Being in London
for the Summer, my mind often drifts away to Neverland. I can’t help but think
of it when I pass Big Ben, or visit Kensington
Gardens. Peter Pan’s many
adaptations have become a staple part of my childhood, so seeing these landmarks
was kind of like a dream come true.
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| Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens |
Well, because it’s not a classic adaptation. It is
darker, colder, and harshly realistic- all of which appeal to me.
It has left the door wide open and full of
possibilities. However dark and malevolent this film will be, director Kellen
Moore is absolutely one of the sweetest people. Enthusiasm (as you will soon
see) simply radiates from him, and is sure to be felt by all he encounters.
Please
enjoy this in-depth interview with Kellen Moore featuring exclusive stills from his film
East of Kensington, as he answers questions on characters, production, casting, working with internet sensation Andrew Ducote (Spieling Peter),
and his personal journey in and out of Neverland.
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| Director Kellen Moore |
LT: As a lover of all things Peter Pan,
when I found out about this production I was instantly sold. Since that day
I’ve been waiting for any scrap of information you could throw our way...where
are you right now in production and where have you been filming?
KM: We actually wrapped production
February 2012... which is just crazy to think, because we haven’t even started
submitting it to film festivals yet. The filmmaking process is really broken up
into three blocks- pre-production, production, and post-production. For East of
Kensington, physical production was actually the shortest of those three
blocks... we spent a tremendous amount of time in pre-production finessing the
script, casting the iconic roles, and doing a tremendous amount of planning for
our sets. It was really a matter to figure out how we were going to tackle such
a large production. Post-production was equally as difficult. The film took
months to complete with a team of visual effects artists to make our London set extensions and
the animation of Tinker Bell. Our film’s composer, Andrew Barkan, recorded East
of Kensington’s score with a team of talented musicians to create a live
orchestral sound, which was very unusual for a student short film.
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| Big Ben Production Still |
LT: When did you first learn about
Peter Pan? What was it about that experience that made it memorable for you?
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| Andrew Ducote aka Spieling Peter |
KM: Believe
it or not, growing up I wasn’t a massive Peter Pan fan, haha. Which is strange
to say considering the past 3 years of my life has been all about Peter Pan.
Making East of Kensington, I was surrounded by a very knowledgeable creative
team- one of my Producers, Grace Babbes, and my creative consultant, Andrew
Ducote, were both incredibly aware of the world JM Barrie created and his
characters. I was very much guided by them to make sure what we were doing was
Barrie-acceptable. But prior to working with Grace and Andrew, I started
writing drafts for EOK back in 2010 (that’s crazy), and my initial drafts were
just awful, haha, they really were. The story and the concept for what is EOK
now was in the early drafts of the script, but the early character of Peter was
scrapped. I initially wrote Peter as mish mash of who I remembered him being
from Disney and just my childhood understanding of the story. It created a
portrait of a very shallow character that was not engaging or interesting for
the story. It was then very apparent to me that I needed to do my homework, and
I threw out the early drafts and read both JM Barrie’s book and play of Peter
Pan. I was shocked to discover how incredibly wrong I was about who Peter Pan
was and what Disney made him out to be. Peter Pan is one of the most
fascinating characters I’ve ever encountered- he’s the epitome of innocence but
he is also very torn character who is unable to connect to humanity. Everyone
in the world grows up... aging is a fact of life, and it’s something that Peter
Pan has managed to escape. He distances himself from anyone who lives in
reality, because he does not want to accept that in life people grow old...
live has very natural consequences. He has put himself in a shell of innocence
to protect himself. To the Lost Boys, is just a little boy who wants to have
fun, but I believe Peter was just protecting himself for the inevitable sadness
that comes with growing old. There is just so much I could say about Peter Pan
(Andrew, Grace, and I would engage in hour conversations about him constantly,
haha).
LT: Taking on
a Peter Pan film is a huge, huge feat. Where did the idea for the dark plot
twist come from?
KM: That’s a
great question, and like most of my ideas, I don’t know exactly where they come
from, haha, they just sort of pop up and there they are. I know I was really
interested in expanding on the world of Peter Pan... I have my own personal
reasons for connecting to Peter’s story and everyone loves the dream of staying
a kid forever. To live in Neverland is to live in a fantasy... and the Darling
Children who are from a very real London
had an opportunity to live in a fantasy. I wanted to explore the consequences
the public would instill on the Darling Children for claiming they had a taste
of something the world would deem impossible. The idea of reality destroying
fantasy was very interesting to me. So ironically, the film’s darkest elements
just come from real life.
LT: How did
you go about casting these household characters? Was it nerve-wracking? How did
you know when you’d found your perfect Peter/ Wendy/ John? (who by the way is
so perfectly casted, when I saw that picture of him knew exactly who he was)
KM: The
casting process on this film was the most difficult casting I’ve ever faced.
Having to cast Peter Pan is a nightmare, haha, and I don’t mean that I didn’t
enjoy it, but it was such a daunting task. And going into the casting process I
had such a clear cut idea of who Peter needed to be... he had to have the
appeal that Jeremy Sumpter had, but with the confidence that Andrew Ducote
brought to the role. Peter Pan isn’t a character you can cheat, you really have
to embody that performance (that’s something I very much learned from getting
to know Andrew). There is a confidence and self assurance required in playing
Peter Pan, and we were so lucky to have found that in our Peter, Jack Griffo.
When Jack’s head shot came up in the casting process, I was instantly like,
“that’s him”. When casting a film it’s always important to not only cast your
ideal, but to always have a back up for insurance. There was never anyone but
Jack for this role. He was everything I was looking for. I’m so lucky to have
had the chance to work with him because he brought more than I could have asked
for to the part. He’s incredibly talented and I’m so happy to see all of the
current career success coming his way with Nickelodeon, because there was never
a doubt in my mind he was going to make it.
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| Peter Pan/ Future Nickelodeon Star Jack Griffo |
The other roles were equally as daunting, just because of their iconic
nature. We auditioned over 80 Wendys... so many Wendys, haha. We saw such a
variety of girls wanting that role. We ended up casting Kelsey Lee Smith, who
did a fantastic job, but that poor girl had to endure so much in the audition
process. I would walk into the auditions and see her finishing up her reading,
with tears just streaming down her face... and that wasn’t the first time she
needed to do that (not to mention all the times she had to do it on set). She
was only 16 when we filmed and she handled the role like an expert- she brought
an elegance and a depth to Wendy that I really think shines on screen.
LT: What was
it like to see your characters come to life, and to have your very own Peter?
KM: Surreal.
Just a surreal experience overall. Overwhelming and magical at the same time.
The casting process was so much work, I just felt like I had won the lottery
with my cast in the end. Considering Jack was the only Peter we wanted, it
makes me dizzy to think if I hadn’t received his headshot... I have no idea
what I would have done.
LT: What kinds of things would you say to the cast to get them in the right mindset for acting? Did they feel any pressure portraying such iconic characters?
KM: Each
actor had their own process, which was one of the coolest things about working
with them on this film, was just learning what each of them needed. I learned a
lot about myself as a director by working with them.
As for pressure, I’m not sure how each of them felt knowing they were
playing iconic characters. I never wanted any of my actors to feel pressure
outside of just delivering an authentic and strong performance. They brought
their own spin on these characters, and I love what they did with them. And the
cast was also in good hands to make sure certain things were done
authentically- Andrew coached Jack on and off set with Peter mannerisms and
showed him the ropes. I specifically remember the day we were shooting in the
Nursery at night when Peter enters, and Jack’s movements as Peter were just
like a normal persons. I immediately called Andrew in, and Andrew gave us all a
major lesson on how Peter Pan would skillfully walk. Jack got it down
immediately and it made an incredible difference.
LT: As the
end draws nearer, what are your feelings about the film? Is there anything you
wish you could do over? What was the last day on set like?
KM: A
director’s work is never done... it’s so true. I would tweak this film every
day if someone let me. But I’ve been incredibly selfish with this movie... it’s
been beyond a passion project for me, and I’ve spent an unfair amount of time
tweaking it. My producing team, cast, and crew, waited an entire year longer
than promised to let me make the movie I wanted to make. So I am very proud of
the finished project. It’s my proudest and most personal work to date.
The last day of set is kind of a blur looking back, haha. It was almost
two years ago, but I just remember feeling this massive weight lifted off my
shoulders. That feeling of “Is that it? Did we do it?”. But the most memorable
thing that sticks in my mind from that day was Jack’s performance. We shot the
final scene of the film on the last day (mainly because it’s the most emotional),
and Jack just killed it. I was just in awe of him.
LT: What kind
of atmosphere was there on set? Was there any time to joke around or was it
straight to business? Were there any pranks pulled?
KM: The mood
was different every day based on the seriousness of the scene, or if we were on
schedule or not. There was a time to play and have fun... but there was money
and time on the line, so it was important to stick to the job at hand. But
overall it was a very loving atmosphere... we were just a team of good friends
having the opportunity to do what we loved. And Peter Pan was a story that was
important to so many of the crew members, so there was a lot of magical moments
for everyone. Seeing the entire Darling family in the Nursery or all the Lost Boys
in the Home Underground isn’t something that doesn’t make you pinch yourself.
LT: Where did you get your inspiration for costumes/ set design? The stills are absolutely beautiful.
KM: Thank
you! At the time I would say visually my two biggest inspirations were American
Horror Story and The Women in Black. I wanted to bring a certain level of bleak
realism to the world of JM Barrie and I used those two worlds as references all
the time. I was so lucky to have such an incredible Art Department-
my production designer, CK Spitler, and set designer, Lexi Vanni, really poured
their hearts and souls to make the world of the film tangible and unique. I’m
incredibly proud of the work they did.
As for the costumes, I had an idea early on that I wanted to reference
the civil war for Peter. The Peter we meet in the film has destroyed Captain
Hook and has some war success under his belt... I saw him as a general to the
Lost Boys, so I wanted him to have an outfit that looked a bit like a military
uniform (that’s where the pinecone shoulder pads come from). Wendy was very
much inspired from the period of the 1920s, and I constantly referenced the
girls in the photos of the famous Cottingley Fairies. I thought those girls had
a very ethereal quality to them that was also appropriate to the same time
period that East of Kensington is set in. My costume designer, Danielle Cohen
Reitshtein, made the bold and brilliant decision of putting Wendy in white for
the majority of the film.
LT: Are you
going to have a red carpet premiere/premiere of some sort?
KM: We premiered the film at Chapman University’s Dodge College for Film and Media Arts in February. That was a full cast and crew screening and just a wonderful night overall. If we were to have another screening with a turn out like that, it would be for a film a festival I would imagine.
LT: How was working with the “ultimate” Peter Pan sensation Andrew Ducote? What kind of advice did he give you/ what did he bring to the production?
KM: Andrew has become one of my closest friends. He’s incredibly gifted, an insightful individual, and a well rounded filmmaker. I know Andrew’s name is synonymous with Spieling Peter, but for me he’s just a close friend and my film making partner in crime. Having the opportunity to get to know Andrew on this film was one of the biggest gifts I could have received- my friendship with him has really shaped my life these past two years.
LT: Where do
you want to go with your career/ What future plans do you have?
KM: I just
want to keep making movies, haha. I’m at my happiest when I’m directing, and
it’s something I will always avidly pursue. But a more immediate answer is that
Andrew and I have been recently selling spec commercials to companies. This
past year we sold commercials to 7up, M&Ms, and Airheads. We are about to
start our company, Kensington Creative (paying homage to our roots), where we
plan to offer a wide assortment of services from graphic design, to concept
development, and most importantly, film and commercial production.
LT: Is there
anything you want to say to your fans?
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| Official Movie Poster |
LT: It’s just
so obvious how passionate you are about this project, it truthfully makes me
that much more excited to see the final product. You are such a visionary. Thanks
so much for you time, I’m looking forward to it!
KM: Thank you Lindsay! Really great questions, glad I could help.
You should now be thoroughly excited for this movie. While you wait in anticipation the release, please, I highly recommend you fill your time with watching as many Spieling Peter Pan videos as you can within the next 5 minutes. I'll leave you with this one:
Welcome to the Peter Pan Fandom (the Pandom).
We have pixie dust.
Like East of Kensington on Facebook
