If you were a teenager in 1999, chances are you sat in a dark theater with your friends, peeking at the screen through your hands, while watching the 鈥渇ound footage鈥� of three student documentary filmmakers who disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Md.
鈥淭he Blair Witch Project,鈥� by Haxan Films, celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, after grossing more than $248 million worldwide and receiving critical acclaim, which included winning the Award of the Youth for Foreign Film at the Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Orange Award at the Florida Film Critics Circle Awards.
The highly successful indie horror film was the creation of five 麻豆原创 alumni: Michael Monello, 鈥�92; Robin Cowie, 鈥�93; Daniel Myrick, 鈥�93; Eduardo Sanchez, 鈥�94; and Gregg Hale, 鈥�95.
We caught up with Hale, one of the movie鈥檚 producers, in Portland, Ore., where he currently lives with his wife, Adrian (Steinbach), 鈥�00, and their two kids, Amelia, 8, and Decker, 6.
Hale and Sanchez still own Haxan Films and continue to make indie movies, as well as television shows, games and comic books, and also do some creative consulting. Most recently, the pair produced a show for ABC called 鈥淭he Quest,鈥� a fantasy-based reality competition, which began airing at the end of July and wrapped up in September. In addition, their Bigfoot horror film, 鈥淓xist,鈥� comes聽out聽Oct. 24.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a cycle of developing and then producing,鈥� Hale explains. 鈥淲hen we do the indie thing, we have to sell them. So, we鈥檙e trying to transition more into television, which is steadier. There鈥檚 more money in it now than there is in indie films, and we don鈥檛 have that cycle of taking a long time to create something, then make something, then sell something. We can get in and do it and not worry about the sales aspect.鈥�
Hale and fellow 鈥淏lair Witch鈥� producer and 麻豆原创 alumnus, Monello, also are the the founders of Campfire, a marketing agency that shapes perceptions and enhances brand preference through social storytelling, digital content and physical experiences 鈥斅爅ust like the promotional campaign they did for 鈥淏lair Witch,鈥� which had many people believing the movie was real. Hale remains with the company as an advisor, while Monello serves as its full-time chief creative officer.
鈥淚 like the work that we did for Campfire,鈥� Hale says. 鈥淲e did a lot of cool stuff, like the first season of 鈥楾rue Blood鈥� and the first season of 鈥楪ame of Thrones,鈥� and we did some cool movies and a lot of video games. It鈥檚 good work, but I don鈥檛 get passionate about that. I鈥檝e still managed to stay somewhat passionate about TV and film. So, I just opted to do the thing that gets me going.鈥�
In 2013, Hale and Sanchez directed a point-of-view zombie segment called 鈥淎 Ride in the Park鈥� for the horror sequel 鈥淰/H/S 2.鈥�
鈥淏eing a filmmaker is the only thing I ever really wanted to do,鈥� Hale says. 鈥淚鈥檝e known since I was 11 that that鈥檚 what I wanted to do, when I saw 鈥楽tar Wars鈥� (A New Hope). I was young enough to be totally amazed by the movie in that kid way, but old enough to realize somebody made it 鈥斅爐here was a camera, and people behind a camera, and somebody decided what the set was going to look like and what Darth Vader looked like. When Darth Vader walks through the door at the very beginning of the movie, it blew my mind 鈥斅爐he visuals, the music, everything. That鈥檚 the moment I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker.鈥�
As a child, Hale used a Super 8 camera to make short films, stop-motion animation and zombie movies. And, in true young, male filmmaker fashion, he also blew up toy soldiers with fireworks and filmed it.
Before Hale was in the spotlight for 鈥淏lair Witch,鈥� he worked as a set dresser for Disney鈥檚 鈥淭he All New Mickey Mouse Club鈥� and on the swing gang in the art department for the HBO miniseries 鈥淔rom the Earth to the Moon,鈥� both of which were produced in Orlando.
Hale grew up in Kentucky and was on his way to California to pursue his film education at UCLA or USC (鈥渂ecause those are the big, famous film schools鈥�), when he got a call from a childhood friend who was working on 鈥淪uperboy鈥� in Orlando. That was right before Universal Studios Orlando opened and right after Steven Spielberg told the world via 鈥淭he Today Show鈥� that Central Florida would be Hollywood East. So, Hale, like all of the other film students who weren鈥檛 already working in L.A., decided to head south.
Before starting college, Hale served in the U.S. Army to earn money for school. He鈥檇 already been working in the industry when he started taking film classes at Valencia College, where he learned聽the technical skills necessary for filmmaking. When he got to 麻豆原创, he says he enjoyed the opportunity to make his own films in a structured environment, with access to resources and instructors.
His advice to current 麻豆原创 film students? 鈥淭here鈥檚 talent and intelligence and all of the other attributes that are part of being a successful filmmaker, but you need perseverance,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a hard business. If you allow yourself to get discouraged, you鈥檙e not going to make it as a filmmaker. There have been a lot of ups and downs for me and Ed. Since 鈥楤lair Witch,鈥� we haven鈥檛 had that level of success we started out with, and that can be a downer at times. Things don鈥檛 always go the way you want them to go, but you have to stick with it. It鈥檚 a blessing and a curse.鈥�
LET’S GET REEL Q&A
Q. Favorite 麻豆原创 memory?
A. Going to class. I enjoy learning. The classes I enjoyed the most were film theory and film history. They were non-production classes, where you鈥檙e just learning for learning鈥檚 sake.
Q. If money was no object and you could make any movie, what story would you choose to depict?
A. We have a couple of properties that we鈥檝e been developing that are 鈥減ie in the sky.鈥� So, I鈥檇 like to make a big fantasy thing that my kids could go see. The TV show that was just on ABC [“The Quest”], my kids could watch, which I was super psyched about. It鈥檚 the first thing I鈥檝e done that my kids could actually see.
Q. Most memorable work experience so far?
A. I feel super lucky to be doing what I鈥檓 doing, and to be able to have done it as long as I鈥檝e done it. When 鈥淏lair Witch鈥� got into Cannes, we all went, and got to go to some big parties 鈥斅爐hese crazy, over-the-top parties. We鈥檙e standing on this beach with drinks, dressed in jeans and T-shirts, and there were guys with Rottweilers on chains guarding the edges of the party. We鈥檙e just standing there like, 鈥淲hat in the hell are we doing here?鈥� That was all such a whirlwind.
Q. Last movie you watched?
A. 鈥淜elly & Cal鈥�
Q. All-time favorite movie?
A. 鈥淔ellowship of the Ring鈥�
Q. If someone made a movie about you, what would the title be?
A. 鈥淥ne Lucky Dude鈥�
Q. What TV show are you embarrassed to admit watching?
A. 鈥淣aked and Afraid鈥�
Q. What鈥檚 the hardest thing you鈥檝e ever done?
A. Staying in the film business when I wanted to get out of it
Q. What subject do you wish you鈥檇 paid more attention to in school?
A. Typing
Q. Favorite place to visit?
A. It鈥檚 a tie between Japan and New Zealand. New Zealand is one of the most spectacular visual places I鈥檝e ever been with maybe the nicest people on the planet. And, Japan is just a very foreign culture that I鈥檓 really drawn to. I really like the way the Japanese people do everything.
Q. Something you learned in the past week?
A. Salmon stay at sea three to four years before returning to spawn. I just went and watched the salmon run yesterday.
Q. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
A. Historian