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DAVID M. NIGHT MAIRE

With a decade of industry experience pitching, collaborating, consulting and assisting in various departments on projects of fluctuating scopes, from shoestring micro-budget music videos to nine-figure studio blockbusters, David M. Night Maire’s industry background is as multifaceted as it is wide-ranging. Cosmopolitan in nature, Night is a Franco-American creative independent filmmaker – Writer, Director, Producer – who’s gritty, character-driven films have received endorsements and worldwide acclaim that have allowed him to carve himself a niche within the genre-based film circuit.

DIRECTOR OF CHATEAU SAUVIGNON TERROIR

'Chateau Sauvignon: terroir' follows the isolated adolescent son of a storied vintner family who finds himself torn between obeying his father’s callous restrictions and preventing his ailing mother from deteriorating further.

WHERE TO FIND ME:

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Q&A

Q&A Transcript:

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Q&A Part 1 

1.What inspires your work?

In the broadest of senses, art in all its forms and life at large.

 

2. What films did you watch as a child?

Not many because my parents didn't allow a TV at home until my adolescent years. A lot of animated Disney classics, as well as vastly inappropriate films for my age that my friend and I would sneak viewings of like Terminator 2 or Jean Claude Van Dam films. 

 

3. What directors have influenced your work?

Michael Haneke, David Cronenberg, Gaspar Noe, Eli Roth, Catherine Breillat to name a few.

 

4. Name one film that you think everyone should watch.

Hollywood: Ridley Scott's "Gladiator"

International: Park Chan-wook's "Oldboy"

 

5. If you could adapt any book/play/piece of literature, which would it be?

Let's say Eugène Ionesco's "Rhinoceros".

 

6. Who are your favourite writers?

Robert Frost, Charles Baudelaire, Philip Pullman, Edgar Wright, Dan Harmon, Trey Parker, Edgar P. Jacobs, Maurice De Bevere, René Goscinny, André Franquin to name too many.

 

7. Name a film score that make you feel something.

Pretty much any score composed by Hans Zimmer. But that's a basic answer, so maybe Nicholas Britell's "The Middle Of The World" for the soundtrack to "Moonlight" which comes to mind.

 

8. Who is an actor that you would love to work with?

Timothée Chalamet because he's a french bilingual who enjoys (real) football and follows the french Ligue 1.

 

9.  What was the last film you watched? (and would you recommend it?)

"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice." Meh, I'm divided, the story isn't particularly strong, it's lost a lot of its charm, but its still Tim Burton fun.

 

10. What is next for you?

I have over half a dozen shorts on the festival circuit that I've produced, along with two adaptations that I directed which are being pushed through post production. These are cosmological sci-fi "Horlogium" inspired by a Fredric Brown short story, and Victorian portrait of grief "Morning Vigil" based on a Guy de Maupassant short story. More immediately, I have work in an hour and then I need to go grocery shopping. 

 

Q&A Part 2

1. Tell us about your film Chateau Sauvignon: terroir ?  What`s it all about?

Cannibalistic vintners and their twisted familial ties.


2.  Can you tell us about the creative process in making your film? What drew you to this project?

It's a proof-of-concept for a larger feature project that I used to explore the murderous motivations of the principal characters.

 

3.  How long does a film like Chateau Sauvignon: terroir  take to make? 

From writing through to the start of distribution, it took over a year. Production was about 5 days.


4. What challenges did you encounter?

Finding a location was a particularly time consuming challenge that paid off in the end. (Most were far too modern for the aesthetic I was striving for)


5. Do you have a favourite moment when filming/creating Chateau Sauvignon: terroir ?

We have a minute long zoom shot that we got on the first take. That was incredible.


6. How was working with your cast and crew? Do you have any stand out moments?

The entire cast and crew were incredible to collaborate with. A stand out moment was probably when we decided to dump real pig guts organs  that had been festering in jars in the sun for days into a wine barrel for close ups. This stank to high hell, and Director of Photography Oliver Lucian Anderson who very brave in getting bird's eye view shots, nearly retching on several occasions. 


7. Can you tell us more about the sound design of your film? 

Mattias Murhagen of post sound house limeBeat did a really excellent job with it and I'm so proud of the overall soundscape. 


8. Where did you get the inspiration when creating  Chateau Sauvignon: terroir ? 

I hail from French provincial wine country and enjoy horror films. 


9. Was there any films that inspired you when creating  Chateau Sauvignon: terroir ?

So many, but Xavier Gens' "Frontier(s)" was a heavy influence. 


10. What have you learnt from making  Chateau Sauvignon: terroir ? Would you do anything differently next time?

To be realistic with one's planning and scheduling. Grandiose ideas and setups are great, but if you don't have the time or resources to make it happen, simplify. 

 

 

Thank you again for this opportunity! So fun to be able to feel like I'm participating despite being an ocean away :)

 


 

David M. Night Maire

Storyteller. Filmmaker. Creative.

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