Director Matt Ogens Talks Go North
We here at Dread Central were recently given the opportunity to snag a few minutes with Matt Ogens, director of the recently-released apocalyptic-drama, Go North. We discussed the project and its display of cinematography, and what he’s got planned for future presentations, so sit back, crack a cold one (or hot one, if ya please), read on and enjoy!
DC: Matt, for the people who might not know too much about the film, can you give them a description of what it’s all about?
MO: Set in the near future after unknown cataclysmic world events, GO NORTH tells the story of two teenagers who strike out on a dangerous journey into the unknown new world to find family and hope for the future. It’s really a coming of age journey set against a dystopian backdrop.
DC: Where did the idea for this come about?
MO: Several years ago, I directed a short film for Stand Up 2 Cancer. It was about a young girl with Melanoma. Through the course of the project, I got to know her and her family… But I also discovered something else. She lived in Detroit, and I came to realize that this was a city unlike any other. Detroit is a dystopian society within the 21st century. So instead of creating my own world, I wanted to set a story within a place that feels more raw and real. A Lord of the Flies style story that takes place in a city that we all know. A city that has been lost, but could be found again.
We live in a time where it seems like every week, there’s a new dystopian film at the box office. But rather than create a fictional setting or a fantastical set of rules, I felt that we could look right to our home front.
Through Go North, I wanted to explore the theme of looking for something more. The unwavering faith and the unshakable belief that things will eventually get better. A journey from dystopia to a possible utopia without knowing whether it’s actually out there.
DC: The cinematography is simply beautiful – how much time was needed to set these magnificent shots up?
MO: I have to give credit to the cinematography to my uber-talented director of photography John Tipton. John is an artist and perfectionist (in a good way). We did not have not much time during production. And in our story there is no electricity, so everything had to look like we used only natural light and non-eclectic practicals, such as candles, lanterns, and flashlights. At night we lit to mimic moonlight. Occasionally we had a light coming into a window. With the budgetary constraints of an independent film, we did not have the luxury of time. So it was really a matter of the work we did in prep – going through the script scene by scene, watching references, and scouting…a lot of scouting. I also explored the concept of location as a character. Where the geography of a place can be intertwined with story. And where the visuals are as much a part of the story as the characters. It is an organic documentary style approach with well-composed beautiful photography.
DC: How much fun was it to work with such a young, fresh cast? What did you see as the biggest challenge?
MO: Since I came from a documentary background and this being my narrative feature debut, performance was very important to me. Casting is half the battle. I knew I would not have a lot of time with the cast during production to experiment or have as many takes as they would like, or I would like. So I needed a rock solid cast, which I believe I got. All of them were giving, passionate, and dedicated. Jacob Lofland was my first choice for the role of Josh. He was literally on the top of my list and he jumped aboard. We rounded out the rest of the cast with the the talented and angelic Sophie Kennedy Clark, Patrick Schwarzenneger who did great as the bully Caleb, and James Bloor who transformed into a sociopathic and antagonist Gentry. But I did my homework well before production began working with Judith Weston, who literally wrote the book on directing actors (her book is called Directing Actors). I took her workshop and then continued working with her one on one, going through the script line by line, scene by scene. I went in with a plan as opposed to just using intuition.
DC: Lastly, what can we all expect to see from you down the line?
MO: I have a new documentary series as well as a feature documentary about to go into production. Stay tuned.
Categorized:News
