Ian and Eshom Nelms: “Our journey to becoming filmmakers started with a love of cinema and that was fuelled by our mother who is a huge movie fan”
SABAN FILMSWho or what inspired you into filmmaking?
Our journey to becoming filmmakers started with a love of cinema and that was fuelled by our mother who is a huge movie fan. When we were kids, she ordered the "Clint Eastwood Collection", which delivered to the house a new VHS of Eastwood's work every two weeks. We watched the hell out of those movies. Everything from the Dirty Harry's to the Leone Westerns, we devoured them. We wore out the tapes playing them so much! We even got the lesser-known titles like "The Eiger Sanction" and “Firefox." We didn't know it then, but that was absolutely the seed which grew into us becoming filmmakers later in life!
What was it that spurred you on to make an action film with Santa at the centre of it?
We thought there was room for it in the genre. We've all seen the hatchet wielding Santa and the jolly Tim Allen version, but we got excited about telling a very grounded version of Santa. A movie that dealt with what it would really be like if Santa were real. How would he live? How would he finance it all? Where would his factory be? How to address the elves? Chris Cringle felt like an old cowboy to us and a contemporary Christmas Western was what we set out to craft.
You'd been shopping this film around studios for quite a while, was there any point where you felt like giving up on the project?
Never! Oddly, our minds don't work that way! We just continued to try and figure out ways to get it made. Although, that reminds us of a quote from the documentary "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse.” We watch that documentary before every movie we make. In one scene, we find Coppola upset and in the middle of trying to finish "Apocalypse Now.” Someone asks him if he wants to give up and he begins ranting "Give up? It's my movie. Who am I going to give up on, myself?" Which pretty much sums up how we felt. We were going to get it launched out one way or another.
How was it to work with heavy hitters like Mel Gibson and Walton Goggins?
They were both great to work with. Mel's so accomplished in front and behind the camera - there's inevitably a feeling of butterflies as you head out to work with one of the best directors working today, but he was an excellent collaborator. No doubt because of his time in front and behind the camera. If he had a suggestion, he'd always preface with "just a suggestion, you can take it or leave it" - which took all the pressure away.
Walton was awesome as well. He always brought a lot to the table - wanting to push the boundaries of the scene and grounded nature as far as possible - which we loved and encouraged. He gives so many great options and so much amazing nuance to his performance.
Did filming the final fight scene provide any problems?
Yes! Many! Ha! Here's two - It was negative thirty-five degrees for the four days we had to shoot that scene and it was rough staying out in that for 12-14 hours a day. Also, since it was knee deep in snow, we had to shoot from the outside in - with no going back, because once the crew rolled over the snow cover it was destroyed with no practical way of resetting it. So, it took some orchestration and really thinking out what shots we wanted and when we had to get them. But it was beautiful! And ultimately so worth it!
The tone of the film shifts from a rather slow-burning thriller to a full-blown action with some solid pieces of comedy throughout, how did you manage that shift in tone, and was it difficult at all to keep it consistent?
It was written that way, so that's where it starts. We love mixing tones. For us, it all centres on keeping the material grounded. Characters and situations can be big in idea, but need to be brought down to Earth (as much as possible) so they can all play in the same world. For Fatman, we saw it as a ramp up - these three characters circling each other until they finally collide!
Is it difficult to work as two directors behind the camera? Or are your visions for the film and plot similar? How do you settle differences in artistic vision?
All our fights are fought and won in the writing process. We'll bat an idea around until we both like it. If it doesn't appease both of us, then we think it's deficient in some way - and we just keep working it until it isn't. When we direct, we're in sync and anyone can ask either of us a question and get the same answer. If it's something we haven't discussed yet, then we'll have a quick side-bar, sync up, then present an answer.
Any upcoming projects we can keep our eyes out for?
We have a few things working right now. Can't say which one might take the lead, as you just never know. But there’s an eclectic swatch of material. We’d love to get some horror and sci-fi going! Think it would be fun to bring our flavour into those genres.