AVI SINGH
The Interview
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
I live in Prosper, Texas Your script or media entry stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your project ? Fear The Reaper drew inspiration from a number of sources. So many of the films and series I watched and games I played growing up served as influences for this film. The Reaper himself was a character I created almost 10 years ago. He has gone through many, many renditions and dozens upon dozens of stories, all of which were told through the unique eyes of The Reaper himself. Though I felt that The Reaper was a powerful and enigmatic character that deserves to be brought to life, I was having trouble finding the right story to introduce him to the world. Through difficult life circumstances and the use of The Reaper himself as an emotional crutch, I eventually came to the realization… that The Reaper must be experienced from an outside perspective first in order to be understood as what he is: a corrective force of nature. Only after he is perceived in such a way, can we peel back the layers that created the monster. Only when we have seen where his journey leads and what he is, can we see where his journey began. The film itself takes inspiration from Horror films/series such as Halloween, Evil Dead, and Stranger Things and Action films/series such as Daredevil, Van Helsing, Priest, and The Raid Redemption. Despite the numerous influences, Fear The Reaper is quite unique and falls into a rare blend of Horror and Action that has not been explored too deeply. |
How long did it take you to write your script or produce your pitch deck/sizzle reel/trailer...and what was your development process?
To get to the point of having the right story to tell for The Reaper, it took several years, but once I knew the kind of story I wanted to tell, the characters whose eyes I wanted to see The Reaper through, and how an individual story will connect to the wider mythos and lore of The Reaper, it truly didn’t take long. I had my first draft within a month of outlining and writing after lengthy days spent doing not much else except hammering away at it. Since writing the script itself, I have written an entire prequel series that details the origin story of The Reaper and leads up to the events of Fear The Reaper. I also have detailed outlines of where the story goes afterwards and how the whole Reaper Saga begins, plays out, and ends. Since writing it, I take a read through of the script around once a month to edit, enhance, add, cut, and solidify. CLICK HERE TO SEE "FEAR THE REAPER" PITCH DECK & MEDIA Every month, the script gets better and better. The script’s first draft was written in October 2021, so by now it has gone through over 30 editing sessions. The next step after writing the script was making a proof of concept to show that this story had potential. With minimal help, I filmed a costume test and a quick scene featuring two characters on a $0 budget, using simply my phone for a camera. I was extremely pleased with how they came out, and decided it was time to do something a little bit more official. As an actor and a stuntman, I had been making connections on film sets and called upon some of those connections to help me make this proof of concept. I didn’t have much of a budget. In fact, I spent only around $500 on the whole project, but with the help of some amazing people, I worked day and night for around a month doing stunt rehearsals, making costumes, training, composing shot lists, and securing locations to make this a reality. Ultimately, with what we had to work with, I am extremely pleased with the proof of concept that was made. If that was done with minimal crew, virtually no budget, and only a few weeks of time from pre-production to post-production, imagine what we could do with even half the budget of the average horror film. |
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer or filmmaker?
As a writer and filmmaker, my current, primary, overarching goal is to bring The Reaper Saga to life, and share with the world the epic tale of a unique, epic, complex yet simple, intriguing, terrifyingly inhuman but undeniably relatable character. Everything I do as an actor, a stuntman, a writer, a director etc. is to bring The Reaper Saga to life. All is to that end. Beyond The Reaper Saga, I want to bring Hindu Mythology to life in the landscape of American Film. The potential to tell so many captivating stories is there, untouched, and I want to be the one to bring it to the forefront of cinema. I want to tell divine stories. I want to tell human stories. I want to create big, epic spectacles and tender, personal moments. I want to bring a new standard of action to film as a lifelong martial artist and a stuntman and stunt coordinator. Most importantly, above all else, I want to give people comfort through film. In some of the hardest times of my life, movies and TV were the only things I had to lean on. They kept me going. Once, I was convinced that it was time for my life to end. I was certain of it… but it was a film that saved me. A film was coming out that I had really wanted to see for some time, and I told myself that I would stick around to see that film, and if after that film came out I still felt the need to end my life, I would. The fact that I decided to stick around for a film is the reason I am alive today. I want to give back to the world in that way. I want to give people something to look forward to, something to comfort them after a terrible week, something to give them hope during awful times, something to hold onto when there is nothing else. Which film directors or screenwriters inspire you? Why? Though controversial, my favorite director of all time is Zack Snyder for many reasons. The way his films visually tell stories is unparalleled. The raw and realistic emotion he embodies in his stories in unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The way he weaves the current mindstate of society with the philosophical conundrums of ancient mythology is undeniably beautiful. Above all of this, Zack Snyder is reported to be a genuine and kind human being, something sorely lacking in an industry known to be cutthroat. M. Night Shyamalan is another favorite of mine. His film, Unbreakable, inspired me early in childhood to have the strength to go on. Being an Indian-American, Shyamalan was the first face in Hollywood I saw that represented my heritage. That told me that telling stories on that high stage was possible for me too. Isaac Florentine, a director known for B films is also another inspiration of mine as he has managed to outdo every director in Hollywood when it comes to action sequences. Being a stuntman and martial artist, I am always looking intently and deeply at the way action sequences in films are crafted, and Isaac Florentine is one of a handful of directors who did what John Wick did (specifically in terms of action) many years before it was done. Nicholas Winding Refn is another personal favorite, as he seems to capture the quietness, quickness, and reality of danger, violence, and terror. For similar reasons, I am a big fan of S. Craig Zahler as well. What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show? I have many, many favorites, and the answer to this question may change over time. Movies and TV shows that I come back to often, that I grew up with, and that will always be on the list are as follows: Unbreakable, Brawl in Cell Block 99, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (Ultimate Edition), Watchmen, Only God Forgives, Daredevil (2015), Undisputed III, Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, Happy Gilmore, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Godzilla 2000, Godzilla (2014), Halloween, Halloween (2018). The list could continue, but all of these are here for many many reasons. To judge a favorite is difficult, because the criteria could be different. Does favorite allude to most viewed, most re-watchable, most admired, most well-made, most impactful, most relatable, most interesting or something else? |
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What advice do you have for others hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Be true to yourself and what you know. Write what you know and what you feel. The human experience is so varied, but there is so much overlap too. As long as you write what you feel, someone else will feel it too. Keep writing, keep trying, don’t ever give up, and follow your heart. Everyone will tell you what the “right” way is or how you “should” be doing it. Outside of the basic formatting rules, tell the story you want to tell the way you want to tell it. There is no right and wrong, just what is and isn’t. What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? I am constantly working on The Reaper Saga. I have a script written that covers one of the two most important Hindu epics, Ramayana, which I hope will become the definitive version of the story in the visual format. I am currently in pre-production of a short film titled Weapon 47 which I am writing, directing, and acting in. I hope that it can become a feature one day. In addition, I am always acting, performing stunts, and stunt coordinating many many projects. I recently finished stunt coordinating my first feature film and am gearing up to play the main villain in a live-action rendition of a popular video game series. Where can the world find you? (Website, IMDB, etc.) My website is as follows: https://sites.google.com/view/avisinghfilm/avi-singh The website contains links to my IMDb and my casting profiles as well. |
