With Chase McGill
How did this film come together?
I have a deep fascination with epic poetry and the Medieval Period. Fantastical representations of the medieval times often feel overly exaggerated for my taste, with magical wizards, flying dragons, and outlandish costume design. With this in mind, I wanted to reel in this genre to a more plausible, gritty reality. I like to think of epic poems such as Beowulf as true stories. Since they weren't written down for thousands of years, each retelling was inevitably altered slightly by the storyteller. As a result, what we have today are much more colorful stories. With Wracu, I aim to capture this sense of plausibility within a fantastical world. In the film, the protagonist is executed and has a physical encounter with Death to bring himself back to life. A more accurate account may reveal the protagonist somehow survived the execution and was set free. Did the noose break, leading the king to interpret it as divine intervention? Another example is that the king appears to be nearly 12 feet tall. Maybe this imposing king was reasonably tall, but storytellers just love to exaggerate? I love exploring these concepts when reading old-world legends by conjuring up alternative explanations for the more far-fetched elements. It lends these stories so much weight when grounding them in reality, and Wracu is my tribute to this idea.
Did anything unexpected happen as you were making this film?
Yes, there were many technical challenges I hadn’t anticipated. From constant rendering crashes and memory limitations to troubleshooting motion capture data and optimizing complex scenes. But each obstacle became a learning experience!
What's the best filmmaking advice you've ever received?
Get feedback from everyone, especially non-artists. Acknowledge and process all of the feedback, but do not feel an obligation to implement any of it. At the end of the day, you’re the filter. Trust your vision while staying open to perspectives that can sharpen it.
Elling Lien
