An in-depth free-flowing conversation with writer/director/actor talking about the making of his latest macabre thriller, DEMIGOD, and more!
MILES DOLEAC is one of those independent filmmakers to whom I give my unending support and on whose journey I have been fortunate enough to tag along on since his very first film, THE HISTORIAN, and its world premiere at Dances With Films almost a decade ago. With each subsequent film, his stories and scripts have become richer, darker, and more intricately fascinating as Miles melds his passions for history and mythological lore into visual tapestries that are often blood-soaked and visceral in not only each film’s style and look, but in the evocative emotional temperature. Now with DEMIGOD, Miles ups the ante and ratchets up the cinematic temperature even higher, taking us deep into the lore of Cernunnos as ancient beliefs meet the 21st Century.
DEMIGOD is the story of Robin, a woman who spent her early years in the Black Forest of Germany with her grandfather Karl before suddenly being whisked away, never returning until now, decades later, with Karl’s passing and learning he has left his forest home and all possessions to her. What begins as a trip down memory lane as Robin talks about her childhood and Karl to her husband Leo suddenly turns a bit fearful as the couple encounters local hunter Arthur and his young daughter Amalia. But as night falls, fear turns into terror with the arrival of dark forces serving the legendary god Cernunnos and Robin realizes that the stories told her by her grandfather were not some dark Grimm fairy tales, but horrifying truths which she must now face if she, Leo, and others, are to survive the night.
Directed by MILES DOLEAC and written by Doleac and Michael Donovan Horn, DEMIGOD stars Rachel Nichols as Robin along with Miles Doleac adding actor to his many hats here as Arthur and, among others, Jeremy London, Elena Sanchez, Lindsay Anne Williams, Yohance Miles, Manon Pages, Sarah Fisher, Christian Stokes, Tatiana Piper, and Rachel Ryals.
Making the filming of DEMIGOD interesting is that the film was shot during the pandemic during lockdowns with extreme protocols in place, creating new challenges not only for filmmaking on the whole but particularly for independent filmmakers where every dollar counts and there are never any to spare; something which now must be taken into account for budgeting to cover Covid testing costs as well as thinking through shooting locations. Listen as Miles discusses not only the pandemic influences on DEMIGOD but considerations now imposed on future films which hopefully, will not impede the creativity of any filmmaker in their storytelling.
Diving deep into DEMIGOD, Miles talks about shooting the film in the contained Mississippi wilderness area of Little Black Creek which served not only as the perfect substitute for Germany’s Black Forest, but also provided the bounty and beauty of Mother Nature for cinematographer Nathan Tape’s creative lighting and lensing. Adding another layer, and challenge, to the production is that the majority of the film exteriors at night. And what about the German dialogue? Fortunately, not only does Miles speak German, but one of his principal actors is fluent in the language and was able to work with the other actors on pronunciation and inflection with the dialogue. (And no worries, folks. There are subtitles in those scenes but the visuals are so strong you know what’s happening without knowing the words!)
Leaving no stone unturned in this exclusive interview, MILES DOLEAC lays it all bare discussing the story, the myth of Cernunnos, crafting the characters, casting and how to compensate when 4 actors test positive for Covid before flying in for the shoot, cinematographer Nathan Tape and their development of the visual tonal bandwidth and decision to use Lomo anamorphic lenses, costuming, hair and make-up and prosthetics for the witches and their enforcer Grimur (who knew witches needed an enforcer!) as well as Cernunnos, juggling hats and directing a film while being one of the principal actors, working with a minor (Rachel Ryals, who is a scene-stealer), sound design and ADR, dealing with the weather, and so much more. . .
TAKE A LISTEN. . .
by debbie elias, exclusive interview September 24, 2021
And tune in to #BTLRadioShow on Monday, October 11th at 11am PT/2pm ET on AdrenalineRadio.com as MILES DOLEAC will be joining me live to talk more about DEMIGOD!
DEMIGOD is in select theatres, On Demand, and on all digital platforms on October 15th!
