Q&A with DARK ENCOUNTER Writer/Director Carl Strathie

A girl's disappearance could be linked to strange lights from the stars in Dark Encounter, the latest otherworldly film from writer/director Carl Strathie. With Dark Encounter coming to DVD and Digital on January 7th, we caught up with Strathie to discuss the importance and attention to detail of setting his film in 1983, the cinematic influences that inspired him while making Dark Encounter, and the team effort it took to get the film across the finish line.

Thanks for taking the time to catch up with us, Carl, and congratulations on Dark Encounter! How and when did you get the idea for this film?

Carl Strathie: Thank you very much! The idea for Dark Encounter came in fragmented pieces over many years. I guess it started with my childhood fascination with UFOs and aliens. I used to have countless UFO books and various "caught on tape" VHS series, which I used to obsess over. I used to come up with stories quite young and I remember vividly at the age of about 12 sitting in my back garden on warm summer evenings on a picnic bench until dark, where our country garden used to back onto barley fields. I would have my Walkman on, playing spooky movie soundtracks, visualizing "lights in the sky" hovering over fields and through trees, witnessed by a family in a farmhouse looking on in awe. That was the root of the initial concept and it just grew over the years from there. The story of a little girl going missing, leading to the final act of the story (which I shall say nothing about...) was a completely separate idea I had, and I decided quite late on to merge the two concepts, creating what Dark Encounter is today.

How long did it take you to write the screenplay for Dark Encounter, and how many drafts did you go through before finishing the final version?

Carl Strathie: It didn't take me too long, maybe a month or so. I usually plan and plan and plan by hand, and then when I know every scene in and out, by heart, I start digitally writing the first draft. I think we went through roughly eight drafts.

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

Carl Strathie: I believe we had 30 shooting days in the schedule. Filming took place at the Highfield Grange Studio in York in the UK at Goldfinch. We knew early on that the film was set in the States and that we had to turn York, UK into Pennsylvania, USA. We very carefully selected our locations so that nothing looked stereotypically British, and a bit of unnoticeable but vital CGI enchantments from Viridian FX here and there. Viridian is an amazing VFX house based in the City of York. They're the next Weta Digital, or Industrial Light and Magic, for sure...

This movie is set in 1983. Were there any extra challenges on set to make this movie look and feel like it was taking place in the 1980s?

Carl Strathie: Firstly, I will say the reason for the setting of the particular era, which did truly baffle the studio and other departments. If you can imagine, shooting in today's era is cheaper and I was "irrationally" deciding to make a period film set in the ’80s, which does cost more! But I found if the film was set today, it would take away all the magic. We don't currently live in nostalgically magical times. I'm not a pessimistic person, but it's a throwaway society, to some extent. I am a technophobe, believe it or not, so my view may be a little biased, but I find no cinematic value in today's setting for this kind of story. Setting it in the ’80s isn't only currently commercially viable (Stranger Things, etc.), but I wanted to create a sense of nostalgia and familiarity with the family and the setting—something homely.

Also, the setting, in my opinion, makes it appear higher concept, giving more commercial value. Also, it's a nod to the films that inspired Dark Encounter of that era, specifically E.T., which I believe was released around about the same year. The art department did an astounding job in bringing the era to life. The sets were brilliantly designed by production designer Boadicea Shouls. The furniture and the props were very carefully selected. We decided early on that we couldn't just acquire dressing of the ’80s, that would be wrong. It's more ’60s and ’70s, most likely hand-me-downs from parents, grandparents, and family members, as people of that period and lifestyle wouldn't have the most modern everything. The same principle went through the costume department. Costume designer Heidi Miller created fantastically nostalgic costumes. But creating the era didn't just stop there. Sound design plays a huge part, the cast even had to consider how people acted back then. Cinematography couldn't be too modern, and director of photography Bart Sienkiewicz did an inhumanly astounding job at lighting the film to also suit the era of cinema. The challenges on set to make the film appear like it was taking place during the ’80s were extremely demanding, but very rewarding because of our fantastic team.

Were you influenced or inspired by any other alien movies while making Dark Encounter?

Carl Strathie: Massively! It is a love letter to various films of the era as a whole, but the biggest influences that involve aliens are Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which is the most obvious influence I would say. I find it to be more of a UFO film than an alien film, which always stuck with me. And I see Dark Encounter as a UFO film, rather than an alien film. So that was the biggest influence for sure. Then E.T., of course, and actually M. Night Shyamalan's Signs was an enormous influence. That film had a massive impact on me when I saw it. The set design was very inspiring, the soundtrack, but most importantly, the emotional, human core to the story, regardless of extraterrestrial influence.

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

Carl Strathie: If I'm honest, the entire experience was memorable. I enjoyed every moment, even when I was violently ill at the very start of the shoot! It started out as bronchitis, which we later learned was likely walking pneumonia! I think I was more Walking Dead... but the producer Charlette [Kilby] and the first assistant director Tom Bassett were amazing. They made sure I was comfortable and that the show kept on the road. That was probably my most memorable moment, because I realised how lovely filmmaking can be, how you can meet some genuinely lovely people and create everlasting friendships. Also, the cast were a dream. We bonded magnificently with some members, like Laura [Fraser], who I think we'll be friends with for a very long time.

Ultimately, what do you hope viewers take away from Dark Encounter?

Carl Strathie: Even though it is billed as a sci-fi horror, for me it's very different. It's a spiritual journey, if you open your mind to that side of things. It's a spiritual meditation of life and death, on love and loss. It's a study of consciousness, reality, families, and grief, and how people handle it differently. It's also mainly about moving on, learning to let go, and to accepting the saddest parts of life in order to truly live.

With Dark Encounter coming to VOD and DVD on January 7th, 2020, what other projects do you have coming up that you’re excited about, and where can our readers follow your work online?

Carl Strathie: We're currently in early development for our third feature film, set to start pre-production in the New Year with a shoot aimed for early 2020. We're moving away from science fiction with this one. And I'm continuously adding to our slate of screenplays and building contacts and possibilities. Regarding followers, we have a website (www.strathiefilm.com), a Strathie Film Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram under @strathiefilm, where we are always sharing filming tips and details on how we made our films. We strive to share knowledge and to inspire others who are also wanting to break into the industry. We like to constantly remind people it really is possible, you must just never give up.