BITS 2018: THE WHISTLER BLOWS FRIGHT

Jenny:  The Whistler is about a teenager named Lindsey Weaver, who is forced to babysit her little sister, Becky, one night, when, after falling asleep, wakes up in the middle of the night to find her little sister gone. An evil entity, similar to that of the Pied Piper, has taken Becky, and Lindsey is determined to find her…

Jenny:  The Pied Piper is about a man who comes to the town of Hamelin who promises to get rid of the town’s rat problem, but when the townspeople refuse to pay him, he leads their children away by the sound of his pipe, and in the original version, leads the children over the cliff to their death. It is a classic German folktale.

Jenny:  I think making a short horror is a way, as an indie filmmaker, to show what you can do as a filmmaker in order to make a feature-length. At least, that was the intention in our case. So, The Whistler is actually a proof of concept for our feature film that I’ve written. Our hope was to create the atmosphere in the short that we intend to deliver with the feature! As for a strategy to scare the audience, I think it’s an opportunity to try to create a film that is able to create those scares in only a short period of time, which is difficult. I find a feature takes time to build tension and has more room to play with scares and building the story. So showing that you can do that in a short is very important, and certainly the most difficult part!

Jenny:  We were very lucky to find Baya! I had just arrived in Vancouver, and I wanted to shoot this short, but I didn’t know very many people and ended up posting a casting notice on Actors Access. Baya auditioned, and was so natural, and thoughtful, and responded well to the notes I gave her. It was a no-brainer to choose her! We were lucky enough to find all our other actors by word of mouth, and pairing Baya with Karis as sisters really worked well, as Karis was initially our reader for casting! We shortly realized Karis would be right for the role and asked her to audition. It was fun to see the two actresses work together already in the audition stage.

Jenny:  Yes, the score of this film is very important in creating the proper tension and atmosphere I wanted to create. Luckily, my brother, Emmett Lee Stang, and I have worked together in the music industry and film industry for years, and work very easily together, so it was a fast and easy process after discussing what was needed for the film to execute a score that hit the nail on the head. We wanted to suggest the feeling from the old Puritan world of Colonial America without making it too obvious, and making the feel work for the modern-day story taking place in the film. I think Emmett delivered that feeling perfectly!

Jenny:  I can’t speak for all women in the industry. The only person I am able to represent is myself, and the only experience I have is my own. I can say that I have been lucky to explore my ideas creatively thus far, and hope to be seen as a filmmaker rather than a female filmmaker, recognized for my work rather than my gender. My experience thus far has been an exciting one and I’m grateful to have had the opportunities in directing, writing, and producing, and lucky to work with some very talented individuals!

Jenny:  Winning awards and being selecting into festivals has been incredible, receiving support from all over the world. It has certainly been a surprise, as you don’t really know how your film will be received. We are very grateful for the recognition, and I hope this will only encourage us to continue to do better work going forward in film!

Jenny:  Blood in the Snow has been an incredible festival. The programmers and volunteers have been warm and welcoming, and the screenings, panels and events have been so well organized. BITS make it a really nice time for us filmmakers! We’re really lucky that our film has been selected into their festival this year, and it is always exciting to see what other innovative projects other filmmakers are currently making! There is always a great deal to learn, and there has been a lot to enjoy at this festival!