Life Unexpected may be on a holiday hiatus right now, not premiering new episodes until the final two air back-to-back on January 18th, but the cast and crew certainly aren't just resting on their laurels! Not only did series creator and showrunner Liz Tigelaar and series stars Kristoffer Polaha, Shiri Appleby, and surprise guest Austin Basis take part in Los Angeles non-profit IBG Inc's Conversation Series event this past weekend, but Tigelaar herself seems to be working over time to provide the fans with behind-the-scenes photos and videos from the past two shortened seasons of her little show that could. And she is not alone! Basis himself is on the promotional track right now, not only for Life Unexpected but also for an independent horror film he shot before becoming Mr. Math Rogers, Re-Cut.
Re-Cut tells the story of two young documentary filmmakers (one played by Basis) who are determined to get an interview with reality star-turned-TV-reporter Meredith Phillips, playing a version of herself. When they arrive at her broadcast studio, they are rebuffed...until she gets a story that could make her career and needs them to tag along as her camera crew. They do, assuming they'll get even better footage for their documentary, but very quickly they find themselves in over their head in a backwoods town full of the evil that people do.
The film, shot in only two weeks, is verite style, handheld and from the point of view of the characters with the cameras, giving it a Blair With Project feel. In the years since that independent horror "true" story was released, a slew of others have cropped up trying to capture the inherent emotional response from an audience thinking they are watching actual events unfold and actual people get chased, tortured, and scared...sometimes to death. But the current trend has been to utilize some sort of supernatural element ala Paranormal Activity or even Basis' other projects, The Ghostfacers (part of the Supernatural fandom). While screening Re-Cut, we must admit there are moments when we half-expect a spirit or being or demon to pop up and be the villain. But that moment never comes, and Re-Cut is a stronger-- and much more horrifying-- film for it.
We caught up with Basis in Los Angeles last week, just after he had packed up his Life Unexpected living arrangement and returned home. And he turned the tables on us a bit and started asking us questions about the film. The first thing he wanted to know? If it scared the sh*t out of us, like he hoped!
Well, we don't scared very often, but we had to admit we were certainly on the edge of our seat while watching. It was also one of those rare horror movies where you felt like you really had to sit down and watch, devoting all of your attention to the screen or you'd miss a creepy glance or lingering reaction shot or a quick cut of torture interspersed with the gentle, fun ribbing of characters on each other at a bar.
But of course the first thing we had to point out to him was how if this whole acting this gets tiring, he may want to try his hand as a cameraman. After all, now he has played filmmakers in a couple of projects, always given a camcorder as a prop, and occasionally actually shooting footage to use for the actual project while holding it.
Basis shared that in Re-Cut, though he was holding a camera and many of the shots were supposed to be from his camera's point of view, there was an extensive rehearsal process in which he showed the actual camera guys what his natural reaction in certain scenes would be so they could mimic his movements. The production schedule was so tight that first time feature director Fritz Manger most likely didn't want to chance not getting the shot in the hands of the actors, who had performances to worry about, as well.
Regardless of who was actually capturing the footage, the end result is a gritty, sometimes uncomfortable visit with men who like to slice each other just to hear them scream. However, in adopting the format that it does, it is not a straight slasher movie. These filmmakers are not in the snuff film/exploitation business, and their natural human instinct is not to linger on what may make a person squirm. But of course they do not keep control of their equipment for the entire film, and it is in those moments when the cameras get turned on them that things get quite a bit gorier.
Basis is no stranger to independent films, having also appeared in the emotional drama The Things We Carry as well as the lighter fare The Other End of the Line, alongside Jesse Metcalfe. That latter film he shared was shot in India for America, which was a completely different experience because although the sets built greatly resembled anything we'd see in an office here, there is just a different feel to working overseas, especially in a country which such great cultural and climate differences!
It was the characters, Basis said, that drew him to the script. It may be a surprising thing to hear about a horror film; generally character development in those are not very deep. But something about the guys spoke to Basis, and he knew he would have fun with the role and the project in general. Besides, the fans you pick up from genre work are like no other and will follow him anywhere!
Re-Cut is now available on demand and it has also played a few film festivals, so Basis can kind of sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor as fans finally start to react to the work. But that doesn't mean he isn't looking for the next project simultaneously.
Basis has been auditioning in Los Angeles and the one thing he expressed more than any other regarding deciding what to take next is that he really wants to be on a project that not only he believes in immensely but that the thinks those around him do, as well. The entertainment industry really is a collaborative, team effort to launch a project and get people excited about it. And wants to continue the level of quality he has set forth with excellent scripts like Life Unexpected and Re-Cut but also with quality people surrounding the projects.
With a strong talent and a smart attitude about the business side of this art form, we know wherever Basis goes next will be made even better with his involvement!
Want to stay up-to-date on all things Austin Basis? Become a fan of his on Facebook! And of course subscribe to this page and follow LA TV Insider Examiner on Twitter because we will be covering his career and whatever TV show he pops up on next!
Comments