wrote this year hopefully.
Q: Why the change of heart?
A: After the problems on The Night Girl, I said to myself I was done with producing but a few months later I was the personal assistant to producer Scott Bernstein. He has been in the industry for years with Universal and had produced Straight Outta Compton. Seeing how he did things really opened my eyes. I learned a lot from just watching him, how he would interact with people and evaluate situations. I saw areas where I could improve and I worked on them.
Q: So whatever became of The Night Girl?
A: It did the rounds at a few festivals, won some awards. A few people in the industry have seen it and contacted me over the years, so I suppose it paid off in the end! I’m very proud of our little movie. Everyone who worked on it did a great job. I made some great friends through it and some of the actors have gone on to have great careers, especially Kimi Alexander. So in the end it all worked out!
Q: You are a successful screenwriter now. Did making The Night Girl help?
A: It made me understand the connection between words on the page to words coming out of an actor’s mouth which I think is important. Also, the industry love when people go out on their own and make something. They respect it. I pitched an idea to a producer once and he asked me if I’d made anything, so I sent him The Night Girl. He didn’t like my pitch but liked the short so he hired me to work on one of his ideas.
Q: Any advice for anyone thinking of dipping their toe into producing?
A: Do it! Go in headfirst. Go in deep, all in. You won’t drown and you’ll come out the other side with a greater appreciation of filmmaking! Also, make sure to have lots of food on set!
Q: So what have you got coming up this year?
A: I have three movies I co-wrote coming out in the summer and I’m currently working on a TV show for a cable network.
You can view Niall’s short The Night Girl just follow the link below;
Reference URL: https://www.huffingpost.ga/from-horror-short-to-hollywood-success/
