When you watch a horror movie or TV show, you can be on the edge of your seat, and it can feel like you’re inside the experience.
But what if you really were inside it?
Meet Saige Ryan, the creator and writer of They’re Here, an immersive horror story that was unlike anything I have ever seen.
Saige is also producer, streamer, YouTuber, actress, editor and a ton more.
We have the pleasure of sitting down with Saige to talk about her experience working inside the horror genre, as well as her work in Hollywood.
Let’s dive in.
Editor’s note: the following interview is edited for length and clarity.
Saige Ryan’s Horror Week Interview With NFS
No Film School: What kind of story prep goes into making an improvised horror movie?
Saige Ryan: It sounds funny to say so much story prep goes into an improvised horror movie, but it does! The way we went about it was kind of like a LARP (Live Action Roleplay) as primarily a tabletop gaming network. So we built tons of puzzles, clues, and plot hooks to be placed throughout the house for the cast, and from there they got to take the story and run with it.
NFS: How do you plan shots when you’re not sure what happens next?
Ryan: We wanted this to feel like that kind of surveillance/found footage horror so we had 11 cameras hidden throughout the house. The angles were set up to align with key locations of clues, so we could ensure we would capture our biggest story moments in frame.
The cast was free to move around between four spaces, and multiple scenes would often be happening at once so all the cameras had to be rolling the entire time.
NFS: How did you organize the footage and then decide when and where to edit?
Ryan: Goodness. We have so much footage. This was definitely our biggest undertaking, and I have just drives and drives full from this project alone. As for editing, we wanted to tell the story in almost real time, because the tension in the house was real. The urgency was real.
We chose to focus on the scenes that were building on the story and relationships if multiple were happening, and had the opportunity to obscure certain moments when the characters that were playing “the big bads” snuck away to scheme. If you watch it back knowing who “The Taken” are, you’ll definitely spot scenes they’re missing from and catch on earlier .
NFS: Are there certain other boundaries within horror you think need to be challenged or pushed?
Ryan: As a horror fan I am all in on immersive horror. I want to continue to find new ways to bring people into the stories, and let viewers affect the story. The tabletop roleplaying medium is such a fun lens for scares, I think we’re just getting started on blending the two.
NFS: As a producer, streamer, YouTuber, actress, editor, and a ton more, how do you pick which projects to focus on?
Ryan: I started PixelCircus because I love telling stories with my friends. What we make is what excites us, and I feel we have a unique perspective on. I love stories that center women, I love queer stories, I love stories that make someone feel seen in a genre or medium they hadn’t yet. It’s funny how there’s always more hours in the day when it’s something you love.
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This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
