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The Kill Room, a dark comedic thriller starring Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Joe Manganiello, debuts on Digital November 3. Nicol Paone (Friendsgiving) talks about finding her voice as a filmmaker and elaborates the challenge of finding the right tone for the feature.
Written by Jonathan Jacobson, The Kill Room centers on Patrice, a gallery owner (Uma Thurman) who teams up with a hitman (Joe Mangianello) and a Jewish deli/bakery owner (Samuel L. Jackson) on a money laundering scheme. Although it seems like easy money for all three, the sudden popularity of the hitman, known to the art community as “the bagman,” leads to unexpected consequences.
Listen to our CinemAddicts review of The Kill Room via Apple Podcasts and YouTube:
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!I enjoyed the balancing of tones of The Kill Room as well as the overall dry wit behind the narrative. Those aspects were addressed in the interview with Nicol Paone, which you can check out via Q&A, podcast, and video form below!
Some filmmakers cite writing the script as the best part of the movie making process. Others prefer working on set and collaborating with others. Which aspect do you prefer?
Great question. I love being on set. I love solving the problems and fixing the puzzle pieces and collaborating. Making movies – it’s such a collaborative art. And I love the communal sense. But only when I’m the boss (laughs).
What is the key to a successful collaboration and making that partnership fruitful?
I think it’s important to be very clear in your vision, but I also think it’s important to let your department heads thrive. I’ve been on a lot of sets where it’s been like a dictatorship. I don’t thrive and I don’t think any creatives thrive when being yelled or judged.
I really try to empower my department heads. There are no wrong answers. Think outside the box. Challenge what my thoughts are. If you bring that to the table, let’s discuss it. I think people create best that way.
***Audio Version of this interview is up on the Find Your Film podcast:
How did you craft the right tone for this film?
I would say editing. Well, it’s such a process, right? The development of the script. Tonally, I wanted the script to have a levity to it in its send-up of the art world. But I didn’t want to dismiss or disguise what the guys were doing and specifically what Reggie (Joe Manganiello) was doing.
As a director, it’s certainly going to have a female gaze because I’m the creator of the film. But it was important to hold off a lot of the talk and thought that this a straight up thriller. There was a push to make it a straight up thriller. That was never the movie I was making. There was always some levity to it, and tonally how you balance that is when you are on set, you get great performances.
My actors were, my goodness, they were masters. I asked for what I needed and they gave me that and more. And then when you get to the editing room, it’s really about trying it out and having the time to do that. We had to re-cut the end. We had to re-cut that several times because tonally it didn’t work.
We were going back out from the room to the audience. And the audience was a little bit more of a jokey thing on the page. I ended up having to cut that idea out. The script – it’s really just an idea. And when you get to the editing room you have your third rewrite. We were rewriting in the editing room as well.
What’s the key as far as getting to your final cut? With so many months involved, one must really love it or else it’s going to be a difficult process.
It’s going to be miserable (if you don’t love it). They say when you are aligned with the magic and your day and the hours go by without you realizing it. And it’s true. My editor, Gilian L. Hutshing, is incredible. She was just as passionate about the film as I was. And you really have to care about the characters.
And so many days it would be seven, eight, nine, and 10 o’clock and she would go to me (and say), “We’re way over.” The day just seemed to be a blur because you are so in it and you care about every moment. You just have to have the time to do it.
It takes weeks and weeks and months and months.
I love the dry wit in your narrative, especially when Patrice (Uma Thurman) says to an adversary “You look great in that color.” Can you specifically talk about that scene?
Thank you. It’s so funny because no one in any screening laughed at that line and I think that line is so funny.
Uma didn’t push it and I just kept trying to hone in and just say we’re not making a comedy. Because my background is mostly in straight up comedy.
With the actors, I’m sure they looked me up and they were (thinking), “What’s the tone here?” It’s not my traditional tone. I came from sketch comedy. I felt relief with this type of tone. It’s the jump I wanted to make.
That line – no one laughed at it, and so the fact that you recognized it and liked it. Thank you. I love that.
I was looking at your Instagram and saw that you picked movies from the Criterion Channel. I have not seen your video yet, but how awesome was it to visit Criterion? What Blu-rays did you pick?
I didn’t do the video. It was just the photo. I’m aiming for the video, but I didn’t have time. But they put me up on the wall which is an incredible honor.
I picked the Federico Fellini box set, the John Cassevetes (box set). It was funny because he (Criterion representative) was saying “More, more – just fill up the whole bag.”
I got Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Thelma and Louise.
Can you name a movie you love and what it makes it special for you?
If they haven’t seen Past Lives, I just love that movie. I fell in love with that movie. Greta Lee, her performance is otherworldly. Yeah, I’m going to say Past Lives.
And with John Cassavetes, does he continue to inspire you as a filmmaker?
He was one of the first indie filmmakers, and I love the tone of his films. And I certainly try to, I wouldn’t say emulate because I often think sometimes we are grabbing so much from other people’s work. I really want to have my own stamp on things.
I love the way he is uniquely himself. I think, as a filmmaker, that is what I am trying to achieve.
Thank you Nicol for your time and I really enjoyed The Kill Room!
You’re so welcome. It was great talking to you, Greg.
The Kill Room hits digital on November 3 via Shout! Studios. Let us know your thoughts on the movie!
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