“Great ideas come from everywhere,” said Sam Walton. In the case of UK filmmaker David Duke, the source was a clown costume that he happened to have. The result is “Night Terror,” a short horror flick in which Duke plays both parts.
Interview with David Duke
MobileMovieMaking: What motivated you to become a filmmaker?
Duke: I’ve always been creative and making short videos for tiktok. But i really wanted to expand and I love horror so decided to try make something different.
MobileMovieMaking: How did you develop your moviemaking skills?
Duke: All my skills have been self taught. I do have some friends in the movie industry that did answer any questions I had.
MobileMovieMaker: Are there any filmmakers who influenced your approach?
Duke: All great horror filmmakers like Wes Craven.
MobileMovieMaking: What gave you the idea for Night Terror”?
Duke: I have a love for scary clowns and since I had a clown costume I thought it would be great if I could create some kind of home invasion. So basically it was an off-the-cuff idea
MobileMovieMaking: How did you plan the shoot.
Duke: I didn’t really plan it. I didn’t have a script I just made parts up over 3 nights as I went , and I shot it vertically so that mobile users could watch it without turning the phone as these days they watch alot vertical.
MobileMovieMaking: Could you talk about casting?
Duke: Both parts were played by me.
MobileMovieMaking: What was it like taking on those two characters?
Duke: It was challenging to play both roles. I had to do makeup and shoot those scenes. It was fun but a little difficult pretending to react to something that wasn’t there.
MobileMovieMaking: Where did you shoot it?
Duke: The location was just in my home.
MobileMovieMaking: What gear did you use?
Duke: I had was a ring light and my mobile phone—a Samsung A 42 5g. That’s it.
MobileMovieMaking: What are the advantages of shooting with a mobile device rather than a traditional camera?
Duke: You can shoot anywhere almost anytime.
MobileMovieMaking: And the disadvantages?
Duke: You can compromise sound and picture quality.
MobileMovieMaking: How long did the shoot take?
Duke: Around seven hours but broken up over 3 days.
MobileMovieMaking: During the shoot, did you encounter any unexpected problems?
Duke: Yes trying to shoot outside when the phone is inside was kind of tricky when you’re on your own so I had to set markers outside and a timer on the camera.
MobileMovieMaking: Could you talk about your approach to editing the movie?
Duke: My approach to editing was to do each segment I shot after I shot it and as it was edited on my phone I used an app called YouCut.
MobileMovieMaking: How do you feel about the movie?
Duke: It was my first short. I was pleased with it and it did better than I ever imagined. I’ve had numerous wins in festivals for best micro short.
MobileMovieMaking: Would you do something different if you had a chance?
Duke: I’d have better lighting, and I’d edit on a computer.
MobileMovieMaking: What’s the story behind HorrorSquad?
Duke: It was set up on twitter in 2011 as a group and hash tag where like minded horror fans could find each other and chat about all things horror. And slowly I turned it into something more and used it for Merch, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and now my own production company.
MobileMovieMaking: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out making movies?
Duke: I would say take your time, check that you have everything you need, and plan ahead. But ultimately do what makes you happy. Anything you create is a work of art.
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The editors of MobileMovieMaking have chosen “Night Terror” as the Mobile Movie of the Week.”
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