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Interview with the director of A Dog's Breakfast,
David Hewlett
Tell us about your background and how
it prepared you for the making of this film.
I have been making films from the other side of the camera (as an actor)
since I was 14. My friends and I used to spend our entire summer vacations
causing chaos running around Toronto, Canada armed with an 8mm Cine film
camera making short films. They were entirely self-funded and we would beg,
borrow or steal equipment, locations and post-production time to get them
finished. They were the best "vacations" I ever had. Those experiences were
the reason I became a professional actor. Being on Stargate Atlantis has
afforded me the time and the money to try to relive those fantastic
experiences. This time with me at the helm!
What or who was your inspiration for
writing and directing A Dog's Breakfast?
My biggest influences for the script were A Fish Called Wanda, Fawlty
Towers and the original Pink Panther. In order to stand out and get
noticed, many first time filmmakers go to extreme lengths to be dark,
twisted and edgy. Rather than trying to shock people into taking notice of
my work, I just wanted to make people laugh. I wanted it to be enjoyably
silly. I really liked the idea of all the different aged members of a family
being able to sit together and share a giggle. Making those early short
films with my friends was the biggest inspiration. But, I also read a lot of
books and watched a lot of DVDs in preparation for A Dog's Breakfast.
Garden State was a fantastic first film by another actor-turned-director
(Zach Braff) that really inspired us to get on with making our own movie.
Robert Rodriguez was another huge inspiration. Here is someone who just went
out there and made a movie, all on his own. His book "Rebel Without A Crew"
is like a road-map to your first film and made it sound so do-able. He had
to sell himself for medical research to get the money to fund his work. I
just have to save the universe, on Stargate Atlantis. I didn't think we had
any excuse not to spend our hiatus making A Dog's Breakfast.
Is this the first project in which
you've starred and directed? How was that experience?
This was the first time I'd ever done two of the three jobs I ended up with
on A Dog's Breakfast! Directing was completely new to me and it was the
skill-set I was most worried about. I have done a fair amount of writing
over the years, but this was the first complete script to make it to camera.
And then on top of that the fact that I'm actually acting in just about
every scene as well -- I don't know what I was thinking! Well, actually I
do. It was two less people to feed and schedule around! I would definitely
re-think trying to do them all simultaneously again. I kept forgetting to
call 'action' or remembered and then forgot my lines, I was a mess! That
said, once I got into the swing of it, writing and directing was a dream
come true! I was finally able to take part in every aspect of filmmaking.
I'd been privy to aspects of it over the years, but seeing a film through
from conception to release and even dabbling in the marketing side of things
was incredible. I can't wait to do it again! I'm half way through the script
for the next project which I'm hoping to have someone else pay for this
time! Over 20 years later and I'm still making films during my holidays, and
they're still the best "vacations" I could wish for!
You chose to cast several cast mates
from Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG-1 in your film (your sister Kate,
Paul McGillion, Christopher Judge, Rachel Luttrell). What prompted the
decision and were you worried it may mislead people about the content of the
film (thinking it was sci-fi or associated with Stargate)?
I just worked with my friends and family, it's always worked for me in the
past. I know how tough it can be for first time directors and I wanted to
surround myself with top-notch and supportive talent. I'd be crazy not to
take advantage of those connections! One of the reasons we chose to make
Ryan a "sci-fi" actor was to be able to give a little nod to the
Stargate
fans with his "Starcrossed" clips. So far A Dog's Breakfast hasn't been
mistaken for a sci-fi movie, so I think we're good, there. The reality is
that I knew Stargate audiences were going to be interested in the project so
I tried to make a humorous film that would appeal to them. But people
outside of the sci-fi world are also enjoying this movie, and it's certainly
not exclusively for Stargate fans. If you own a dog you're going to like
this as you're in what I call our "Pet-Nerd" audience. That said, the film
(and even more so the DVD) certainly has a few giggles that will appeal to
those "in the know".
What about the DVD: will there be any
extras that you can tell us about?
I can't wait to see the response to the DVD! We've complied a ton of extras
that adds a whole new level to the film. We've got a number of "deleted
scenes" that are really funny, but just had to go in order keep the running
time down. I really miss them, and I'm so glad that now they'll see the
light of day. The big seller to me is what Jane has done with the
Behind-the-Scenes. Jane Loughman is A Dog's Breakfast producer and her
background was producing at E! and for Entertaiment Tonight. She's used all
those skills to put together a series of mini-documentaries that are so much
fun! One of the things that I hate on many DVD's are these repurposed
marketing pieces that are dumped on the DVD. You end up having to watch half
the film again! We set out from the beginning to have these designed
specifically for the DVD and it really shows. This is the kind of DVD that I
would buy for the extras!
What do you want your audience to get
out of this movie?
I love to make people laugh. I suppose it's the product of being the eldest
and only boy in a family of 5 sisters, I'm just desperate for that kind of
attention! I made this movie as pure silly entertainment. I wanted to make a
new, old-fashioned comedy and I really hope that's how people see it. One of
the most rewarding things that happens with A Dog's Breakfast is people
like it enough to want to quote my own film back to me! That's the kind of
response I like to see, because that's how I am about the movies I love.
The big climax, how did you film that?
Very carefully! Jane is such a stickler for detail and she made me re-write
that ending section a number of times. She was adamant that there be no
"cheats" -- no holes where people could question the timeline and people's
motives. When it came to actually shooting it, I was so strapped for time.
As it turned out the necessity to jump around with the shots in order to
preserve make-up and costumes etc. made it a lot more dynamic than it would
have been had I been given all the time I needed. I just wanted a nice
spooky reveal that was "tainted" by Patrick's confused and paranoid
state-of-mind. I like to think of it as my David Lynch Murder She Wrote
episode.
What are your favorite movies? What
DVDs do you have on your shelf at home?
Wow! There are loads, but here are a few faves, off the top of my head... A
Fish Called Wanda, Withnail and I, Blake Edward's The Pink Panther, A
Shot in the Dark Robert Rodriguez's El Mariachi, Desperado, Sin City
The Evil Dead trilogy Mad Max 2, The Road Warrior Garden State Anything with Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd or Charlie Chaplin in it!
Arsenic
and Old Lace, Sid and Nancy, Fitzcarraldo, Blade Runner, Danny Boyle's
Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later, Trainspotting, Millions, Eternal
Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Steven Soderbergh's
Out of Sight, Solaris... and just about anything he gets up to!
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