A Silly Little Chat with James Moran, of 'Severance' and 'Girl Number 9'

Scott: So you've written for film, television, and on that awesome 2004 Krazy Kitty Kat monthly calendar. Why an online seral? Why now? Why?

James: We wanted to do something ourselves, that would reach people quickly and easily. Doing it for the web means no execs, no delay, no watering down.

Scott: No money.

James: Exactly. It also meant we could take advantage of the format to make it a cliffhanger style serial. We self financed, but will recoup our costs with advertising, and then if it does well, hopefully we can sell a version of it in some form. DVD, high quality online downloads, etc. Fortunately we got a really cool, cinematic look to the film...

Scott: Is it something that you could try to turn into a feature, or is it currently the format it needs to be?

James: It's custom designed for the format - it's not a tv show or film squashed down and chopped up. We decided the format first, and then worked out the storyline around that. Again, if it does well, then there's the chance of a follow up, or a different format. But this one is exactly what it needs to be.

Scott: Is Danny Dyer in it?

James: No, not this one. OR IS HE??? No, he's not. We broke all the rules, we're mavericks, loose cannons, but we get the job done.

Scott: Who was your key team? I know you haven't directed before, so clearly someone with talent was nearby.

James: Several people with several talents. My colleague Dan Turner directed episodes 1 to 3, I directed 4 to 6. We had a producer and a full crew. It stars Gareth David-Lloyd from Torchwood, Tracy-Ann Oberman from Doctor Who and Eastenders, and Joe Absolom from Eastenders and Doc Martin - and our producers are Martin Baker and Pete Coogan, who produced Labyrinth and several Muppet movies! From the producers of Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal! Comes a completely different project! And we shot at Elstree Studios, who were brilliant.

Read the rest at Horror Squad!