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April 2015

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www.postmagazine.com 17 POST APRIL 2015 How early did you have to integrate post into the shoot? "Right from the start. Matt Lynn from Le- gion was on-set, supervising all the VFX, and we'd watch shots and construct them together. He was a big part of it." Do you like the post process? "I really love it, and it's by far my favorite part of the process. Everyone told me, it's where you really make and shape your film, and it's true. It's where you see ex- actly what you have and how to tell the story, and I loved the editing, where you can change and swap scenes and shots all day long if you want. The shoot is finite, but I loved the infinite possibilities of editing. For me, it's by far the most creative part of filmmaking." Where did you do the post? "We shot in LA and then edited at Blum- house on Avid." The film was edited by Timothy Alverson, who cut Orphan. How did that work? "We got on really well, which is very important when you're spending so much time together in a dark room. He worked with Joel Silver for many years, so he's been through the fire and is very experienced and very calm and unflappable — maybe he learned those skills working with Joel. He came on the set a bit, and we talked a lot before the shoot, and he began cutting while I was shooting, so he could show me certain sequences already cut. I really used him as a barometer for whether we had the shots we needed, and a couple of times he told me I needed to get a shot to tell the story properly, and he was always right." Talk about the visual effects shots in the film. How many are there? "Hundreds and hundreds, although most of them were little things, like painting out wires or someone's mic pack that's in the shot. I'm not a big fan of CGI that calls attention to itself, and a lot of CG films just look like high-end animation in the end, or videogames, whereas I love tactile things that look real. But VFX are amazing when you use them along with in-camera effects, and I try to keep it all looking as realistic as possible. Legion did all of the VFX, and they were very subtle, which I liked. Then, Greenhaus GFX did the main title sequences, which I was very happy with." Can you talk about music and sound? "It's at least half the medium — and es- pecially so in this type of film. The sound is what sells the scares, so I love going into the narrative behind every sound. So instead of just going, 'OK, we need a door sound here when she opens the door,' maybe the sound should be heavi- er if she's feeling depressed, or maybe the A/C should be on to add another layer. The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, my film school in Australia, where I first met James, was very big on sound, so it's always been hugely important to me. We did all the sound at Technicolor on the Paramount lot, and I was so thrilled to be working there. Every day I drove onto the lot, the film geek inside me got so excited, and I'd actually hang out and wander around after we finished the sessions. And what was also very exciting was that Craig Mann, our sound re-recording mixer, won the Oscar — along with Ben Wilkins and Thom- as Curley — for Whiplash while he was doing this. It's also very important to me that sound doesn't get short-changed, and that you have plenty of time to get it right in post." Where did you do the DI? "At Fotokem in Burbank, and the DP was there with colorist Walter Volpat- to — and it was awesome! It was such a lesson in learning about colors and hues I didn't even know existed. We were really stringent about the look, and the DI's like putting the icing on the cake, assuming you have the cake. Like editing, I just love all the possibilities you have in the DI." Did the film turn out as you had hoped? "It did. I'm very happy with it, and now I can't wait to direct again. I realize that starting with Insidious Chapter 3 and such an established franchise gave me a very cushioned debut as a director, and now I'd like to create whole new worlds and move into different genres. I've got to make up for lost time now, as I really feel I've discovered — if fairly late — what I really want to do." What's next? "I'm anxious to broaden my horizons beyond horror, and I already have several varied projects lined up. I co-wrote the upcoming Lionsgate horror-comedy Cooties with a friend of mine, Glee co-creator Ian Brennan. It premiered at Sundance and will be out in September, and it's as much a comedy as a horror film. Then I also wrote a sci-fi project called Stem, which I hope will start shooting this year, but not with me directing. Right now I'm writing a sci-fi thriller, which I hope to direct. I think it's important for me to direct an original piece next, not another sequel with a built-in fan base." Editing took place at Blumhouse. Fotokem handled the DI. DIRECTOR'S CHAIR

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