We talked with Dean Whitney about short films, Zombies, and Crowd funding. Here’s what he had to say.

LEGLESSCORPSE: How did ABERRANT come to light? What inspired the story?

DEAN WHITNEY: As a writer, ideas sometimes just pop into my head. Such is the case with “Aberrant”. After discussing the concept with my wife and a good friend, I sat down and wrote the story in about a day. I’d have to say that my initial inspiration came from films such as George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” and the TV show “The Walking Dead”.

LC: The zombie genre, especially with the popularity of the walking dead, is an over-saturated sub-genre at the moment. You have incorporated two sub-genre’s in the film that certainly makes it stick out from all the others. How hard, or how important was it for you to bring something to the sub-genre that’s never been done before?

DW: The goal of every writer is to create something fresh and original.  Although I’ve wanted to do something zombie-related for a while now, I promised myself that I wouldn’t even consider it unless I had an original concept…and I believe I have one.

LC: Every genre fan loves when two elements of horror are crossed together and done right.  Was it challenging to write the perfect mixture of the two?

DW: Maybe a little. When it comes to zombie and vampire lore, horror fans are very sophisticated.  In combining elements of both, I had to be careful not to cross the line to the point where it would defy credibility.  Without giving anything away, I suspect that the final scene in ABERRANT will spark some debate amongst horror fans.

LC: You are a writer, director, and producer; do you take on all three roles out of necessity to get a project rolling, or are you the type of filmmaker that enjoys being involved as much as possible in a film?

DW: Yes, I do enjoy being involved in all aspects of a production. While I suppose that the role of director could be delegated, it’s been my experience that finding one who completely understands my vision is rather difficult. What it boils down to is that I’m best suited to tell my stories.

LC: You currently have a crowd funding campaign on Indiegogo to get production going for ABERRANT. What are some of the pros and cons of crowd funding?

DW: Being that this is my first, I’ll let you know after it’s over.  Over the past few years I’ve contributed to about 30 different campaigns on IndieGoGo and Kickstarter, but never thought I’d be doing one myself.  In small campaigns such as ours, the majority of the contributions come from friends and family.  While I’m hesitant to ask my friends and family members to support my project, I feel that the perks we’re offering justify it.  Besides, a lot of folks love the idea of being involved in the production of a film, even if it’s only in a small way.

LC: You have just completed another film Ghostline; what is the status currently on the film?  It looks like an amazing supernatural thriller that I fell in love with after watching the trailer.  When will we be able to check that one out?

DW: Thank you! Ghostline was my first attempt at directing a feature film. We presently have a sales agent working on a distribution deal and hope to have it available on Blu-ray, DVD, and various VOD platforms by early summer 2015.

LC: As a filmmaker and artist, do you think the short film medium is a better structure artistically than a feature length film or vice-versa?

DW: From an artistic point of view, I’d have to say vice-versa.  Unlike feature films, one has a limited amount of time for character and plot development within the structure of a short film.  That said, there’s definitely an art to creating interesting and successful short films, and I personally know several San Diego-based filmmakers who are very good at it.  But I also believe that most of them would much rather be producing features.

LC: If all goes as planned with the crowd funding for ABERRANT, when do you plan to start shooting and when do you plan to have it ready for festivals?

DW: We’ve already alerted our cast and crew of our intended production dates, which are April 2, 3, & 4, 2015, and expect to have it ready for viewing and submission to festivals as early as June.

 

CHECK OUT THE CAMPAIGN FOR ABERRANT HERE!