Exclusive Interview: Richard Bailey (The Dark Sisters)
What was the first film that you saw that made you want to get into filmmaking and how did you go from film fan to filmmaker?
I’m afraid this isn’t going to sound very grass-roots horror. But when I was a kid, I saw a commercial for Calvin Klein’s Obsession that featured simple but haunting images and voice over narration taken from Fitzgerald’s Gatsby. I grew up remotely on a small farm, and I remember thinking this advertisement is the most artful thing I’ve ever seen. It was alluring, but also macabre and seemed like a dream. At the time, it was unusual to see something so searching and odd come on regular TV. Much more high-minded than the stuff that regularly reached us at the farm. I found out later the ad was directed by David Lynch. Upon first seeing it, I started to wonder very seriously about images — images made of pictures and images made of words. That’s when I got interested in going to college. For the first time, I encountered something I truly wanted to learn more about. How were images created? What made them last in the mind? Film school answered a lot of questions for me, but the desire to know came out of that ad by David Lynch.
THE DARK SISTERS (2023) will be coming out from BayView Entertainment later this year. What can viewers expect from seeing the film?
They’ll find eye-popping visuals, intense situations, and the casting of spells. I hope everyone is looking forward to the spells.
There are some wonderful locations in THE DARK SISTERS (2023) captured beautifully on screen. Where did you shoot the film?
It was shot at Caddo Lake in Texas, a place that looks positively prehistoric. There seems to be every variety of growing things there, and it all seems to be dreaming.
Do you have a specific genre of film that you feel pulled to doing or as a filmmaker do you like to spread your wings and see how far you can take your talent for filmmaking?
As I grow older, I delve deeper into macabre themes. Typically it’s the other way around, right? New filmmakers make their bones doing macabre work and then branch off into more commercial endeavors. I’m backwards, I guess. With each project, I’m drawn to darker thoughts in cinema, with a growing interest in cinema’s potential to work like a spell. To be clear, I haven’t grown more pessimistic with age. I’m a happy person with normal routines. Thinking deeply about the macabre hasn’t diminished my enjoyment for life. The gift of macabre art is that it reminds viewers they are not living in the worst possible world. It prepares them for difficulty and can be a way through grief. I’m talking about macabre art in its most creative and intelligent forms. In this way, macabre art prompts a style of imaginative discourse that is mysteriously therapeutic. That’s what I’m interested in pursuing.
As a filmmaker you are tasked with many potential challenges not just on set but throughout the whole filmmaking journey. What for you is the biggest challenge?
I wish I had a more harrowing answer for you. But my challenge is a common one: it’s money. I don’t obsess about money, but it is consistently the highest hurdle. I’m very fortunate in the creative and technical aspects of filmmaking. I’m a fan of live theater, and I often meet wonderful actors looking to try something new in cinema — something drama-based but experimental. On the technical side, I’m in partnership with a great DP, Jay Flowers. Jay and I have been a two-person crew on three feature films together. But there are still some steep expenses, even when you’re careful to employ a small cast and crew. Money is the hardest problem to solve. The angel on my shoulder tells me, “Relax, you’re with intelligent and capable people.” The devil on my shoulder says, “You’ll never pull this off on such a tiny budget.”
Was there any music composed specifically for the film? If so, who wrote it, and what was the inspiration behind it?
I love the music in The Dark Sisters! The majority of the music is by Jay Flowers, who is also the DP. There is also a recurring theme by Cory Perschbacher. This is my first time to work with Cory, and I am very impressed with his contribution. Jay is a marvel, and I’m lucky to have him. Prior to working with cameras, Jay studied fine art. He created smart and moving aural installations. And he’s always kept up the art of experimental music, even though his time is mostly spent working as a photographer and cinematographer. I think the music in this movie is perfectly atmospheric and thrilling.
Are there any Easter eggs or hidden messages in the film that viewers might not be aware of upon the first watch?
Yes, the Easter eggs are spells. Please allow for the possibility of falling under a spell. Spells involve ritualistic language and ritualistic deeds. My tools are voice over and montage. These aren’t art house flourishes for me, no way. The stylistic content is in service of a spell. In order for it to take effect, some reverence — or at least patience — is required of the audience. I must hurry up to add that I’m not expecting to control or influence behavior. The spell is to create a special atmosphere for the viewer and invite wonder. My goal is to delight.
Are there any behind-the-scenes stories that you can share with us?
The movie was shot in seven days with seven people for seven thousand dollars. How about that? We were in a beautiful location, throughout. The production had been planned for a year. Downtime was built into the schedule for the actors, so that they could take in the scenery or just hang out at their cabin and enjoy being away from the city. We went into nature without generators, chemicals or shears. We were quiet and respectful. It was a glorious time! And we came back with a movie that’s not like any other movie.
What do you think the future of filmmaking holds?
In a word, hybridity. Hybridity is the future in all things. For filmmakers, it’s the crossing of narrative forms and the crossing of technologies. Nothing new springs from purist thinking. One thing crossing with another thing invites new possibilities and fresh thinking.
Finally, what projects do you have coming up?
There’s a project called Howler. It’s about a poet on the eve of receiving a major award. But as friends and colleagues gather, our poet, who is usually a disciplined and scholarly person, threatens to discard her speech and speak instead of an apocalyptic vision. Is it the stress of the award that’s causing this or is something metaphysical happening? She’s crossing from the creative imagination into the prophetic imagination. It’s a journey accommodated by weird and dreamy visuals. I’m tremendously excited about this!
Interview by Peter ‘Witchfinder‘ Hopkins
You can stay up to date with Richard Bailey and his work via the social media links below:
Instagram: @tropicpicturesfilm
Facebook: @ArtfulCinema