by Jonathan James
SXSW Hosts World Premiere of GOOD BOY: “In his feature directorial debut, filmmaker BEN LEONBERG directs his family pet through the performance of a lifetime, resulting in a frightening, innovative paranormal thriller from a visionary new writer-director. Shot over a period of three years and told from the perspective of INDY—a loyal, everyday dog thrust into extraordinary circumstances–and the only one who can see the forces that haunt us, GOOD BOY has its world premiere on Saturday, March 8th, at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin as part of SXSW’s Midnighter section.
“When we set out to make GOOD BOY, I wanted to create a haunted house movie from an entirely new perspective,” said Leonberg. “That meant inventing a new method of filmmaking: one that allowed us to capture a singular canine performance without the benefit of a hero who can speak. The entire story, physical production, set pieces, and all of the practical effects are built around Indy’s everyday behaviors, allowing us to create a movie that is simultaneously entertaining, moving, and terrifying; while still staying grounded in reality. Despite the paranormal events and horrifying scares, GOOD BOY looks real and feels relatable – what dog owner hasn’t wondered why their dog barks at ‘nothing’.”
Verve Ventures, Verve’s film financing and sales division, has boarded GOOD BOY to represent worldwide rights.
Amy Beecroft, Head of Verve Ventures: “GOOD BOY is a revolutionary supernatural thriller that redefines the haunted house genre. Visceral and terrifying, this film switches up the lens through which we view the familiar supernatural thriller setting into an experience unlike anything audiences have seen before. Ben absolutely blew us away with his directorial debut!”
Leonberg is known for directing fantastical stories grounded in real-world settings, anchored by naturalistic performances and utilizing practical, often hand-built effects. He has a talent for making the impossible practical: for his short film Bears Discover Fire, based on the Hugo-winning short story by Terry Bisson, Ben helped construct a one-of-a-kind photorealistic bear puppet. For GOOD BOY he spent over a year filming the most complex ten minutes of the film’s finale.
GOOD BOY was shot in a country home outside of New York City, where Leonberg and Kari Fischer, his wife and the film’s producer, moved with their dog, Indy. Based on a screenplay by Leonberg and co-writer Alex Cannon, they adapted the natural environment of the home and the surrounding terrain into a creepy haunted house setting for Indy to explore.
Indy is a family dog (not an actor) and Leonberg wanted to use that to his advantage. Drawing a realistic “performance” from Indy required constant invention, patience, and planning: capitalizing on his natural curiosity, eliciting specific expressions with silly noises, and building shots around his daily schedule. All shots with Indy were captured on closed sets with only Leonberg and Fischer joining him in front of the camera. This meant that the couple ended up standing in as many of the characters in the film, but that Indy’s genuine affection for his people comes through in his “performance”.
“From casting our own dog as the lead, to building rain machines in the backyard and waiting under beds for hours to get the perfect shot; our limitations on set ended up becoming the film’s greatest assets,” said Leonberg.
For his first feature, Leonberg also drew on his background working in immersive media to execute some of the most complex shots—leveraging “compositing” techniques he perfected in VR to remove himself and Fischer from shots where they coached Indy while on camera. Leonberg’s experience as an Eagle Scout and growing up on his family’s landscaping business directly contributed to several of the practical effects, building rain machines, and creating the spectral presence that haunts the film.
When it came time to recruit actors, Leonberg reached out to horror legends like Larry Fessenden (Blackout, Depraved, The Last Winter, Wendigo, and Habit) and Stuart Rudin (Silence of the Lambs) to lend the film some horror street cred, making it a perfect entry for this year’s Midnighter section.
Following its world premiere on March 8th, at Alamo Lamar, SXSW attendees can also watch GOOD BOY at 11:45am on Monday, March 10, at Alamo Lamar, and at 11:45am on Friday, March 14, at the Hyatt Regency. “
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