How I Got My First Feature Film Made (Part 2): Six Schools, One Red Carpet, and The Hollywood Reporter Bombshell

On the set of KILLER MOVIE

by Jeff Fisher

You can read Part 1 of this story here: https://www.reeltalkwithjeff.com/post/how-i-got-my-first-feature-film-made-part-1-dead-bodies-paris-hilton-and-a-thousand-no-s

After a thousand "No's," a last-minute financing swing, and some epic casting luck, I arrived in Minneapolis ready to shoot my first feature film.

There was just one problem: the snow was gone.

"Dead of Winter" would need a new name. But that was the least of my worries.

THE COEN BROTHERS GIFT

The first thing we had to do upon arriving was scout locations. We had a twenty-day shoot scheduled (which, honestly, seems kind of luxurious given some of my current shoot schedules).

Yeah, we didn't have snow, but we did catch some breaks.

Turns out the Coen Brothers were prepping a movie in Minnesota, and they ended up changing their location. So suddenly, their A-list of local crew members became available, and we got a lot of them...which was pretty freakin' awesome!

THE SCHOOL LOCATION CHALLENGE

But our first hurdle was finding the school that would be the location of the big finale of the movie, as well as a good deal of the setup and some of the bigger stunts.

Well, school was in session, and we needed a school with VERY specific sets: a "boiler room" that was underground and would double as the killer's lair where he was making his "Killer Movie," a hockey rink, a shop class with a buzz saw, maze-like hallways, a pool, a scary-at-night cafeteria kitchen. You get the idea.

We soon realized that to accommodate the local schools' schedules and our budget, we were going to have to shoot at different schools and make it seem like one cohesive location.

Kaley was a real trooper, crawling through the underground tunnel to escape the killer. She was an even bigger trooper for watching clips from "The Poseidon Adventure" with me before we shot this so I could show her what I was trying to rip off. I mean "homage."

It turned out we were going to have to shoot at SIX different schools to make the one school in the script work. Yikes. 

I wanted to smack around the screenwriter—only I was the screenwriter.

I was worried this movie was going to end up being more about where to park the trucks than actual shooting time! In fact, at the end of the day, I think we had 22 locations in our 20-day shoot.

Lessons learned when drafting future screenplays.

"I'M GOING TO MARRY THAT GIRL."

One great thing that happened was that the cast started arriving, and they seemed to really like each other.

I remember Paul Wesley commenting on how good the cast seemed. He hadn't even met Torrey DeVitto yet, who was sensational in her audition for the Phoebe character.

Torrey arrived a few days after most of the cast--her character shot a bit later in the schedule. It was, uh,  pretty clear that Paul and Torrey hit it off right away.

I think it was after our first week of shooting—I was down in the lobby of the Marriott Towne Suites, where we were all staying in Minneapolis, and I saw Paul heading out to grab something to eat with Torrey. I asked him how it was going.

He looked at me and said, "I think I'm going to marry that girl." Pretty romantic.

Side note: A year later, they were in fact married and soon to be co-stars on "The Vampire Diaries."

With Paul Wesley and Torrey Devitto at the first screening of KILLER MOVIE in Los Angeles.

DAY ONE: CHEMISTRY AND CRISIS

The first day of shooting, we needed to start at the school exterior, and we shot the scene where Paul Wesley's character Jake arrives at the school and meets Gloria Votsis's character Keir.

I remember thinking after we shot that scene that we might have something special. Paul and Gloria nailed it.  The scene really flowed. 

There was another issue, and it was a hard but necessary lesson to learn early on.

One of the actresses, who was coming off a supporting role on a big, splashy television hit, didn't seem too happy. She was our swing at a bigger "name" to add to the mix of actors. She was upset about the size of her trailer (we didn't have the budget for tricked-out trailers, as much as I would have loved to have them for these great actors). In fact, she didn't seem happy about much of anything.

We had such a good vibe going, and when she arrived, it seemed to change. Her reps were calling constantly, and she seemed to be complaining not only to production but to the other actors. We were trying our best, but ultimately, when her reps started making ultimatums, we had to have a hard conversation.

THE TOUGHEST CALL

We had so many locations and a big cast—we had to move fast. Between takes, I huddled with the producers, and we collectively made the call: we had to make a change before we shot any more scenes with that character and replace the actor.

This was my first feature. This was someone who had a hit TV show on their credits. But I needed to trust my gut. It wasn't anything I wanted to happen or planned for, but I knew what the vibe was like before she arrived...and it was heading in the wrong direction.

So the producers called her rep to deliver the news that we were parting ways.

And me? I went back to set and started figuring out how to make the "buzz saw" in the shop class set look as authentic as possible.

We had already shot her first scenes, and it meant we were going to have to recast that role and shoot that scene again.

It wasn't easy—but it was the right decision.

ENTER CYIA

The actress who replaced her was one of the very top choices from the beginning: an awesome actress named Cyia Batten, who had started her career as one of the original Pussycat Dolls and had shown her acting chops in some great roles on the latest Star Trek reboot and Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."

Cyia was playing the villainous producer of the reality show whose character was, um, MEAN, but in real life, Cyia was the greatest, nicest energy to have on set.

When Cyia arrived and knocked her first scene out of the park, I knew the ship felt righted.

I'm not sure if the actors were surprised by the change, but Cyia’s warmth and talent were so winning that everyone just gelled.

Side note: Cyia's character was based on this (excuse the term) DOUCHEY producer I had previously worked with on a reality show. Taking a page from the book of Taylor Swift, I worked out my frustrations in my writing. Even though that producer was male, and some of his lines were direct lifts from things I'd heard him say on set, his character seemed way too over-the-top when guys auditioned for the role. So we tried changing the character to a female, and the comedy came through.

With Cyia Baten and Paul Wesley at the Tribeca after-party in New York.

THE POOL SCENE I STILL REGRET

As I mentioned, our "school" location consisted of six different schools. We were trying to shoot around when class was out, at night, and around the school board parameters.

On a particularly jam-packed night, we were supposed to shoot the scene where Al Santos's character (Luke) meets the killer in the gym, gets chased through the whole school, and winds up meeting his maker in the school cafeteria's kitchen. It was a big stunt sequence with lots of pieces.

That school location also had a pool, where Kaley's character Blanca and Rob Buckley's character Nik meet one of the creepy coaches who may or may not be the killer. It was also one of the few scenes where we saw some skin since Rob and Kaley were in bathing suits. Both were in great shape and great looking, so, among other things, it would have been a banger of a trailer moment.

But the complex stunt with Al was taking longer than we had boarded, and the school was about to open.

So we had to make a last-minute decision to cut the scene at the pool.

Honestly, it's something I still regret. I wish we had just pushed through with the pool scene and begged for forgiveness later. But it was my first feature, and I was determined to keep the schedule and not go into overtime or piss off the location.

That's still paramount to me, but now I'd have better skills to navigate and figure out how to make it work. It also super-sucked because I knew Kaley and Rob had been training for that scene in the gym and dieting…it’s own kind of stress on top of their regular scene work. But those are lessons you only learn once. I still feel like I owe them both an apology for cutting that scene.

THE PANTYHOSE MASK

Another pivot was the "killer" mask.

The special effects house that had done a great job of replicating Leighton and Hal's characters' heads was also designing the mask, which was supposed to feel like a classic 80s masked killer. Think "Halloween," "Friday the 13th," or "Scream." Something a little meta and iconic.

We were already in Minnesota and shooting when the mask arrived from Los Angeles, the morning we were supposed to roll on it. It was the first scene with the masked killer, when the cheerleading coach (played by Jennifer Murphy) meets the killer in her empty shop classroom. We tested it on camera, and it just didn't feel like it was going to work for the feel of the masked killer.

If we had another day or so and were in the same city, we could have adjusted it with the visual effects team.. but we didn't have another day. The mask needed to work that morning.

One of the grips had a plain, white, creepy mask left over from a costume party in the trunk of his car. It was like one of those comedy/tragedy acting symbol masks. We put a piece of pantyhose over the mask and paired it with the killer's gas station uniform and tested it on camera.

It was the right feel…so that's what we shot.

The killer and his borrowed mask make their on-screen debut.

Again, a big lesson as a first-time director: it's ultimately my job to manage these schedule elements, so we're not having to make game-day calls. 

THE BEST THING

Honestly, the thing I remain proudest about when it comes to "Killer Movie" is the cast.

They all got along so well, brought such great, honest moments to each character, and made the process fun.

With two great actors (who are also great humans) Paul Wesley and Nestor Carbonell.

I remember watching scenes of Jamie Lee Curtis in "Halloween" with them and saying one of the things that made that movie so scary was that you believed that Laurie Strode and her friends were fighting for their lives against Michael Myers. All the actors took that note and ran with it. There's a moment when Torrey DeVitto is running from the killer outside of the mini-mart location, and I was legitimately scared for her. She sold it so well and authentically.

And before we knew it…We wrapped production.   It was bittersweet.

Out on the streets of Minneapolis after wrap. I loved this cast and crew. It looks like we've been...celebrating.

On our last night of shooting, I was excited that what we had on film was "in the can" and proud of what we accomplished as a team. I was also a little sad it was over—it was such a great group.  I was going to miss seeing them every day. With all the shooting we'd been doing in the woods and remote cabins, it felt like summer camp was coming to an end. Well, a pretty intense summer camp. And let's face it, with that cast, a camp with ridiculously good-looking campers.

Post-production had its own crazy hurdles. Maybe one day I'll have enough distance to write about that. But even all these years later, it seems, uh, too soon.

Let's just say we got the movie edited, I did the notes asked of me, and we were ready to submit to festivals.

ENTER CASSIAN ELWES

At the time, I was repped at the William Morris Agency, but most of my credits were still in reality television.

I asked my agents in the non-scripted department if they would make an introduction to Cassian Elwes, who was an agent there and had a great reputation for selling indie films.

He screened the movie and agreed to help. Soon after, he introduced me to Brad Krevoy, who was a sales agent and producer, and his senior sales agent, Francisco Gonzalez.

Side note: Brad's company MPCA would produce two movies I would direct 15 years later: "The Image of You" and "The Stranger in My Home."

TRIBECA

It was two months later that we got some very exciting news: "Killer Movie" would get its premiere on the opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival.

Also, Kaley Cuoco's pilot "The Big Bang Theory" was picked up by CBS and the show was already showing signs of being a big hit. The same was true of Leighton Meester's then brand-new show "Gossip Girl."

It was all coming together.

We actually got a red carpet on the first night of the film festival. It still counts as one of the most exciting nights of my life thus far.

With Leighton Meester, Torrey Devitto, and Paul Wesley on the Tribeca carpet. Still one of the best nights I can remember.

The cast was there looking crazy hot. The movie played, and the after-party was a banger. Leighton Meester wore a dress that got tons of coverage on the "who wore it best" magazine spreads. And she always seemed to wear it best! Woot!

It was a wow, wow, wow moment.

With Leighton Meester and Maitland McConnell after the Tribeca screening.

And the best news of all: it seemed like there was a buyer interested in the movie. It was a smaller company, but they were really into the movie and wanted to release it on Halloween of that year.

Yes, yes, yes.

THE COUNTER PUNCH

Keep in mind, this is May of 2008.

And the market was getting ready to crash.

And it did.

At the time, I was still depending on the physical copies of the trade magazines—the Hollywood Reporter and Variety. I'd read them every morning.

That's how I found out the company that bought the movie went bankrupt.

In October of 2008. Right before our movie was supposed to release.

I read it in the Hollywood Reporter. Then I read it again. And again. Really?

The papers were covering the financial crisis, but it was the Hollywood Reporter that delivered the blow that hit me hardest.

I did my best to shine a light on how great the actors were doing to the company that bought the library of the now bankrupt distributor. I did my best pitch to tell them how these young actors were on the rise in a big way.

But there was no way that movie was going to see the inside of a movie theater.  They were a company that was in the straight-to-DVD business at the time.

At least we had that great big screen at Tribeca with most of the cast and an enthusiastic audience. That was awesome.  I guess it was a prologue to what's becoming an industry standard.

By the way, the next year, Paul Wesley would have his own huge hit with "The Vampire Diaries.”

BACK TO "REALITY"

So with the distributor's library bought by a Canadian company with a DVD catalog, my dreams of wide theatrical distribution went bye-bye.

The movie got released on DVD without much fanfare, and I found myself once again needing to take any job I could get—much like Paul's character of Jake in KILLER MOVIE. And that job happened to be back in reality TV, shooting the first episodes of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta."

So I went from shooting my first feature to a parking lot at the Lenox Plaza Mall in Atlanta, waiting for a housewife who shall remain nameless to show up two hours late for a lunch scene we were shooting on Day 1.

You've got to remember: I poured all my frustrations with making reality television into this script. So to be back in that parking lot was an epic "how the f*ck did I wind up back here?" moment.

I GET KNOCKED DOWN, BUT I GET UP AGAIN

It was painful, but like that Chumbawamba song says: I get knocked down…but I get up again!

Yeah, I had to go back to reality TV.  Eventually, I got offered another movie about mayhem on a reality set for Lifetime (ironically released with the title KILLER REALITY), where I met Parker Young, Rebekah Graf, Ogy Durham, Michele Nordin and some other great actors I still work with.

And that led to another movie, and luckily another one.

With the cast of KILLER REALITY, my next movie. I've been lucky enough to work with some of these actors again and again.

What I Learned:

→ Protect the vibe at all costs. Recasting that unhappy actress early was nerve-wracking and costly, but it was the right choice. Trust your gut, even on your first feature.

→ Some regrets teach you forever. I still wish I'd shot that pool scene. Now I know: when it matters, push through and make it happen.

→ Solutions are everywhere—even in a grip's trunk. That pantyhose mask worked. Stay open to happy accidents.

→ Cast chemistry is everything. I felt like I got to throw a banger of a dinner party where everyone gelled. That energy shows up on screen.

→ External forces will destroy your plans. The 2008 market crash wasn't something I could control. Your distributor going bankrupt right before release? That's just... filmmaking.

→ Keep moving forward. Some moments exceed expectations (Tribeca red carpet!), some feel like YOU HAVE TO BE F***ING KIDDING ME (bankruptcy!), but the sum total equals experience, lessons learned, and career-spanning collaborations and friends.

Without a doubt, every experience informs every single time you are lucky enough to find yourself on set, designing a shot, or collaborating with an actor.

My lesson for aspiring filmmakers:

Your first feature won't go the way you planned. The snow will melt. Your distributor might go bankrupt during a global financial crisis. You might end up back in a parking lot in Atlanta.

But you keep going.

Because somewhere down the line, you'll get another shot. And another.

The journey isn't a straight line. It's a series of knockout punches and getting back up.

And honestly? That's what makes it worth it.

If you'd like to watch KILLER MOVIE: DIRECTOR’S CUT on me, click here: https://vimeo.com/572687380?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

Jeff Fisher is a director and writer whose credits include Paramount Pictures' "The Stranger in My Home" and "The Image of You," Hallmark's highest-rated film of the year "My Christmas Love," and reality hits spanning from "The Simple Life" to "Keeping Up With The Kardashians." Visit www.jefffisherdirector.com to see his work and www.reeltalkwithjeff.com for more industry insights. @jefffisher_insta

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