While  memorable movies usually feature strong characters and intriguing plots, sometimes locations come to mind first.  Examples include the Bates Motel (“Psycho”), the Overlook Hotel (“The Shining”), and U.S.S. Sulaco (“Alien”). and Jan Benes’ body (“Fantastic Voyage”). In that tradition, we have “Hobgoblin,” a horror picture featuring the 700-year-old home of the director Johnny Kinch. The structure offers one wonderfully scary place after another. You can find out more about the location and the production in the interview (below).

Interview with Johnny Kinch

MobileMovieMaking: Where are you located?

Kinch: In the East Midlands in a small village near Loughborough.

MobileMovieMaking: What motivated you to become a filmmaker?

Kinch: Well, I was a full-time actor until the Pandemic put a stop to that, so I decided that I could let the wave drown me or learn to surf. I chose surfing in the form of building a small production company and began writing screenplays and making indie movies.

MobileMovieMaking: How did you develop your moviemaking skills?

Kinch: Literally, I learnt on the hoof, as they say. I researched anything I didn’t understand and was in the thick of it and that is actually doing it instead of talking about it, which so often happens with so many people but with me I became an apprentice to the experience.

MobileMovieMaking: Are there any filmmakers who influenced your approach to making movies or who inspired you.

Kinch: I am a huge Hitchcock fan, grew up watching B&W’s so he obviously had some influence and also Simon Horrocks in terms of how to make a mobile movie. I came across his youtube tutorials and literally went from there. I knew I had my own style that would need to be lived in order to come out and I’m having fun trying out different techniques.

MobileMovieMaking: What gave you the idea for “Hobgoblin”?

Kinch: One day clearing out the attic of my 770-year-old house I found a porcelain Edwardian male doll under the floorboard. I put him on a beam and thought maybe I would do something with him one day. Years passed and ideas mulled over in my head. My house is an old monastic building called Hobgoblin. I decided to write a short about this little character. I wrote it into a classic horror where a mother’s dead son’s evil spirit was cast into a doll who lived in the attic. It turns out that after writing the script I googled Hobgoblin only to find it meant an evil spirit or sprite living in the attic. Spooky or what!

MobileMovieMaking: How did you plan the shoot?

Kinch: I just got on with it and started writing based on my house as my location and everything flowed from there. No storyboards or shot lists really. It was all in my head as a continual stream of conscious thought. I literally shot what I saw.

MobileMovieMaking: Could you talk about how you cast the movie?

Kinch: I knew a few great local actors that I had in mind from the get-go and the only actor from outside the area was Kane Surry from London. I put out a casting call on Twitter and had many replies but when I saw Kane I immediately knew he was the one.

MobileMovieMaking: Can you tell us anything about the locations?

Kinch: The main location was my house which was a bonus when you have no money. The other locations were in my village and a couple of shots from the lake district.

MobileMovieMaking: What gear did you use?

Kinch: I used the iPhone 13 Pro max, with no extra lenses. I had a small-rig cage, a Manfrotto for crane shots, four Ulanzi magnetic lights, a zhiyun smooth 5 gimbal and finally a RØDE VMNTG On-Camera Shotgun Microphone. On the software side, I used FiLMiC Pro for all shots.

MobileMovieMaking: What are the advantages of shooting with a mobile device rather than a traditional camera?

Kinch: There are so many advantages.  I just simply would not have been able to get into such small places without the mobile and it gave me such flexibility whilst also remaining 100% professional. Mobile cameras these days can really hold their own if used in the right way and for a fraction of the cost of doing things the conventional way. The only disadvantages are sometimes people don’t take you as seriously, as if you’re not a real filmmaker. But the tide is rapidly turning and now is the time for creatives to really push the boat out and make something truly original using mobile technology.

MobileMovieMaking: How long did the shoot take?

Kinch: Only about two weeks long in total, broken up into clusters of a few days at a time.

MobileMovieMaking: During the shoot, did you encounter any unexpected problems?

Kinch: Yes, there were many unexpected problems that required out-of-the-box solutions. How do you make a dead bird fly? How do you make someone float at speed down a dark corridor holding a stick and candle? How do you make a doll come to life when you are holding the camera doing the lighting and working the doll all at the same time? There were many more issues such as retakes needed as I wasn’t happy with the quality of some shots. However in the end I solved all problems and the show went on.

Kinch: Was there anything special about creating the soundtrack?

MobileMovieMaking: The soundtrack was 100% original and created by myself and Christof R Davis my composer. We have worked together before and it’s always done remotely. I give him ideas of what I want and he sends me his spin on it. I then arrange the sound when I do the edit.

MobileMovieMaking: Could you talk about your approach to editing?

Kinch: I always use Davinci Resolve. I am self-taught, again a part of the filmmaking process when you are on your own but it’s fantastic software and there is a free version that is top-notch. With regards to my approach to the edit, I have the overall idea in my head and start with the images building up small sections of certain scenes then bring in the sound and foley followed by the music. The latter can change the edit. It’s all down to what inspires me or some of the magical mistakes made, as I call them.

MobileMovieMaking: How do you feel about the finished movie?

Kinch: Of course, when you are working so close to a project there is always something you see way after the final edit has been revealed. I would change a few tiny things regarding the film but am mainly very happy with it. The main thing I would change is get some money and hire some staff!

MobileMovieMaking: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out making movies?

Kinch: Keep at it, think big and work your ass off. No one will back you at first but they will certainly jump on your coattails! Failure is an orphan but success has many fathers!

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You can keep up with Johnny Kinch via his website, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and  YouTube.

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The editors have chosen Hobgoblin as the Mobile Movie of the Week.