Canberra creatives are once again proving that the local film industry is alive and well with the production of the new film Break A Leg. Created by Kaitlyn Boye (actor, co-writer and director) and Brendan Kelly (actor and co-writer), the pair are offering a love letter to horror and the local industry.
Disgraced child star Molly McGrath hopes to return to acting after a five-year break and heads to an audition at a theatre, where aspiring actor Patrick Flynn hopes to finally catch his big break. The pair are the only ones to turn up and instantly get off on the wrong foot, after a while they realise that no one else is coming, not even the director.
To make it out alive, the pair have to put aside their egos and work together while navigating a space that is already home of illusion and delusion where strange encounters have them struggling to figure out what is real and what is not.
Horror comedy and meta-commentary, the film is a self-aware narrative that explores the nature of the entertainment industry – the egos, exploitation and standards that are set for those participating.
“It is a story around the question of how hard we push ourselves, and where we suffer for our art. Are we dying for it? Are we dying because of it?” says Kaitlyn.
The screenplay was created with both humour and horror as a way to explore their own personal questions related to the screen industry. A performance-driven film, the pair started the writing with the development of the characters. Although Molly and Patrick are both deeply flawed, they are based on reality and questions the creators asked themselves.
“What is the worst version either of us could be? The worst version of an actor or artist? What are our worst fears about where we could end up or who we could be? They’re definitely real people, a horror story of what happens when we let ego get in the way,” says Kaitlyn.
Knowing they wanted to shoot in a theatre, once they had the full support of The Q – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, they wrote the rest of the script for that location. A building housing spooky backstage hallways and its own resident ghost, who can be heard playing the violin, the location was perfect for the film.
“Before we went in, we heard stories about the theatre being haunted from the staff or people who worked there. People who do the lighting rigs were talking about how high the activity is at 3am,” says Kaitlyn.
Having worked at The Q onstage and behind the scenes before, Brendan says he always got a vibe from the theatre. Lights flickered when they mentioned a ghost, the lighting setting cleared themselves and more spooky encounters happened over the course of filming, especially for Brendan who was often the last to leave.
“There was one night where I was locking up and I do the calls down the hallway to check if anyone’s still there and then this shelving unit that we had installed fell onto the floor about half a second later,” says Brendan.
The creators wanted to have something in the film all lovers of the genre could enjoy, from gore to psychological intensity and the feeling of something lurking just around the corner. As horror lovers themselves, they know the different genres well.
“There’s no subgenre of horror that I don’t like to watch and deconstruct and find the formula and categorise. Then there are the amazing ones, which I think we have kind of done with ours as well, where it is hard to nail down what subgenre it is – it’s a mix and something unique,” says Brendan.
Created for the community of horror lovers by a community of mostly local filmmakers, they are also hoping the community will support them in creating the best film they can. Now in post-production, the independent filmmakers have launched a crowdfunding campaign in hopes of raising funds for excellent sound design and finishing touches.
“I have redefined my idea of success in the last couple of years and it is all around community and what are we doing this for if it is not for people and for each other,” smiles Kaitlyn.
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