DAY OF THE MUMMY, the new adventure-thriller with a dash of horror is avaible now. The star of the film is the always wonderful William McNamara. William was kind enough to take some time out of his schedule to answer a couple of my questions via email. Ch-ch-check it out!
Chris Coffel: DAY OF THE MUMMY is an interesting take on the found footage film. It's almost like a first person video game. Did this approach to the film help peak your interest?
William McNamara: Yes, I found this take on “found footage” very creative. As independent film budgets are shrinking due to economy and big studio movies-franchises mostly- monopoly on theatrical releases increase, indy filmmakers are becoming extremely creative. And with the advent of Google Glasses this concept is very realistic. I feel that the idea of bringing an audience front and center into the scenes is both jarring and exciting at the same time. Kudos to director Johhny Tabor and producer Jesse Baget and writer, Garry Charles. Interestingly enough I had worked with a horror film legend, Dario Argento, early in my career, and he too used the POV(steadicam) of the lead actor as an effect in the movie(Opera). It wasn't the original idea but the lead actress(won't mention her name, very famous English actress) walked off the movie and kept her large salary, so Dario couldn't afford to replace her. He put a wig on the steadicam and shot the movie. The effect was fabulous!
CC: The movie is sort of an adventure flick with a touch of horror. Over the years you've pretty much worked in every genre. Do you have a preference?
WM: My favorite genre is comedy and I haven't done enough in this genre. I really think I'm funny- I may be the only one who thinks so, but I enjoy comedy so much. Which is why I've developed my own comedy TV series, The Trouble with Billy. Queen Latifah's production company, Flavor Unit, is Executive Producing the project. We start filming in February.
CC: One of your first films, I think maybe your first feature, was Dario Argento's OPERA, which personally is one of my favorite movies. Is there anything specific you remember about working with Argento? What was that experience like?
WM: Ha! I didn't even see this question before I answered your first question. Dario is amazing. I remember he told the lead actor, Ian Charlson, that his character should be played as if he were an alien in a human body from another planet. So his character should feel very out of place.
CC: What's in the pipeline after DAY OF THE MUMMY? Where can fans see you next?
WM: Next up is a movie I'm filming right now, The Secret of Emily Blair, which is being produced by Flavor Unit. And then in February we will shoot four episodes of my show, The Trouble with Billy.
CC: You're an animal activist and have done a lot over the years to help rescue animals. Can you tell us a little bit about that? If people want to get involved and assist with animal rights how would you suggest they start?
WM: I love animals. I've loved them since I was a little kid. I stopped eating them 12 years ago. And I have naturally progressed into animal rescue. I spent time as a Sea Shepherd Crew Member. And just a few years ago I was doing so much rescue on terra firma, I developed and produced a show for National Geographic Channel, ANIMAL INTERVENTION,http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/wild/animal-intervention/videos/ben-the-bear/ If people want to get involved with animal rights I suggest they do what I did, start local. I volunteered for years at the Agoura Animal Shelter in Agoura Hills. I would go walk the dogs, clean up after them, wash them and then help during adoption hours.
William McNamara's newest film, DAY OF THE MUMMY, is available now.
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