Ahead of the highly anticipated big-screen adaptation of Five Nights At Freddy’s, we had the pleasure of sitting down with director Emma Tammi to talk about all things animatronic!
STARBURST: The lore of FNaF is so interesting and deep and goes to some pretty crazy places, so it’s great to see a movie being made for new and old fans alike. How was the weight of that undertaking when you took the role as not only director but co-screenwriter as well?
Emma Tammi: Doing a pass on the script with Scott [Cawthon] and Seth Cutterbeck was the key part in nailing down the blueprint of how much lore to include and what other storylines that aren’t in the games to include and really find that balance to both satisfy the fans and create a dynamic film that can stand on its own two feet. In terms of finding that balance, Scott was a totally critical and crucial guide and adviser on if it should be included and if it was accurate to the source. And we really put our trust in him on that front, and by working together, we had the best script possible when moving into production. It was an amazing experience to work with him, especially at that stage of the process.
Scott is very prolific at keeping things under wraps, and his attention to detail is impeccable – how was it working with him in other stages of production?
He cares so deeply about the project and, of course, the franchise as a whole, and as a filmmaker, you have your producing partner, your department heads and your cast – a whole team of people who are giving 1000% of themselves to making the best possible movie that you can make – if you’re lucky, right? [laughs]
But as the filmmaker, on a cellular level, you care about it more than anyone and what made this one more interesting was the fact that I knew Scott cared about everything to do with this just as deeply as I did. And to have that level of an invested creative partner in this process is really an incredible experience. We were coming at it from different perspectives, and of course, playing different roles, but we were really respectful of each other and what each of us does best, and I think that made for an overall much better film at the end of it. I’m so grateful for that.
The FNaF fanbase is huge, and this is a massive project to undertake – what was it about this project in particular that drew you to it?
I kind of came at this from a reverse perspective, through the back door if you will, as I wasn’t familiar with the games or the amazing and passionate fanbase, which I’ve come to be a part of myself. It was actually Jason (Blum) who came to me with the idea for the project, and then I went and played all the games and read up on the world and the very expansive lore. Essentially, I came at it from a pure level. It started with “Here’s a script, here’s a story, here’s an idea”, and then I was able to help mould it with Scott and Seth into a great movie and utilise my specialities along with theirs. I’m so happy that my ideas were welcomed by Scott, and the fanbase has been so excited and supportive all along the way whenever any news drops or trailers are released. What I also love about this is that every single person involved in bringing the film to life has a connection to FNaF, be it them being a fan of the source material themselves or a relative being a fan of the games – so we all wanted to make the best movie possible, and everyone gave it their all, and I’m so pleased with how it turned out.
The film is full of Easter eggs and amazing set designs that bring the world of the game to life – but what were some of the challenges you faced during production to make the setting feel real and lived in?
I think the biggest challenge with prep and production is always a race against time, and with all of the departments and Scott, we were looking for opportunities every step of the way to pack in as many Easter eggs as possible and as many unique details that felt authentic to the FNaF world. We had so much material to pull from, which is incredible, and everyone was thinking of new ways of incorporating things that the fans would love. Our costume designer came up with the idea one day to print a frame from a mini-game on one of the character’s T-shirts. We were all so detail-orientated, and we had a phenomenal production designer. We added lots of new things, too, so we hope fans enjoy those as well.
The cast is absolutely stacked – you’ve got Matthew Lillard, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail and the adorable Piper Rubio, along with, of course, Freddy and the gang. The Jim Henson Creature Shop did a phenomenal job with the animatronics. Were there any memorable moments on set with them?
Yes! The servos, which are the little engines that keep the animatronics moving, have a limited time in how long they can run without overheating – we had one day where, during a take, I heard someone say, “Foxy’s arm is on fire” so calmly, so we had to stop and put him out before we could get on with the show (laughs). Thankfully, that only happened once, so we were very lucky – the puppeteering team were amazing.
Five Nights At Freddy’s opens in UK cinemas on Wednesday, October 25th.
