Q&A with BEHIND YOU Co-Writers/Directors Andrew Mecham and Matthew Whedon

An aunt's house harbors a sinister secret behind covered mirrors in the new horror film Behind You, starring Addy Miller and Elizabeth Birkner. The feature film directorial debut of Andrew Mecham and Matthew Whedon, Behind You is out now on VOD from Vertical Entertainment, and to celebrate its release, we caught up with Mecham and Whedon for our latest Q&A feature to discuss how they got involved with the production, collaborating on the script, working with their talented cast, and what we can expect from their next film.

You can read our Q&A with Mecham and Whedon below, and to learn more about Behind You, visit:

• https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/behind-you/umc.cmc.5u1pzzesns27tr4jftdcumbf2

Thanks for taking the time to catch up with us, and congratulations on Behind You! I understand that you both met at Salt Lake City Comic-Con. Can you talk about what made you want to work together as directors and writers?

Matthew Whedon: When Andrew and I first met at Salt Lake Comic Con, I was already looking to connect with people who were producing stuff in the lower budget arena. I had written a bunch of higher budget spec scripts that got good coverage, but by that time, it was difficult to get them made. Andrew had read one of my scripts and liked it, and we hit it off personally, so we started working on some ideas together, including one for a western horror mash-up called Wolf Creek, and one about an underground fight club where people fight actual monsters, called Undeadageddon.

Andrew Mecham: Matt and I dipped our toes into working together on a few scripts. We really clicked on the collaborative process that we developed and ended up writing four or five other projects. Behind You happened to be the first one that made it into production and we were excited to make something that was a take on classic supernatural horror.

When you were deciding what film to work on together first, what was it about Behind You that made it the right fit, and how long did you work on the screenplay before filming began?

Matthew Whedon: Behind You was not actually something that Andrew and I developed together from the ground up. I was brought on fairly late in the process. But a previous writer had gone in a direction the producers of the film weren’t really happy with, so basically, we had to start from the ground up. We really only had just about a month to finish the script, as it had to be shot that August/September. It was a mad dash, but we were anxious to get our feet wet at that point, even at the risk of drowning.

Andrew Mecham: Honestly, it was the first one that we were able to get off the ground. It actually came together rather quickly and we had to make some very quick adjustments to the script and put it together faster than would have been ideal, but we learned a lot from that and we're proud of what we were able to do considering our limitations.

Where did filming take place, and how many days did you have in your shooting schedule?

Matthew Whedon: The movie was shot in one house in Provo, Utah over 14 days.

Andrew Mecham: We filmed the movie in 15 days, on location in Provo, Utah. Our shooting script had something like 115 pages, though, which was way too ambitious. I think we cut 10–15 pages while filming.

This movie features a great cast, including Elizabeth Birkner and Addy Miller, who many horror fans know as the walker from the first scene of AMC’s The Walking Dead. What was it like working with Miller and Birkner to bring this story to life?

Matthew Whedon: Both Addy and Elizabeth got on well and were a pleasure to work with. Addy had never had a leading role in a film as far as I know, and it was Elizabeth’s first film. We shot mainly at night with long hours, so it was challenging, but both of them held up well. I was particularly impressed with how prepared and mature Elizabeth was at ten years old. She’s a real trooper and talent.

Andrew Mecham: Addy and Elizabeth are so wonderful to work with. It's astounding how much they were able to bring to their roles at such a young age. We were so impressed at how much preparation went into their roles before even showing up to set.

Were you influenced or inspired by any other films—horror or otherwise—while making Behind You?

Matthew Whedon: As I said before, Behind You wasn’t something that I was involved in from the beginning, so many aspects of the story were already baked in when I came on board, so I can’t say there is a particular film that influenced me personally. I will say that I am not all that attracted to jump scary, carnival ride type horror. Not that there is anything wrong with it. It’s just not my thing. I prefer more classic horror movies, and in particular ones that are rich in symbolism and touch on deeper psychological fears rather than just the startle reflex.

Andrew Mecham: In terms of production design, we always loved the look of The Shining and we wanted to mimic that tone. Justin [Partridge], our production designer, did a remarkable job of catching that vision and doing so much with a very modest budget.

Looking back at your time on set, is there a favorite or memorable moment that stands out?

Matthew Whedon: I liked it when the actors all started losing their minds and giggling like children at stupid stuff. It’s always fun to see actors’ guards breaking down over time as they become simultaneously more exhausted and relaxed. That is also sometimes when they give their most heartfelt performances, maybe because heart is the only thing they have left at that point, and they stop overthinking.

Andrew Mecham: Our time was so limited. We had to shoot something like eight pages of script per day, which is ambitious even in the independent/low budget world. The day Elizabeth filmed her encounter with the demon, it was very overwhelming and scary for her. She'd been sleeping because it was after 3:00am and she had an hour or two between scenes. We woke her up and brought her to what was one of the scariest scenes to do with an actor in full prosthetics. We had to shut down filming for the day because it was just too much for her and our schedule was so tight we thought that might be detrimental to our film. But we made the decision with Elizabeth and her mom to try again the next day and Elizabeth was amazing. She's such a pro.

Was there anything that you learned while directing your first feature film that you look forward to carrying over into your next project?

Matthew Whedon: Not just one thing. Mucho things. Too many to name. The whole thing was just one big, long, humbling learning experience. One big lesson I would say I took away is to not try to do too much. You have to fit the project to the budget, unless you are lucky enough to be able to work the other way around. Think carefully about what you can actually accomplish within your means before you start, because if you don’t, you’re going to be figuring out as you go, and that is going to give you fits and ruin your sleep.

Andrew Mecham: I think I learned that you can't shortcut pre-production and I learned what needs to be prioritized in pre-production. We made a few mistakes and Behind You is far from a perfect film, but I think you'll find that it has some heart and I hope people take something positive out of it.

Matthew, you come from a family of talented writers. How did growing up in that environment impact your approach to the craft?

Matthew Whedon: Craft-wise, I’m not sure. I don’t think it did all that much. Writing is kind of a solitary endeavor. I would definitely say that as a family we are our own best critics, as we are pretty honest and up front with each other when it comes to art. There is certainly no one in my immediate family I would hesitate to get feedback from on my work, because I know they would have something on point and useful to say, and I have definitely gotten notes from my Dad and brothers from time to time. We also did a lot of creative stuff together growing up and a lot of creative “riffing”, which helps to exercise the creative muscle.

Andrew Mecham: If you're wondering, I grew up in a family of cooks.

Ultimately, what do you hope viewers take away from Behind You?

Matthew Whedon: I hope people will be able to get some of the deeper symbolism of the movie. Mirrors play a part in it, but not merely as a mechanical device. There is also a sense in which the evil is really a reflection of the characters themselves, and even when the girls arrive at their Aunt’s house, she sees the reflection of herself and her own past in them. I hope people will be able to see some of those symbolic reflections and not just the physical ones. I also hope they will remember we made it in a month and fourteen days for no money.

Andrew Mecham: Behind You is about bringing the pain of our past into the rest of our lives and trying to overcome it. I hope that message comes through and that there are a few scares in there as well.

With Behind You coming out on VOD from Vertical Entertainment, what other projects do you have coming up?

Matthew Whedon: We just finished shooting another micro-budget horror movie called The Nameless Days, starring Charles Halford and Ally Ioannides that takes place on the Texas/Mexico border and involves Aztec mythology. And we have several other projects in various stages of fruition.

Andrew Mecham: We just wrapped production on a new film Matt and I wrote and directed called The Nameless Days. It's our sophomore project and I'm excited for people to see the ways we've grown as writers and filmmakers.