Interview: Dan Allen discusses his new web series ‘#3Minute Horror’
#3Minute Horror is a new web series from British filmmaker Dan Allen (the Unhinged remake). With attention spans diminishing, the series offers a short film which is suited to the modern audience offering an experience which can be watched on all media, anywhere.
With the first #3Minute Horror short, The Mime, now released on http://youtube.com/DanAllenFilms I got an opportunity to speak with Dan and ask him a few questions about why he decided to so a #3MinuteHorror web series and what we can expect in the future.
Why did you decide to create a web-series of #3Minute Horror movies?
I had a lot of ideas bubbling around for villains and characters and plots. Off the back of my feature Unhinged I didn’t want to immediately commit to another big project, so I was excited about this concept which would allow me to create an array of horror snippets or scenes which I could share directly with audiences.
Will you be writing and directing all of the segments in the web series?
Initially yes. I want to avoid #3Minute Horror being a curated playlist. Everything will be original, but I want to expand it to other writers (in the very near future) via competitions I’ll launch on my Facebook page (danallenfilms). Then I want to get other directors and also other YouTubers to star in them. The first 5-10 episodes will be purely from me however.
Additionally, the behind the scenes videos which come out between the episodes are an integral and exciting part of the series that help build the community aspect of the project which I hope drives the collective effort.
You will be exploring various sub-genres with the series with each one a unique story, but will there be any elements which connect them together?
I toyed around with a mega-verse actually. That there’s some sub-plot or world in which all of this is taking place. There’s more likely to be links between specific episodes rather than all of them. I’ve already written sequels to two of them so characters are very likely to return.
What is your favourite episode of the series so far?
The Mime I think has one of the strongest concepts. I’m really proud of it. Next is The Faceless Man which I think has a really effective mixture of character gore and suspense. So, one of those two.
What elements make an effective #3Minute Horror?
The beauty of #3Minute Horror is that there’s almost no time for back story. That doesn’t mean there’s no time for character. You have to create very real characters and situations in the first ten seconds. Who are these people, what are they up to? Once there’s a real situation for the story to unfold in then you’re on the right track. Afterwards it’s about getting the suspense and build up right. It also has to feel like it leads to something that made the journey worth it. Some do this by building to a jump scare. Others to a reveal or twist. They aren’t all the same in their journey, but they are all often rooted in a real-world situation.
Your first episode The Mime is available now on your YouTube channel, where did this original concept come from?
When people see these performers in real life there’s no longer the safety of the stage. The moment the line blurs between audience and performer you’re in unnerving territory. Thoughts crossed my mind about how these kinds of unfamiliar characters could kill and that is what The Mime plays on.
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The first episode entitled The Mime, about a businesswoman who encounters a mysterious killer mime in a London underpass, is now available to watch on http://youtube.com/DanAllenFilms
All future episodes and behind-the-scenes featurettes will be released on alternate rotation bi-weekly throughout 2018. You can see exclusive pictures for The Mime below:
The Mime Film Credits:
Theme music by Aaron Strefford
Written, Directed, Produced and Edited by Dan Allen.
Starring Amelia Gardham with Joseph Adelakun as ‘The Mime’.
Make-Up by Jo-Jo Davies.
Behind the Scenes videography by Costanza Fazi.
Commentary and editing by Dan Allen.
