Difficult to make a film just for the money: Byrne
Director Sean Byrne has been offered “generic horror films” due to the international festival success of his debut feature The Loved Ones, but he’s turned them down because a career path is more important than money or visibility.
“I couldn’t do [these generic films]. A film takes two years of your life; you have to get out of bed and inspire a cast and crew. You must do it for the right reasons, and if the blueprint has problems it’s just doomed to failure. I would never do something just for the money, because it’s such a public medium that at the end of the day, everyone’s going to see it,” Byrne told Encore.
Byrne said that whether or not he stays in Australia depends on the material he is offered.
“I’d rather stay in Australia if the material is strong enough. The second film is so crucial to setting up a director’s career; if I deliver the stock standard horror film – the very thing that i was trying to subvert with The Loved Ones and the very reason I made it – I’ll probably end up as a straight-to-DVD director, so I really want to find something that’s interesting.
“That’s why i’m writing something myself and I’m also reading projects. I’m just keeping my options open; it’s all about the concept – even if the script needs a lot of work, if the idea is strong, it’s all worth it; otherwise you’ll get nowhere no matter how much work you put into it,” he said.
The writer/director is currently working on a home invasion thriller that he hopes will be “a new take on the genre”, and he’s also attached to direct a script by Rob Beamish, who wrote Byrne’s short film Advantage.
The Loved Ones will be released on September 30.
