Danny Matier

What is your name, company name, and URL?

MiLa Media is the company that produced The Unborn
Website: https://www.mila-media.com/

What is your specialty: filmmaking or screenwriting? If filmmaking, which aspects?

Screenwriting.

What are you currently working on?

A drama set around the drag racing circuit.

Who do you consider your mentor and why?

I have had many mentors and still do. I’m indebted to many.

Why do you think the horror/sci-fi genres have such a large following?

Because they speak to the parts of us that believe in magic and the primal side that spots monsters in the dark. I can still freak myself out in a dark room and even though I know ghosts aren’t real, that doesn’t stop me from seeing them. Fear is very powerful and there’s nothing scarier than the unknown, the parts of the world beyond our control. (Although, I never want to see a film about this virus.)

What do you love most about this business?

That every day is different and I’m always getting to meet and work with cool people. Getting to tell stories is magic, whether I’m writing them or being a part of them as crew.

What do you dislike most about this business?

Sometimes the hours. I have two little kids and weeks will go by where I’m gone before they’re awake and they’re in bed well before I get home. But, that’s how it is for most of us in this industry.

What career accomplishment are you most proud of?

A script I wrote that I’ll be directing early next year. It’s been an absolute passion and it’s finally happening. I know I didn’t answer that question directly but getting that one up is the best feeling to date.

Any advice you'd like to give to newbies?

I can only say what works for me.
Keep punching those words into your keyboard and enjoy it. You also have your own voice, use it. As Oscar Wilde said, “be yourself, everyone else is already taken.” Never directly compare your work to anyone else. It never turns out well.
At times you will have to accept the vision you had for a story may be changed by others and it may not be what you wanted as a writer. Depending on how much you believe in a project, will depend on how much you fight for it and sometimes you have to be prepared to walk away.
Rejection is all part of the game. Dust yourself off and knock on the next door. There’s a lot of them and sooner or later you’ll find the right fit.
Read Greek mythology and fairy tales. Read the Theban Plays. Read books. Read screenplays. Read every screenplay you can get your hands on and compare the script to the final film. Did it work? If yes, how, if no, why? Immerse yourself in story, especially myth. The more you delve into myth, the more symbology you’ll notice in well-crafted work. Read and recite poetry and have books on your phone so when waiting somewhere you can read.
Connect with others in the industry and network. Build rapport with people. Social media is great for this (I’m not very good with it, but others get results).
Observe the world, especially nature, the way animals or a person moves can create worlds.
But above all else. Write. Doesn’t have to be full-blown features or plays. Write a one-act play. A short film. Just write.
This is the advice I was given and things that have worked for me. Take what you can use from it. One can never know too much.

Anything else you'd like to say?

Thank you for having us at Shriekfest, we are very excited to be involved.