Welcome to the Screening Room of...
KRISTA BRADLEY
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Bella Vista, Arkansas, USA Your script or media entry stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your project ? My grandfather, who taught me the vibrant history of Wonderland Cave, the world’s largest underground nightclub in 1930. My grandfather was a historian who loved to explore. He loved music, and he LOVED movies! So much so, he owned a small country store where he rented them out. Movies were always “his thing.” I was blessed to have him as a father figure and best friend, so naturally movies, even from a very young age, have always been my thing, too. Before he passed, he made me promise to finish this film and to never make a “crappy movie.” Wonderland Cave is dedicated to him. How long did it take you to write your script or produce your pitch deck/sizzle reel/trailer...and what was your development process? The feature length version of the script took exactly three years to complete, and our proof of concept trailer took one week to shoot and edit. We actually filmed the week before our trailer premiered at the Fayetteville Film Festival, due to an emergency surgery I had that postponed filming (talk about down to the wire), after months of pre-production. |
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As the granddaughter of a Historian and lover of history myself, I felt a sincere responsibility to get everything right. During the research process, we shot a documentary featuring interviews with consulting historians and the family members of the original owner and manager who were alive during Wonderland’s golden years.
However the script started off as a short film! The project was initially announced after winning the pitch competition at the 2021 Fayetteville Film Festival, where it received a grant of $2,000 to complete a short or a proof of concept trailer. While we prepared to film the short, the screenplay earned a ranking as high as the top 3% globally on Coverfly and placed as a semifinalist in the Inroads Screenwriting Fellowship in 2022, resulting in an invitation to their networking event at Sundance 2023. Amazingly, our team was allowed to play the proof of concept at the event, where we met mentors and were advised to move forward with a feature instead of a short. Now here we are! What is your ultimate ambition as a writer or filmmaker? To share my film, Wonderland Cave, with the world. Which film directors or screenwriters inspire you? Why? The directors who inspire me most are James Cameron, Ron Howard, and Clint Eastwood. I love their style! I particularly love Cameron's full-on approach to filmmaking and try my best to emulate it. I also identify in particular with Howard and Eastwood as multi-disciplined artists myself, and use their careers to guide my creative decisions. More close to home, I really look up to writer/director Jeff Nichols (Loving, The Bikeriders). He’s also from Arkansa and has inspired me to own my craft and be bold in my pursuit to film. What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show? It’s a tie between Titanic and Gone with the Wind. What advice do you have for others hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have? Submit and see what happens! What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? I think it’s really important to give back and share in the experience when possible. Something really cool about our production is that we do an excellent job pairing some of the best established artists with the most passionate upcoming creatives who need experience and professional training in order to break into their respective fields. It’s been really special connecting and working with these creatives and watching them shine. Where can the world find you? (Website, IMDB, etc.) Please visit our website at www.wonderlandcavefilm.com for regular updates. We’re also on IMDB at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17346832/. |
