INTERVIEW: Craig Conway & Shaun Robert Smith

- By @TheBlueTook

After recently reviewing festival circuit hit ESTRANGED, I was lucky enough to get chatting to one of its stars and producer, Craig Conway. As our conversation developed, a beautiful - some would even say spiritual - trinity was formed when his good friend, film director Shaun Robert Smith, decided he wanted in on the good shit.

A pair of absolute gentlemen…

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Good day, fellas! I’m delighted you’ve both found time to speak to us here at The Slaughtered Bird. What are you both currently up to?

SRS: We have both just wrapped on our first collaboration together ‘The Myth of Hopelessness’ and now we’re developing a couple of features together. ‘TMofH’ will complete a festival circuit and will be due for release in early 2016.

Craig: Apart from that it’s enjoying being dads and seeing our lovely ladies as they seem to think we are having an affair!

Shaun (left), Craig and some fine millinery.

Well, funny you should mention that, as you agreed to answer my interview questions as some sort of mega 2-for-1 deal! When and why did this bromance start?

SRS: The bromance started years ago, about 6 to be precise, when I was introduced to Craig as part of my casting campaign for a film I was developing at the time called ‘The 4th Reich’. Craig invited me to a screening of ‘Romans 12:20’, which is an incredible short film, to this day the best I have seen, Craig’s performance is chilling but emotional. I cast him in ‘T4R’immediately.

However, it wasn’t until this year that we cemented our love and decided to work together. I think for both of us we had become incredibly frustrated with the industry, lots of broken promises and unpaid work.

I had written ‘TMofH’ as a short film and wanted to raise the funding on Kickstarter. Craig and I met with a few others to shoot some interviews for a Kickstarter pitch video. Craig became very excited about the project and set about convincing me to develop the idea into a feature film. Initially I wasn’t keen but he worked his Geordie magic and within 52 hours of that meeting we had full-financing. From the 1st May 2015 right up until the end of the shoot took 10 weeks in total – it was crazy but the best experience on set I have ever had.

We decided early on during this process that we would continue to make films together, the process was so pleasant and fun, why wouldn’t we? So here we are, Smith & Conway.

Craig: I can’t really add to that… Okay then, I will. As an actor I’ve always admired directors and writers alike. I’ve had some brilliant experiences over the years with many varied practitioners from Mike Leigh to Neil Marshall, The Shamassian Bro’s and many more. When I met Shaun the one thing that stood out more than anything was his confidence and clarity when it came to his vision just like those previously mentioned.

When the short was put to me, I couldn’t help but see a bigger picture, it was one of those brilliant moments when you can actually visualise it and see it without any effort, all the essential beats were there and so once Shaun agreed to develop with me, we set about and didn’t look back until we hit the last day of shoot 10 weeks later! Now we are almost ready for release and planning the next picture too!

What can you tell us about The Myth Of Hopelessness?

SRS: The inspiration for ‘TMofH’ comes directly from my own personal experiences as a carer. I worked for people with all sorts of disabilities, but I worked mainly in spinal cord injury. The job is both physically and mentally demanding, long hours and low pay. It was the relationship between carer and client that interested me.

There is a psychological aspect to their rehabilitation which mentally, it takes a toll. The majority of my clients were very active before their accidents, so to be forced into a situation where you can no longer walk is almost impossible to come to terms with. Each injury is different, some can use certain parts of their bodies whereas some can’t even breathe without a ventilator, it’s harrowing. The carers are there as a sort of extension of the clients arms and legs, they are there for every beckon call anytime of the day or night, what if the carer had issues? We all have things that disable us.

Craig: What he said…

Morjana Alaoui stars from Martyrs, one of my all-time favourite horrors! How did you manage to get her on board?

Craig: Ever since seeing Morjana in “Martyrs” I wanted to work with her and was very fortunate to when she joined the cast of “Scintilla” a few years ago. Anyway, to cut a long story short, Morjana became a very good friend to me on Scintilla and I promised I would get to work with her again, so promise kept.

I think she is an incredible actress, bold, brave and willing to go to any lengths whilst remaining humble and open to the cast and crew around her.

SRS: Morjana loved the material. She had a personal connection with the script and felt compelled to take on the role. ‘Martyrs’ was a phenomenal film and proudly sits in my collection, a classic. We were very privileged to have Morjana on board.

Craig: When I called and asked to meet her regarding this film I was so nervous incase she passed, but after a coffee or two and a quick fight she was there grasping the concept and offering ideas and inspiration. I know I’m going on here, but truly she deserves the praise, she went above and beyond on Myth.

And how about Legend star Mel Raido?

SRS: Incredible actor. I auditioned Mel Raido for ‘The 4th Reich’ a few years ago and was very impressed with his detailed adaptation of the character in his audition tape, very precise and very professional. Mel was on board for the short film version of ‘TMofH’ and wanted to be a part of the feature. The performances from Mel and Morjana were electric and shine throughout the film, such incredible actors.

Craig: Agreed

Will there be any flayed corpses on show?!

SRS & Craig: You’ll have to wait and see.

I want to ask about The 4th Reich, which has us all piss-our-pants excited here. As well as you gents, it stars Doug Bradley, Tom Savini and Simon Bamford no less! What can you tell us about it?

SRS: You should be excited. Watch this space. ‘The 4th Reich’ has been a long time in development – development hell I guess you could call it. ‘T4R’ started after the success of my short film ‘The Soldier’ which picked up some awards, I was young and very persistent and sent a link to it on Youtube to everyone in the entire world – ish. Through sending out the link to the short, a few producers got in touch and asked if I had a feature length version of the script - I didn’t, so I quickly wrote one and that became ‘T4R’. From that moment it went crazy and I was propelled into development. The most annoying thing about this is that T4R would’ve pioneered this sub-genre at the time, but there have been loads of similar films since so we will have to change things a tiny bit, make it unique, and put the Smith & Conway stamp on it.

Craig: Agreed, I think unfortunately T4R missed its opening back then, but Shaun and I are determined to breathe life back into the concept with our STAMP and perhaps KICK for good measure!

Shaun, I note you worked in the SFX department on This Is England. How was it working with Shane Meadows, who’s a huge favourite of mine?

SRS: It wasn’t as glam as it sounds, I ran a tiny production company from a farm office in the darkest depths of rural Nottinghamshire called ‘Smudge Film Productions’. I was hired to do one effect because someone had let them down. One of the characters takes a shot with an air rifle at an ice cream van and the window smashes, I had to break the glass on camera. Unfortunately they ran out of time but never got to shoot that scene so it was dropped, so I hung around and did a few tests and then went home. It wasn’t greatest experience in the world but it gave me some on set experience.

Are you surprised at how massive This Is England has become?

SRS: Not at all, it appeals to everyone on many different levels – it’s true British grit!

Craig: I’ll just put in a quickie here as I’ve recently worked with Chanel Cresswell and Michael Socha on Aliens for E4, directed by our mutual buddy Laurence Gough. I think one thing Shane is very good at is picking bloody talented actors and telling incredible stories and again exactly what we believe in. I also had a casting for Shane last year for the last season but alas it was not to be…

Craig, a project that jumps out from your CV is The Descent! I love Neil Marshall’s work. Can you tell us a bit about your role and experiences during filming?

Craig: The Descent was a great experience, I was fortunate enough to work on the creation of the crawlers. At the time I’d been doing a lot of Physical Theatre and movement based projects, so Neil asked me to workshop and essentially choreograph the movement for the crawlers. I think you see some of that on the making of DVD.
Anyway, I then spent most of my time testing out with the great Paul Hyett and the team trying out variations of facial and body prosthetics and paint until they were happy with the look and feel of it on screen. I then spent a lot of my time shaven, naked and covered in KY running around Pinewood feeling pretty cold and having to be careful not to glue my dangleberrys to the inside of my leg, but apart from that it was great fun and always a pleasure creating with Neil and Sam McCurdy, as well as the wonderful cast assembled who again became great friends.

You’ve also let him maul you with werewolves in Dog Soldiers and returned for more carnage with Doomsday. Were there any distinct differences on set as far as scale, budget and the catering van were concerned, as Marshall became a bigger box office draw?

Craig: Of course Neil is a favourite and a very close friend, but as always if the part is not right he would never cast me, much to my frustration now and then, but he’s a true professional in every way.

The sets do vary from project to project and of course when the budget allows, it does mean you have a certain amount of comfort lets say on the shoot. However, no amount of money can ever bring success to a film, firstly it’s the script, the vision and team assembled, cast and crew with the passion and ability to execute it which makes it work and then the finance helps to sweeten it for sure.

As well as acting you’re both heavily involved behind the camera too, writing, directing and producing – could you ever see yourselves choosing one and sticking to it, or is it the change that’s appealing?

SRS: I have to state at this point that I am NOT an actor, I am the worst actor ever, so bad in fact I could have slotted into ‘The Happening’ and still won a Golden Razzie!! I give myself bit-parts in an ‘Alfred Hitchcock’ sort of way. I managed to worm my way into ‘TMofH’ but nothing major. Craig is desperate to get me in front of the camera but he’ll realise soon enough. I am a writer/director and have always aimed for that – it’s a cliché but I love telling stories and being part of a creative process from the beginning.

Craig: He can act…What about ‘That 70’s Cop’ Shaun?

Shaun: Shush now…

Craig, any plans to direct in the future?

Craig: Yes I’m sure I will direct for screen eventually, or perhaps co-direct with Mr Smith here if he fancies it. I’ve written and directed quite a lot for theatre over the years but I love acting and producing which allows me to collaborate and work across the production as a whole, which I’m very passionate about, so to be honest as long as I’m working, learning and enjoying I’ll just see what happens along the way. But if I do, Shaun is going on screen that’s for sure.

Shaun: Shush now…

Craig, we’ve got to talk about the haunting Estranged, which you starred in and produced. The standout element for me was the cast and their excellent performances. Did you get a say in the selection process?

Craig: I did actually, especially with Amy Manson who was incredible. William Borthwick and Adam Levins though were leading the project for sure, but it was a pleasure to work with them and see the projects grow as it has.

James Cosmo is outstanding in everything he graces. The scene where you lead ‘Marilyn’ away as he’s, er, unsheathing in the ale cellar chilled my blood, and the slo-mo scene I mention in my review downright scared the shit out of me! Was there ever any ad-libbing or was it to a rigid script?

Craig: It was very open to the cast and although Simon had written a brilliant script I think we were all very happy to let the actors play with the dialogue. It’s almost never 100% locked when working, at least I’ve never seen it in 20 odd years.

How has the festival buzz been around Estranged and what are your plans for it?

Craig: I haven’t been able to do much with it as I’ve been working flat out, so I follow it and talk to William now and then for updates, although whilst doing a test shooting out in LA last year I did get to talk with our Exec Producer Steven Schnieder and get an apology from him for changing the title from “January” to “Estranged”, as I got a rather large tattoo on set to remember the film which now reads “January”! But hey, I suppose it give me an excuse to get another.

As this is mainly a horror site after all, what are your favourite horror films and why?

SRS: Both Craig and I have a mutual love of ‘The Shining’. In fact we both attended a special screening a week before we started on ‘TMofH’ to get ourselves in the mood. The film is just fantastic.

I am a huge lover of horror, from the gore and splatter of Lucio Fulci’s ‘The Beyond’ to the supernatural brilliance of Robert Wise’s ‘The Haunting’. Horror has always been a huge part of my life. Everything up until this point has been horror, ‘TMofH’ does have a horror vibe to it, the horror of reality.

Craig: I’m agreeing with Shaun here completely but also adding “The Exorcist” and “American Werewolf In London”, as well as “Basket Case”.

Shaun: Ah Basket Case….. Such good memories!

What do you think is so attractive about the horror scene, both as filmmakers and fans of the genre?

SRS: The horror paradox! This is a term that has surfaced over the past decade, which means we feel pleasant emotions from feeling scared. Science and research tells us that we release endorphins from the thrill of feeling terrified, others like to watch horror to feel safe and secure in their surroundings. But hey, that’s science, we just love guts ‘n’ gore!!!!

Craig: What he said, and I think it’s the freedom to freak! I mean that in the sense of writing, directing acting and participating at the cinema, festival or at home. There are no limits really and it has the ability to let you enjoy and embrace fear through fantasy and all its twisted and varied guises. I think we just said the same thing?

Shaun, when did you first get into directing and realise it would be something you’d mainly concentrate on in your film career?

SRS: I began my career as a prosthetics make-up artist. My idol growing up was none other than Tom Savini, he’s amazing, the godfather of gore, special effects wizard and father of Jason. I had the extreme pleasure of meeting him some years ago (circa 1998) at a convention, truly awesome guy. I presented him with a script – that eventually developed in to ‘The 4th Reich’. Tom had a quick flick through it and suggested I cast him as soon as I get it going. Ten years later I cast him in ‘T4R’. Boooooom!

By becoming a make-up artist I always created my own opportunities to showcase my work, I would write short scripts and then film them. This led to a love of directing.

What qualifies me to direct - and this is important - is my experiences with other departments, at some point in my career I have been part of the art department, the camera department, lighting, editing, visual effect, music and much more. I don’t believe in academic qualifications in order to direct, you have to follow your own path. It’s fine to study directing and to be told how to do it the right way, but when you realise how to bend, manipulate and break those rules only then can you take control and direct - pick up a camera and start shooting!

Craig, your list of co-stars is pretty impressive! From 2 Scousers in Paul McGann and Stephen Graham in Downtime, to Ving Rhames and Robert Carlyle in The Tournament – is there vast differences in how actors at the top of their game work, and did you pick up any techniques you’ve applied to your own preparations since?

Craig: I’ve been very fortunate to work with many great actors throughout and of course many have different approaches and techniques which I’ve learned from, but I think it’s clear that there are no hard and fast rules or a particular technique that is standard let’s say.

I think the essence of acting and to be honest. The industry is about being flexible adaptable and humble enough to learn from those around you and be open to explore new ways of working, this is how we grow and how we find gold in the accidental and unplanned.

For me personally it’s about letting go, being present, listening and reacting accordingly and not listening to my insecurities and my Ego which tend to say “You could have done that better” or “try and be clever by doing this” and trusting my director and producer that they have what they want for the edit.

How tempting was it to just keep randomly shouting Marcellus Wallace quotes at Rhames?

Craig: It was very tempting, but Scott Mann made me wear a pool ball strap on my face until he left set so I never got the chance!!!

SRS: The same pool ball strap that I made him wear in between takes on ‘Myth’.

Who would you both like to work with in the future?

SRS: Anyone who has as much passion about filmmaking and storytelling as we do!

Craig: Likewise, there are so many fantastic actors and creatives out there, I guess the hope is that we attract people who want to work with us.

SHAMELESS PERSONAL ADVERTISING ALERT! My screen-writing debut, Burn (@BurnShortFilm)!

I’ve recently finished my very first short script and it’s to be directed by talented actor and filmmaker Judson Vaughan in the next month or 2 – do either of you have any advice you could share with us and other writers/filmmakers?

SRS: Be persistent, this industry is tough, but if you have an original idea for a film, exploit it! The industry is churning out Marvel films and remakes – it’s desperate for fresh new ideas. It’s all about the visuals - visuals, visuals, visuals! The old system of filmmaking is rapidly disappearing and new talent is able to pick up a camera and produce a promo video based on their scripts – show an investor or producer what you can do. Produce mood boards, storyboards, posters, concept art and stick it all in one document - impress them. Give them a reason to sink cash into your film.

Craig: GO MAKE IT!

Out of all of your upcoming projects is there any you’re particularly excited about?

SRS: We have a few that we’re excited about, we’re definitely excited about the release of ‘TMofH’ just because it’s a unique story, and unlike anything else out there.

Craig: TMofH is the one for us at present, there are many projects we have to come and of course many I’m involved in as an actor, but “The Myth of Hopelessness” is what all focus is on now.

Where can our readers click to find out more about you gents?

SRS & Craig: All over Twitter, we’re both constant Twitterers! Otherwise check in to the TMofH website. @SRSmith1978, @thecraigconway, @tmofh and www.tmofh.com. @WSGPictures @GoldfinchEnt

Will you help spread The Slaughtered Bird word around your unbelievably cool circle of friends?

SRS: Absolutely.

Craig: Absolutely.

Thank you, gentlemen!

BOTH: Thank you.

@TheBlueTook