Meet the 2013 SXSW Filmmakers #40: Strange Occurrences And Their Larger Meaning in Jacob Vaughan’s ‘Milo’
What it’s about: “It’s about a guy with a creature living in his ass. Thematically, it’s
about dealing with the pressures of life, fear of fatherhood and
commitment, and the complexities of family dynamics. But essentially
it’s about a guy with a creature living in his ass.”
What it’s really about: “I wanted the creature to be a rod puppet. Everything is computer
generated these days and I thought it would be great if we could not use
any of that technology in the creation of the Milo, outside of removing
the puppeteers from the shot and maybe adding some TV screens in the
background.
It’s kind of a throwback to the films of the 80s. I grew up on those
films and the look and feel of them is in my genome. I wanted to see if
we could do a creature movie that was ABOUT something. I get bored too
easily if a film doesn’t have some weight to it. That’s why I think
Shaun of the Dead is so brilliant — because it’s a satire about the
apathy of our society. It’s my hope that my film exhibits some of that
substance and I’m really excited to hear audience reactions.”
On the challenges: “Finding the money is always hard, but I think it took a special team of
people to get behind this particular movie. You tell people it’s about a
guy with a demon baby living in his colon, and they want to know more
but at the same time they want to walk away. That’s the line I’m trying
to walk and that’s my kind of humor — push you away just a bit, but
pull you back in spite of yourself. So in pitching the movie I’d always
make sure people knew that it was a film about a guy who is trying to
face his inner demons, not just the one in his butt.”
Films that inspired him: “Gremlins, Shaun of the Dead, Lawrence of Arabia, Glengarry Glen Ross”
Indiewire
invited SXSW Film Festival directors to tell us about their films,
including what inspired them, the challenges they faced and what they’re
doing next. We’ll be publishing their responses leading up to the 2013
festival.
Keep checking HERE every day up to the launch of the festival on March 8 for the latest profiles.
