The
Arrow interviews Darren Bousman
Who is Darren Bousman? Well unless
you’ve been living under a foot for the last months, you’ll know that
he’s the virtual unknown who was given the biggest shot of his
writing/directing career thus far when given the task to direct SAW
II. Yup, the sequel to the smash hit SAW. I caught up with Darren to
talk SAW shop and here’s what he carved in my forehead.
What’s your
favorite horror movie(s)?
Last House on
The Left, Henry Portrait of A Serial Killer… Even today after
watching those films, I feel like I need to shower. They are raw,
intense, and unforgiving.
What’s your
filmmaking background?
I did a bunch of
cheap crappy short films in Kansas where I grew up. My parents
must’a been crazy cause they believed in them enough to send me to
film school in Florida at this place called FULLSAIL in Orlando.
That’s where I really learned the nuts and bolts of filmmaking. I
hooked up with a bunch of people I met in Orlando and started making
short films.
The short films
led to music videos. The music videos to commercials. The
commercials to this… Everything I have ever done prior was all on
a shoe-string budget… Not even shoe-string; shoe-string would
imply that I had SOME money for my projects… Most of the things I
did were me pooling a bunch of favors from everyone I knew around
town.
How did the SAW
2 gig find its way to you?
Luck, well, luck
and DAVID ARMSTRONG! I had written another script. This
claustrophobic horror ‘thing’ very violent, very in your face…
Anyway I was going all over town trying to find money to make it. I
was hitting dead ends everywhere. I was being told everywhere ‘it’s
way too violent’. Anyway, after a year of knocking on every horror
producers’ door, one finally opened up. This German Company…
Anyway, they dug the script and wanted to make it.
In the meantime,
my agent set me up with a meeting to meet with DP’s. The German
Company wanted to hire an American DP. The first guy I met with was
David Armstrong. David had just finished shooting SAW. He really
responded to my script, and loved the project. Halfway through our
meeting, he asked me if I was locked with this German Company,
because he wanted to show it to the SAW producers… The next day
the phone rings… It’s Gregg Hoffman… The rest is history…
Were you at all
intimidated in directing a follow up to such a successful original?
Are you kidding?
I wake up in
panic attacks every night! Somehow my email address got out. And
for a while there I was getting a ton of email from all over…
People in different cities, different states, different countries…
All of these people either wishing me luck, or telling me not to
fuck up the movie. Last year no one knew who I was… This year
people from all over the world are begging me not to ruin their
favorite horror movie… It’s a huge weight on my shoulders.
You wrote the
screenplay with Leigh Whannell; how would you describe the process?
Leigh is an
amazing writer! He’s also one sick guy!!! So it worked out great,
no one knows the Saw universe better than Leigh or James, so working
with those two guys really made me feel more comfortable journeying
into the sequel.
Throughout the
shoot, how much creative reign did you have on the film when taking
into account the producers/distributors who were attentively looking
over your shoulder?
Actually, a
lot. I mean there were times where I was bitched slapped around.
But all in all they let me do my thing… Gregg Hoffman was always
on set, and when he wasn’t napping, or playing BRICK BREAKER on his
Blackberry he really pitched in and made sure I got the shots I
wanted. My vision.
What would you
say was your biggest obstacle within this shoot?
Living up to the
hype of the first SAW. Also money and time… Both of which you
always hope to have more of. We shot the film in 25 days, which is
7 more days than the first SAW but, by no means an easy shooting
schedule. It’s the old adage, if I had 26 days, I would have wanted
27 – if I had 27 I would have wanted 28.
What was your
biggest surprise?
How much food in
my minibar cost! No joke, don’t even think about eating a Snickers
from a mini-bar… I learned the hard way! Kids learn from my
mistakes… Do not USE THE MINIBAR!!! (sighs) I think my biggest
surprise came from the actors – how great everyone was to work
with. How much they all brought to the table. I watched some of
these people growing up on TV and then step into a soundstage and
there they are, waiting for me… I love my cast! They took our
script to the next level – I was extremely lucky.
Visually, did
you stay close to the first film’s vibe and at the same time, what
did you do to make it your film?
Yes, David
Armstrong returns who shot the first film. He was invaluable to me
and the filming process. He, like James and Leigh, insured the film
had that same gritty feel and vibe as the first. Charlie Clouser
who created the score, Kevin Greutert, the editor, Dan Heffner one
of the co-producers and all the TWISTED PICTURES boys also came
back. It was important to keep the original creative team. SAW II
is vastly different however from its predecessor, yet still thrives
in the SAW universe. James and I share a lot of the same
influences, but at the end of the day we have different styles and
approaches to ‘getting the shot’.
Are we in for a
softer SAW then the original violence wise or a much rougher one?
"OH YES, THERE
WILL BE BLOOD", and a lot of it! SAW II is definitely a lot more
violent than the first; it’s much more unrelenting; from the second
it begins, to the final frame. But the movie plays on so many
levels other than ’just violence’ – but that being said – don’t
worry about the gore, cause it’s there. And a hell’uva lot of it
Is the door left
open for another sequel… if successful of course?
They don’t tell me these types of things… I
think any movie can have a sequel, regardless of if its left open
for one or not… I mean how many times has JASON died… How many
times did they blow up Jaws…?
I’d
like to thank Darren for checking into the site and would like to
wish him the best with SAW II. There’s a lot of pressure on the man,
this can make him or…well…not. We’re rooting for ya tough guy!
CHECK OUT THE
OFFICIAL SAW II SITE HERE
