Unidentified is now available on DVD & digital download and we caught up with Jason R. Miller to ask him about his feature directorial debut. Continue reading to learn about the challenges he faced getting this movie made, working on the script with the movie's stars, his favorite on-set moment, and what he's working on next:
Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Jason. You've been working on horror movies for a number of years. What was it about Unidentified that made you want to move forward with it as your directorial debut?
Jason R. Miller: Well, I felt it was time for me to branch out and direct something on my own instead of just producing and directing 2nd unit for other filmmakers. I had a completed script that I really wanted to make (and still do!), but I knew I wouldn’t get the budget I needed for that one to be my first feature, so I was about to start writing a smaller script when Parry Shen emailed me and asked me if I had any interest in UFOs. I said OF COURSE, I love all things Sci-Fi!
Is this an idea you've been kicking around for a while or was it something that came to you recently?
Jason R. Miller: So when Parry emailed me, he told me that his friend Eddie Mui had an idea for a found footage film where a few friends go to Vegas and then stumble across a UFO landing site. Parry liked the idea, but that was all it was; just an idea and he knew he would need to find a writer / director who could pull everything off on a really small budget. Because we are friends, he knew that I was looking for a feature to direct and that in addition to writing and directing, I would also be able to produce, edit and do the visual effects.
You worked with Eddie Mui and Parry Shen on the story. How close is the original story and script to the final film?
Jason R. Miller: Like I said, Eddie had this kernel of an idea, so once I agreed to do the movie, I wrote up a treatment and then over the course of two lunch meetings Eddie, Parry and myself fine tuned the story. Then my plan was to write a very loose script so the actors could improv most of it, but after we did a little test filming, I realized that things would move a lot faster if I wrote everything out and the guys could work off of that and add to it. So we took two weeks off and I wrote all the dialogue. Then, of course, when we were on set, the selfish writer in me wanted them to stick to my dialogue! (Laughing) But there is quite a bit of great improv throughout the film.
With this being your first full feature as a director, what would you say was your biggest challenge in getting this movie off the ground?
Jason R. Miller: I was really worried to have the entire project fall on my shoulders, but I quickly realized that the actual directing was the easiest part. When it comes to a micro-budget filmmaking, the “Producer” role becomes very important and stressful. We had never tried to put together financing before this, so we didn’t know it would be such a long difficult process. Luckily we didn’t let that stop us. We shot as much as we could on almost no money until I had enough footage to put together a trailer. Then I started sending the trailer around to the various studios until Dark Sky came on board and they put up the money to finish the film and took care of distribution. Once the papers were all signed we all collectively took a breath of relief and we were able to finish the movie. Parry also stepped up as a producer in a big way and took a lot of the weight off of my shoulders.
Mixing comedy and horror can be a tricky balance. Which do you prefer as a writer/director or which comes easier to you?
Jason R. Miller: It totally is tricky. I had this idea to follow the structure of one of my favorite films: FROM DUSK TILL DAWN. It’s a great action thriller for the first half and then it takes a huge left turn into vampire horror. I love that about the film, so when I was writing the story for UNIDENTIFIED I realized that the structure of that film would work pretty well in a found footage movie. It’s a great way to get comfortable with the main characters while you’re on the journey with them to Vegas and then if I did my job correctly, when the shit hits the fan, you stick with them for all the Sci-Fi craziness.
As for which genre I prefer, I think I’m more comfortable with comedy, but I love both and eventually I want to work in every genre.
Do you have a favorite on-set moment that you could share with our readers?
Jason R. Miller: YES! There’s a scene right before the guys go to the “Special” poker game in Vegas where they are parked at a fast food joint and just talking. That wasn’t in the script. We were just there in between locations and Eddie started telling us this story about how he poops a lot when he’s out of town. Parry nudged me and I picked up the camera and pressed record. So Nick’s story is all EDDIE and his reaction to when he sees the camera is totally real!
The funniest part of that was a review I read for the movie where they said the writing in that scene was so ridiculous it couldn’t be real. I almost spit out my coffee when I read that one.
With Unidentified wrapped up and now being seen by genre fans from around the world, what's next for you?
Jason R. Miller: I like to try new things. I’m kind of all over the place with the movies I want to make. I made my found footage movie so I can check that off my list. Now I have a script that’s a straight up fighting action movie in the vein of THE RAID with a little SAW thrown into it. I’m really excited for that one! It’s really fast paced and brutal! But I also have to secure the financing before it becomes a reality. Fingers crossed!
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To learn more about Unidentified, check out the trailer and clip below, or visit:
"During a wild weekend in Las Vegas, four young friends get into trouble with a loan shark and must skip town in a hurry. But gambling debts may be the least of their worries after they get stranded in the vast Nevada desert. One of the guys discovers a mysterious metal fragment and then promptly goes missing during the night. When the remaining three catch up with their lost friend, they notice something oddly different about him. As his condition worsens, the others realize that some unearthly being may be stalking them in the wilderness."
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