Invention and use of available amenities often leads to some of the more interesting features at FrightFest and Cameron Francis' superb movie Cover is a prime example. Here he talks about this thrilling thriller.
NYX: Where did the idea for Cover come from?
CF: After making nine “one man band” short films, I decided it was time to make a feature. But I didn’t have any money. So I thought about what I had access to: a car, my apartment, and parking lots, and decided to write something that took place mostly in those locations. Since I would be shooting a lot in my car, I figured the main character should be someone itinerant. I thought about having him be a collector of some sort who drives around the country to various conventions. Stamps and envelopes are easy to make MacGuffins since they could be printed off my personal printer for no money. So I decided to make him a stamp collector.
NYX: What’s your philately knowledge like and did you have to do much research?
CF: I had next to no philately knowledge. I had to do a lot of research. At first I was going to make the MacGuffin an old valuable stamp. Then I stumbled upon the NASA “Sieger Covers” story and decided to run with that as it’s so weird and unusual.
NYX: How would you describe Cover?
CF: I would describe it as a thriller about two damaged people inextricably linked by a tragic event, each searching for a way to climb out of the psychological pits they’ve dug for themselves. Trevor wears his pain on his sleeve whereas Macy keeps it locked away and doesn’t want to confront it.
NYX: Did you write the script with a cast in mind?
CF: Partly. Dale and Vic were written specifically for Christopher and Garin, whom I had known from my time working at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. But I had no idea who would play Macy. I just figured it would come to me at some point. I work at Universal Orlando as an actor so I know loads of very talented people. But I didn’t want to audition anyone because I didn’t want to create competition among my friends. After a while, I started to get a little nervous because I really couldn’t figure out who would fit the role. Then one day Katherine Lozon, a fellow performer who I worked with occasionally at the Bourne Stuntacular, made one of her usual sardonically witty comments and a light bulb flipped on in my head: she would be the perfect Macy. So I asked her if she’d be interested and she was taken aback because she hadn’t done and film work before. But she was also totally game. I think she knocked it out of the park.
NYX: It offsets the humour and hidden darkness perfectly, was that a hard balance to get right?
CF: Thank you for the kind words! Humour and darkness is my favourite combo as a writer. I don’t think I was consciously trying to balance it. I just wrote it and hoped for the best.
NYX: Did they have much time to rehearse as their performances are so tight?
CF: No! We had no time at all. But they’re all great so they were on it. Most of our shooting days were very short due to people’s schedules. Sometimes we’d only have a few hours to get a scene. For example, the bar scene was shot in three hours. And it’s a long scene. Because it was just me working the camera and doing most everything else, we had to shoot fast and hope for the best. My motto became, “We get what we get.” Sometimes we got everything. Sometimes we didn’t so I did my best to fix stuff in the edit.
NYX: This is your first feature as director, was there ever a moment you felt over your head at all?
CF: All the time. I tried my best to be as prepared as possible for each scene. But when you’re making a movie for pretty much no money with next to no crew, you’re bound to feel a little overwhelmed at times.
NYX: Were you nervous the first day on set?
CF: I filmed a lot of solo scenes before I started working with the rest of the cast. And because I’ve made a lot of short films by myself, I was fairly confident about the process. The first day shooting with Katherine was a little nerve wracking, though. It was one of the car scenes. No lights. No crew. Just her, me, and a camera mounted to the dashboard. I was afraid she would look at the bare bones set up and think I was nuts. Having filmed in the car already, I knew the footage would turn out well, but I knew it would take a lot of trust on her part. But she was a real trooper and just went with the flow. She was fearless.
NYX: What lessons in directing did you learn?
CF: Even when time is short, do at least two takes. More if you can. And make sure each one is different. Sounds obvious, but sometimes when time is short, you panic and forget to do another take. And you might not have everything you need.
NYX: How hard is it to direct yourself as your character has pretty raw moments?
CF: Not too difficult. I just do it, watch the playback, and adjust depending on what I see. I did do a ton of takes of the screaming-in-the-car scene. That was exhausting.
NYX: There are some very Hitchcockian style shots, is that deliberate?
CF: I love Hitchcock but I can honestly say I wasn’t purposely channeling him. Maybe subconsciously. I just tried to make certain shots as interesting as possible and cut it all together in a way that was suspenseful.
NYX: How did you manage to shoot such a superb looking movie on such a micro-budget?
CF: First of all, thank you for the compliment. Second, I’m not sure. We only used studio lights for a handful of scenes. Everything was shot with practical, available light. I just tried to expose everything as best I could and make sure people were mostly lit from the side or the back. I’m no Gordon Willis but I try my best.
NYX: Did you use permits for anywhere or just use “shoot and go” sort of filming?
CF: Zero permits. This is why we shot a lot of stuff in busy parking lots. I stripped down my camera so it looked just like a basic every day camera and used lav mics. I figured if we stayed inconspicuous, no one would pay attention to what we were doing. And it worked. I did get permission to shoot in a bar and a coffee shop. I also rented some very cheap hotel and motel rooms for a couple of scenes. But even in those situations, we kept things low key.
NYX: Will you be nervous when the movie has its UK premiere at FrightFest 2025?
CF: Absolutely. I have yet to see it on a big screen in a room full of strangers. So I might need a drink to calm my nerves before I walk into the cinema.
NYX: So, what are you up to next?
CF: I’m going to start shooting a contained horror film in September. With an even smaller budget! But I’m extremely happy with the script and very excited to get started. I only have a cameo in this one so I’m thrilled to be able to concentrate almost exclusively on producing and directing.
NYX: Cameron Francis, thank you very much
