The ABCs of Death Exclusive Interview and Still: Dread Central Chats with G Is for Gravity’s Andrew Traucki
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From the minds of 26 different directors comes The ABCs of Death, a modern horror anthology unlike anything horror fans have ever seen before with each letter of the alphabet depicting a different way to kill off the poor unfortunate souls in each segment.
In anticipation of the flick’s release, Dread Central and 25 other outlets caught up with one specific director from this amazing collection of filmmakers each to celebrate their collaboration on The ABCs of Death, and we are pleased to present our exclusive chat with Andrew Traucki, which is running in conjunction with the other interviews today, all of which will be available to read on The ABCs of Death Tumblr page.
For The ABCs of Death (review here), Traucki created “G is for Gravity,” and recently we spoke with the Australian filmmaker about his involvement with the anthology, his approach to the segment and just why nature seems to be a common theme in his storytelling. We also got an update from Traucki about his latest feature, The Jungle.
Check out our exclusive interview with Traucki below, and be sure to check out The ABCs of Death now that it’s available on Cable VOD, iTunes, Amazon, Xbox Zune, Playstation Market, VUDU and Google Play (click here for more info on that). For those of you who prefer the big screen experience, look for the anthology in theaters starting on March 8th from Magnet Releasing.
Related Story: Exclusive Images: The ABCs of Death
Dread Central: How did you get involved with The ABCs of Death? Did they come to you, or did you hear about the concept and reach out to the guys behind it?
Andrew Traucki: It was funny; I just got an email out the blue saying, “Hi- would you like to be part of this?” I thought about it, and it seemed like a cool idea so I said, “Yeah, why not?”
Dread Central: Since there are 26 different stories being told throughout the movie, was it harder at all to tell your own story with “G Is for Gravity” because there are 25 other stories happening before and afterwards?
Andrew Traucki: Yeah, that was tricky. I am very much about the overall picture-the context (i.e., what’s this thing going to be, and what is going to be on either side of my segment?). So it was strange to be asked to do just 1/26th of a film, but I guess that’s also what made it fun. [So] I made a decision; I realized that I had no control over what everyone else was doing, but I figured there would be a lot of splatter and blood so I decided to go the other way: a more poetic death.
Dread Central: I noticed that this was the first short on your IMDB credits (so if I’m a bit off on my info I apologize- I’m trusting them!), but I wanted to ask because you’ve found success as a feature filmmaker, was it harder to go back now and make a story that could fit into only a few minutes as opposed to when you’re doing features and you generally have like 90 minutes to play around with?
Andrew Traucki: Well, I did make “Rocky Star” back in the 90’s, which was a 20-episode, 5-minute segment TV series, so in a way that was kind of like making 20 shorts. But yes, I tend to think long-form drama rather than short. At first it was a little hard, but then I started getting lots of ideas; really the hardest bit was deciding which idea to go with and locking off on that.
Dread Central: What would you say was the biggest challenge to “G Is for Gravity”?
Andrew Traucki: Well, I tried to do the film in one shot, which in the end it isn’t, but that was pretty challenging. I guess from a wider point of view the challenge is whether a quieter, more reflective piece fits in with the other works. That was a challenge.
Dread Central: I wanted to ask about The Jungle (we discussed it very briefly when I interviewed you for The Reef) and see how things are coming along with that project- do you have any updates?
Andrew Traucki: So yes, I’ve now just finished my third feature, The Jungle, and it makes up the third installment in my survival story trilogy that I’m calling “Traucki’s Trilogy of Terror.” Hopefully it will be out later in the year!
Dread Central: I noticed that nature or natural elements play into your work a lot- is that something that was a conscious decision on your part, or am I just reading too much into it?
Andrew Traucki: Yes, for better or worse (it rained for half the shoot on The Jungle- just awful). I do like using natural landscapes and natural elements; I think they can bring a lot to a film, make it look more exotic and ground the story in a definite sense of place. Also, I think that us urban animals have lost touch with our sense of nature so that environment can feel unusual and threatening to viewers. I personally love the sea and am drawn to water although it’s always so hard to work in!
For more visit the official The ABCs of Death website and “like” The ABCs of Death on Facebook.
Synopsis:
Twenty-six directors. Twenty-six ways to die. The ABCs OF DEATH is perhaps the most ambitious anthology film ever conceived with productions spanning fifteen countries and featuring segments directed by over two dozen of the world’s leading talents in contemporary genre film. Inspired by children’s educational books, the motion picture is comprised of twenty-six individual chapters, each helmed by a different director assigned a letter of the alphabet. The directors were then given free reign in choosing a word to create a story involving death. Provocative, shocking, funny, and ultimately confrontational, THE ABCs OF DEATH is the definitive vision of modern horror diversity.
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