So last year, my friends Scott and Liam over at the Scott and Liam vs. Evil podcast (still a cool cast, by the way) introduced me to this little gem of a film, and I got to see a preview of it. Long story short, I loved it. Previously, Dan Sunley’s Pieces was only playing the festival circuit. That is, until now. Brought to you by the good folks at Cappuccino Studios, here’s Pieces. Enjoy.

But wait, that’s not all!

Writer/director Dan Sunley and producer Dean Harris were kind enough to answer some questions for inquiring minds.

Backseat Driver: Ten words or less: what’s Pieces about?

Dan Sunley: What happens to your secrets when you die?”

Dean Harris: Girl clears deceased Grandma’s house. But she’s certainly not alone.

 

BSD: What inspired you to make this film?

DH: Our fantastic chief in command, writer and director Mr. Dan Sunley.

DS: Emotionally, its origins come from J-horror and K-horror from the late nineties, they have a great knack of crafting enticing mysteries that unravel within ghost stories. I’ve wanted to make something in that vain for a while. The idea of a protagonist who uncovers the secrets of a deceased loved one mixed with a supernatural tone seemed to be a really good fit for a short story that (I hope) would connect with people. I would also say that James Wan’s films are partly to blame!

 

BSD: Which festivals has this film played?

DS: Three so far: NightPiece in Edinburgh, Exit 6 in Basingstoke, and The Telluride Horror Show in Colorado.

 

BSD: What’s one thing we never would have guessed about this film?

DH: It took longer to plan than finish!

DS: How old some the props were. Most of the toys/children’s tea set were borrowed from the family home and are all over thirty years old. The bear that keeps popping up in the film was actually won at a fairground in the 1970’s and is probably one-of-a kind now.

 

BSD: What’s your largest point of pride with Pieces?

DS: Watching the individual elements come together. Creatively there are few things more satisfying than seeing all the stylistic choices you’ve made and the details you’ve put in line up cohesively. I think the strength of a production is built on how you can creatively solve the problems that arise. We made some good choices along the way and the other team members did a great job and the quality of Pieces reflects that, the production values really exceed the small budget we had and that’s always a good sign.

DH: We managed to get into a few festivals and have an audience watch Pieces. The feedback we’re getting is great and everybody has enjoyed it, including yourself. We did have a few people tell us they’re not into the horror genre but loved the film and wanted more – we’ll keep them there. On. tender. hooks.

 

BSD: Finally: what’s up next?

DH: Rumour around the scary camp fire at Cappuccino Studios is that’s there’s a couple of things being ‘thought about’ and ‘played with’. But you’ll have to poke, pull and twist Dan to find that one out. . .

DS: I’m back at the writing desk and working on some more scripts at the moment. They have different styles to Pieces but are still within the horror/thriller genre. I’d love the chance to direct more in the future so with a bit of luck and bit of work I’ll be on another film set next year, I would say that’s my next goal.

 

Best of luck to Dan, Dean and the Cappuccino crew. We can’t wait to see what you do next.