| That "Voodoo" That He Did So Well |
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| Written by Michael Davidson | |
| Monday, 12 December 2005 | |
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Interview with London Voodoo Director Robert Pratten
By Pete Heery Special Contributor If you didn't know any better, you'd assume that Robert Pratten is a pretty normal "bloke." The Londoner spins a good yarn of a story when prompted. He, like many other Brits, enjoys the wonders of the good, old-fashioned American tacqueria, a not-so-common commodity in England. And he's not afraid to knock back a beer or two. But tap into Pratten's true passion, his love of movie making, and you meet a man whose conversation goes from zero to 60 miles-per-hour in no time flat. Also a theme in the movie is Lincoln's own personal struggle with his job. Though he's successful, he never seems fulfilled. In some respects, Pratten admits, there's a little bit of him in Lincoln. Prior to filmmaking, Pratten was a leading telecommunications consultant. "Lincoln is not intended to be autobiographical," says Pratten. "But I definitely drew from my own personal experience in creating his character. "I really loved my old job," Pratten adds. "I was pleased with where I got with it. I traveled everywhere and the people I worked with were lovely. But I had just got to the point of 'where do I go from here?'" Some time spent in Sweden with his job had a life-altering affect on Pratten. The Swedes, according to Pratten, "always found a middle ground. They worked less and got more done." Upon returning to England, and with the prompting of his wife who was "sick of me saying I can do more, I can do better," Pratten knew a change was in order. And so in 2000, Pratten took his own "leap of faith" by leaving his high-paying, high-powered job and enrolling in the London Film School. After directing seven short films and working on several other movies in various capacities, Pratten skipped out on his fifth term at school to pen the "Voodoo" script. It then became a matter of trying to get his vision onto the screen. He found an unlikely fan in former Souxsie & The Banshees bassist Steve Severin, who liked what he read in the script and helped Pratten secure the funding needed to make his dream a reality. "Once he (Severin) was on board, everything just fell into place," says Pratten. And it didn't take long, either.Filming lasted a mere seven weeks, five days a week, an intense amount of work in such a short period of time. But Pratten was too excited to let anything get him down. "The best part was those first moments when the actors started reciting the lines – it was just such a thrill," he says. "It was also great to see all the camaraderie on the set. For most of the crew, this was their first break at a feature film. And it was great to offer work to people who'd worked on my short films for nothing and actually get to pay them something." Pratten is already at work on his next project, another feature in the thriller/horror genre. "I just find horror to be so entertaining," Pratten says. "It's a great way to get a message across without being preachy, even if it is a little subversive." In addition to recieving honors of Best Director and Best Acting at Fearless Tales Genre Fest 2004, London Voodoo has gone on to win the following awards:Best Feature Film, Festival of Fantastic Films, Manchester (UK) 2004Best Cinematography, New York Horror Fest, New York 2004Jury Award Best Feature, Boston International Film Festival 2004Best Feature Film, Horror Fiesta 2004, Warsaw, PolandVisit London Voodoo's site at www.londonvoodoo.com |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 12 December 2005 ) |
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