Talk To Me
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“Film Sets Are the Best Film School”: YouTubers-Turned-Filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou on Their A24 Horror Debut Talk To Me
Ventriloquist demons go viral in Talk To Me, the feature film debut of twin brothers and co-directors Danny and Michael Philippou. While the A24 horror venture marks their first official foray into feature filmmaking, the duo have been uploading action-packed videos onto their YouTube channel, RackaRacka, since 2013. Unlike Kyle Edward Ball, another YouTuber-turned-filmmaker whose chilling feature debut Skinamarink released earlier this year, the Philippou’s prior output wasn’t necessarily horror-focused. To date, their channel is mostly comprised of stunts, comedy sketches, satirical vlogs and prank videos. This decade-spanning commitment to making content is likely what primed the brothers to helm Talk […]
by Natalia Keogan on Jul 27, 2023 -
Overlook Film Festival 2023: Vampires and Ventriloquist Demons (Renfield, Only Lovers Left Alive, Talk To Me)
After a four-hour flight delay (owed to a malfunctioning back-up system accessory, subsequent plane evacuation and a lengthy re-fueling process), I arrived in New Orleans exhausted but still, miraculously, eager to spend much more time sitting in a shifting rotation of seats. Even if I wanted to, I wasn’t entitled to complain much. I’d been invited to cover the annual genre-themed Overlook Film Festival, now in its seventh year, and was genuinely thrilled by the opportunity. As a relatively green (not to mention newly full-time) magazine staffer, longtime horror obsessive and someone who’d yet to visit New Orleans, Overlook presented […]
by Natalia Keogan on Apr 12, 2023 -
Trailer Watch: Danny and Michael Philippou’s Talk To Me
The trailer for A24’s latest buzzy horror title, twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou’s Talk To Me, has finally landed after a pretty extensive festival run. The film had a special preview screening last year at the Adelaide Film Festival in the brothers’ native Australia, followed by its world premiere at Sundance back in January. It’s since screened at SXSW and was the secret screening at the Overlook Film Festival a week and a half ago. Despite receiving raves from audiences, the first trailer for Talk To Me is keeping specific plot details under wraps. Without spoiling too much, here’s […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Apr 11, 2023 -
“We Had To Protect the Chemistry of the Cast Whilst Maintaining Social Distance”: DP Aaron McLisky on Talk to Me
Twin brothers (and YouTube filmmakers) Danny and Michael Philippou have crafted a ghost story for the influencer age with <i>Talk to Me</i>, their feature debut. When a mummified hand comes into the possession of a group of Australian teenagers, they record members of the group falling under a supernatural spell—channeling the dead when they clasp the hand and utter the requisite incantation: “talk to me.” However, if they allow the spirit to possess their body for more than 90 seconds, they effectively allow the entity to control their mind and body for eternity. With a crowd of teens recording the […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 27, 2023 -
“When We Lost Those Two Weeks, We Came up With an Alternative Solution” | Danny and Michael Philippou, Talk To Me
Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, and how did this event impact or cause you to rethink your film? Initially we thought we might have seven weeks for production, but that quickly turned into five. So, we had to be more strategic about sequences, shots and coverage. For example, we originally planned an elaborate effects sequence that was going to take days to shoot. But when we lost those two weeks, we came up with an alternative solution using […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 24, 2023
