We caught up with Levi Meaden, star of Incontrol, to chat about the film and his views on technology and the filmmaking process…
Starburst: How did you get the part of Mark in Incontrol?
Levi Meaden: I’ve known the Vicious brothers for a few years now, and we have been looking for a project to do together. They called me up one day and said they were producing a low-fi thriller called Incontrol that was shooting in my hometown. I loved the script so I agreed to be in it and flew out not long after.
The film explores the dangers of new technology and, during and after viewing the film, the audience certainly will be questioning what is real and virtual. As an individual away from the acting world, are you comfortable with the way technology works today, with the advent of social media?
It’s a necessary evil these days I suppose, I’m generally a private person so I don’t like broadcasting my every moment. I also think we all over value our own opinions and feel the need to let everyone know them. But it’s here to stay so what can you do.
What was it like working with your fellow cast members and did you rehearse before hand?
We had a pretty tight shooting schedule so we didn’t get much time for rehearsals but the whole cast got along great; it was a tightknit group.
How long did it take to shoot the film and were there particular scenes that were challenging?
The whole thing was shot in just over a month. So it was extremely tight schedule wise. The final scene I’m in was one of the hardest because there were so many moving parts as far as where the character is at. As far as challenges during shooting, there’s a downtown date montage and that one was hard because we kept getting followed by people on the street trying to get in the movie.
What was your relationship like with the director and crew?
The director, producers and a lot of the crew stayed in the same house as us, so it was kind of like camp, got to know everyone really well. Still keep in touch with quite a few of them.
The film also taps into earlier offerings, which explore science in a similar way, like Flatliners, Brainstorm and Altered States. Did you ever see any of these earlier films?
I’ve heard the comparison to Flatliners a few times; I think it definitely shares some similarities. But yes I’ve seen Altered States and Flatliners, aesthetically I think Incontrol takes a cue from Primer as well.
You have recently been part of two high-profile franchise offerings, the excellent War For The Planet Of The Apes and the upcoming sequel Pacific Rim: Uprising. How does working on these movies compare with a more modest production like Incontrol?
I think what I’ve really discovered is that, regardless of budget, filmmaking is always testing Murphy’s Law. Otherwise the biggest difference is just the sets, those big budget films can really create a whole new reality, while smaller scale films like Incontrol has to be creative with what they have.
Do you have any pet projects of your own that you would like to do down the line?
One of my missions in life is to play John Constantine. Otherwise I want to do a remake of Highlander.
With Incontrol getting its European Premiere at FrightFest 2017, what are your hopes for the film?
I just hope people get a kick out of watching it. There are a lot of twists and turns and I just want it to be a fun ride.
Finally, what are you most proud of with Incontrol?
I think I’m most of proud of how we pulled it off and got everything done. It was a small budget and tight schedule but I think we managed to pull off a damn fine movie.
