Anti Matter is also know as Worm. It is a sci-fi, noir take on the Alice in Wonderland tale. It is writer, director Keir Burrow‘s feature debut. Anti Matter did 100% on Rottentomatoes, and scored an 8 on IMDB. We sat with the Tribeca, Berlinale, and BFI London Alumni to discuss how he made his film. We thought that Anti Matter was an ambitious movie, and figured we’d give you an insider view on how the film was made.
indieactivity: What is your experience with story, writing, production and marketing?
Keir Burrows (KB): Hey, thanks for having me here. Okay briefly, Anti Matter started out as a short film script called Worm that I wrote around 2011. A couple years later I turned it into a feature, then spent another couple years developing the script, working out how we were going to shoot it. We began filming end of 2014. The team broke the shoot up into a dozen small chunks. So we shot over almost a year, doing a day here, a weekend there.
We did one big block, 13 days, for all the lab stuff. Then it was a year or so in post, edit, grade VFX, score, sound, all of that takes forever if you want it to be amazing but you have no money. Then even before festivals we hooked up with Uncork’d Entertainment, who came on to do distribution. Marketing we’ve been doing our best to follow a critic-strategy, we haven’t much money so we’re hoping good reviews will help get the word out there, then word of mouth does the rest.
Did you start writing with a cast?
Keir Burrows (KB): No, not at all. In fact the script was finished and on about draft thirty when I decided to swop genders of all the main characters, to accommodate Yaiza (Figueroa, who plays the lead, Ana). She’d done incredible work in two of my short films, Grace and The Showreel. So that’s how that came about.
How long did you take to complete the script?
Keir Burrows (KB): Yeah, as above, it went on for several years. First as a short, then a feature, then a couple of years of redrafting. I mean it would have been good if I’d got it going quicker, but for a first-time writer/director, actually it was good it took that long. And even then I had to do SO much repair work to the script in post, adding ADR lines and removing a ton of superfluous dialogue. Anti Matter improved me as a writer way more than it did for my directing.
When’d you form your production coy – what was the original motivation for it?
Keir Burrows (KB): Yes, The Cast Iron Picture Co. It’s to have a limited company to make the short (and features) with – you need one. To hire kit, to pay invoices. Film is a business.
What was the first project out of the gate?
Keir Burrows (KB): First thing we did was my first short film, Air. My producer on all the short films, including Anti Matter has been Dieudonneee Burrows, who is also my wife. So we work together, and run the company together.
During production, what scene (that made the cut) was the hardest to shoot?
Keir Burrows (KB): Hmm. Probably the scene, or the shot even, where Ana is about to be teleported, and we had the enormous machine rising above her, on chains, on this complex pulley system. And it just kept sticking, it looked awful. We did like 14 takes. I’ve NEVER done 14 takes, I’m a 4 take director. But yes that was the hardest.
What works better in this production that mightn’t have worked in the last one?
Keir Burrows (KB): Hmm. Are you asking how I think I’ve improved? I don’t know. Scale, obviously, we managed to make something this big, where we hadn’t before. It’ll be seen by a much bigger audience. That’s really the only big difference.
What measure of input did it take to don these two hats?
Keir Burrows (KB): Honestly, and this may sound vain, but in my mind I can’t really separate the two. Directing is secondary to writing. Directing is merely a way to get my stories told. A conduit. That’s the only reason I began doing this, to get my writing out there.
Is there anything about independent filmmaking business you struggle with?
Keir Burrows (KB): I mean getting projects in front of the right people, the finance people, but that’s an eternal problem. Not unique to me. But then it’s also something that’s less of a problem now, I have a great agent, and I’m working with experienced producers on upcoming projects, so, I don’t know. It’s better than it was two years ago. Anti Matter has opened doors, for sure. There isn’t a single thing right now I’m banging my head against a wall over. Time. Time to write would be good.
Where do you think your strengths lie as a writer-director?
Keir Burrows (KB): Oh my, I don’t know. I’m not good at that, analyzing my strengths. Um… personally I’m very comfortable working with actors. I do it for a living, so I think I can get a lot out of actors. I love that part of the job. Visual storytelling, I think I put a lot of thought and layers into each image, I’m good at that.
How important is marketing? Do you think a project can make any dent without it these days?
Keir Burrows (KB): Well we shall see! A film like ours has a very limited marketing budget. So let’s see how we get on. No, look, without a serious, serious marketing budget, you’re never going to really break out. It’s just the reality of things. We’re not looking for big numbers with Anti Matter, we just hope it finds its niche, reaching the audience who will enjoy it.
Can you tell us about your marketing activities on the project – and how it’s gone for you?
Keir Burrows (KB): Yeah as mentioned we’re pursuing a critic-led strategy. The movie is getting strong reviews. So that’s our hope for any break-out. We’re putting a lot of effort in to getting it in front of reviewers, hopefully get them to write about it, use that as a marketing tool, as a way to spread the world, break through so that people actually notice it, and give it a watch.
What do you hope audiences get from Anti Matter?
Keir Burrows (KB): Many things! First off I hope they are entertained. That’s important, in what I do. I’m looking to make movies that are a pleasure to watch, that are entertaining. Saturday night movies. But beyond that, I hope it will leave audiences with something to think about. Make them mull over some of the many ideas in the film, the questions we’ve posed.
What else have you got in the works?
Keir Burrows (KB): A number of projects, quite a few finished scripts, I’m in various stages of development or talks over. A horror, proper old-school creaking floorboards and misty woods monster movie. A drama, with a slight sci-fi angle, but a very poetic thing, my Terence Malik piece. A couple other things. It’s looking quite good, so here’s hoping – but I’m not naïve, could easily take 5 years to get the next thing made, it happens. Wish us luck!
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