I recently had the opportunity to speak with Thomas James Longley, one of the stars of the upcoming indie horror film Sparrow.
The low budget feature was shot in Poland and is set for release this Halloween. It was directed by Shaun Troke and written by Matthew Mosley.
Six teenage friends take a camping trip to a forest which is the site of a presumed historic murder. But their disbelief in this urban legend is soon changed when strange happenings begin to occur to each of them.
I’ve always been a fan of indie horror films so I was excited to find out how the film intends to stand out.
“It’s simplicity. It doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not and I think because of that it can never fall into the trap that so many horrors have done before. It’s just meant to be scary, a bit jumpy…. Hopefully the fans will respond to that.”
I couldn’t agree more. Sometimes, all a horror fan needs is a straight forward thrill ride full of scares and when it comes to low budget features, simplicity is also a great way to keep costs down.
Another great way to keep costs down these days is to use Social Media tools to your advantage. In addition to the usual suspects like Facebook, the filmmakers decided to approach film blogs individually to get the word out. (That’s how this post came to be.) It’s a lot of work but in the end it’s a great way to get the word out.
Longley credits producer Wojciech Stuchlik for the creative approach.
“A Facebook page and official site were set up, and Flickr I think too. Of course these mediums really allow for the film to to get some kind of immediate exposure/interest which naturally helps.”
Years ago, one could never have imagined connecting an independent horror production in Poland with a Toronto based film blog but that’s what makes this an exciting time. Not only can indie filmmakers network easier than ever but you can also generate a lot of buzz for your project for next to nothing.
Speaking personally, it’s great to hear from fellow filmmakers.
Sparrow is currently in post production and Longley says the film’s release is on schedule and hopes to see it accepted into festivals worldwide.
Check out the film’s official site here.
Best of luck Sparrow team!
