The following is an interview with Elsa Charretier and Pierrick (PK) Colinet regarding the recent launch of the Kickstarter campaign for the short horror film, Room Service. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Charretier and Colinet about their shared creative process in working with collaborator (and Eisner Award-winning writer) James Tynion IV to bring this short film to life, the incredible backer rewards available to supporters of the campaign, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congrats on the launch of your Kickstarter campaign! What can you tell us about the premise of this dark horror story?
PK Colinet: James [Tynion IV] had been fascinated by the secret economy that exists for the ultra-wealthy in the world, the horrifying things that exist out there behind the curtain from the rest of society. Room Service opens the door to that world. It’s the story of a man, down on his luck, who agrees to participate in a grisly transaction, and what happens to him when he decides he wants out.
Elsa Charretier: One of our characters is this mysterious, faceless figure of the Caretaker who’s really the enabler of all these atrocities. We were blessed to have Tonci Zonjic come on board to design his mask, and it suits the story perfectly.
BD: What can you share with us about the genesis behind your collaboration which inspired you to make the creative transition from the sequential art medium to film?
PKC: I’ve just always wanted to direct movies. From age 9 to my mid-twenties when I started writing comics almost by accident, I had a camera in my hand and I made shorts, documentaries, short-motion animations, anything. When we filmed our first Kickstarter video about three years ago, everything came back to me. The passion, the energy I get from being on set…This led to creating our YouTube channel, and now, my first foray into fiction in a long time, Room Service.
EC: When you see someone so driven by a project, it’s hard not to get inspired yourself. I had been wanting to do storyboards for a long time, but unlike a comic, you can’t really do that by yourself. You need a project that has very solid legs, talented and trustworthy partners, and Room Service had both, so I jumped in!
BD: Elsa, how would you describe your creative process in working with James’ script and PK’s vision to breathe life into the storyboards and overall look of the film?
EC: It was very different in some ways, very similar in others. My job here was not to make tone or pace decisions like I would have if I were drawing a comic, but it was to translate PK’s vision for each sequence onto paper. He’d sort of play-act camera movements or gestures and I’d draw it out, and we went through the script shot by shot that way. It felt deeply collaborative, and I loved every second of it. That collaborative spirit with PK brought back a lot of good memories. In the end, it was not unlike when we used to flesh out stories together!
BD: PK, as this will be your directorial debut, what do you hope that viewers will take away from the film?
PKC: I hope they’ll enjoy the film in its final form, of course, but even more than that, I hope they’ll take away the sheer sincerity of what we put into it. Both in terms of the independent adventure this represents, and in terms of our exploration of the human condition.
BD: What are some of the fun backer rewards that are available to those who contribute to your Kickstarter campaign?
EC: You’re going to want Room Service: the movie artbook we’re putting out. It’s a superb, 80-page, 6.8-in. by 10.4-in. hardcover edition that will include James’ script, movie treatment, details on production, Tonči Zonjić’s mask design for the Caretaker, interviews, a making-of, and the full short movie storyboarded by me.
PKC: We’ve also put together a merch set that includes a Deluxe Print Set by a Murderers’ Row of talents: Cliff Chiang, Jim Mahfood, Rafael Albuquerque, Francesco Francavilla and Elsa. She also has some of her original storyboard art available and for the more hardcore fans, and we’re even offering visits to the set and insider updates. But seriously, there are too many cool perks to list!
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find out more about Room Service and its Kickstarter campaign?
PKC: You can find us both on Twitter under our names, and, of course, you can check out the campaign on Kickstarter.
EC: Be sure to also have a look at our YouTube channel, because we will be hosting some lives for the coming month.
