Daemon Hillin Interview

Daemon Hillin is a move producer, and we interview him about his new movie "The Flood".

Why did you decide to produce the horror movie The Flood?

The horror movie The Flood was brought to me by my sales company, Film Bridge International, and the concept had already been vetted from a commercial standpoint. And when that reaches that step of being a financial model of success, I immediately gained interest in that. So, because of that, I got behind The Flood and put all my effort into bringing The Flood to life.

What were the main challenges of producing such a movie?

The main challenges of The Flood were the scope of the production that we were trying to do on a limited budget. So, we had to flood an entire police station. It's quite a task. In order to do that, we had to create a set. We had to create a set that could hold water and different different stages of the police station. So, the hardest part about that was, where are we going to do that? How are we going to do that? And how do we actually execute this with being a heavy VFX movie? So, it was twofold. How do we flood something? And how do we shoot a VFX movie in a flooded set?

Do you have a favorite moment from the movie?

Great question. My favorite moment in the movie actually takes place between two of my friends. They play Jox and Floyd, Mike Ferguson and Randall Bacon. So, Jox is holding Floyd. He's holding him towards the water where all the alligators are, and Jox looks at him and just let him go. So, both these characters have been having this beef the whole movie, and to see that, it sticks with me. Because the look on his face when he lets him go is just - they're not the you know, the leads like Nicky Whelan or Casper Van Dien or Louis Mandylor, but their characters are so strong, that that really resonated with me.

Do you like producing, and what do you like about it?

I love producing. It's the most fulfilling, creative business endeavor that I could possibly imagine. It took me 27 years of my life to figure out what I wanted to do. And when I learned about producing and being a producer, I knew that's all I wanted to do with all my heart. I'm going to do it.

What are the main challenges of being a producer?

The main challenges of being a producer revolve around crisis management. We are always the ones that have to manage the crisis. We also have to put put the movies together. So, we create this entity, this moving this moving train, and on this train, there're always these fires that happen that we have to put out. That keeps me excited. We always have something that is is keeping you on your toes and keeping you active and you know, thrilled with the job. So, there's nothing I'd rather do. I love what I do, and I'm so blessed that I'm able to do it.

Why did you get into producing horror movies?

I love horror movies, and I got into producing horror movies, because they're independent, filmmaker friendly. I don't have to have a studio budget to go make a horror film. People understand scary things. We can create scary things and scary situations without having to put a whole lot of money into it. So, being an independent filmmaker, horror movies gave me that outlet, and I'm so grateful that I've had the ability to be able to make horror films, because that's what started, for the most part, started my career, is making small horror films and learning.

In your opinion, what makes a good horror film?

A good horror film really revolves around, how do you feel as an individual watching that movie? Like does it make your heart skip? Or how are you feeling in that moment? Are you escaping? Are you in this scary situation? Can you see yourself in that situation? A good horror film, it's something that really moves the audience. And everyone has different tastes. So, it's really about the individual and what they're watching. But horror films can translate to different people. So, horror films are what moves the heart fir those horror fans. What is your cup of tea?

Are there other genres that you like producing? And what are they?

I love producing films in general. So, whether it be action movies, or horror movies, or rom coms, it really depends on the story, and is there commercial viability there? I love the art of putting the deal together, and that's what thrives me. That's what makes me happy.

How did you get into producing screen productions?

I started out in real estate and finance. And the markets crashed in 2008. I lost everything, and I needed to find myself. So, I moved to Los Angeles with my sister. I stayed on her honor; I just slept on her floor actually. And I had a real estate investor that came to me and said that he wanted to create something in the industry, like a documentary, or some sort of story. And I said, “Let's give it a try.” So, I made this documentary. I created everything just out of thin air. I didn't put it together properly. I just tried to do it. So, I went on Craigslist, and I hired a camera operator. I went and hired a sound mixer. I just put together a team and just started shooting. So, that's probably not the best way to do things, but I loved it. It was so fun. And I realized that I don't know anything about this and that I need to learn. So, I was really fortunate to get introduced to a producer named Ryan R. Johnson, and Ryan took me under his wing, and he taught me all the ins and outs about film finance and production and how are we even able to put these movies together. So, I was able to learn, how do I make a film from a business standpoint? That's how I started.

Is there any reason why you haven't gotten into writing horror movies?

I haven't gotten to writing horror films, because I really love what I do as a producer and the big picture. So, I like coming up with ideas, but I don't want to see it through to like the minor details. I like to come up with, what is the overall story? What am I looking for? I'm looking for this kind of horror film, these kinds of characters, this kind of location. And then from there, you know, I hire the people that really love writing, that have a passion for writing, because everything's about passion. You know, do you love what you do, and are you good at it? So, I hire that person that really loves what they do and are good at it, and we go, and we make a movie.

Is there a type of film that you'd like to produce but haven't yet?

Yes, the type of movie that I really want to make are the epics. Like, I love the Lord of the Rings. I love Gladiator. You know, these are huge, epic, big budget movies. And I find myself yearly getting bigger and bigger budgets. So it's, it's just a matter of time to continuously, like, growing my career, and I could keep getting bigger and more grandiose in what I'm doing as a producer.

Aside from The Flood, what screen production that you've been involved with are you most proud of?

That's a great question. The film that I'm most proud of is the film that started everything for me. It's this film right here, A Stranger in Paradise. And the reason that I'm most proud of it, it’s not because it's the best movie. It's not because it had the best box office. It's because that's what started me. For five years, I was trying to produce movies, and I couldn't, and I just tried, and I tried, and I tried, and it took me five years to make that movie, to be able to put things together and to learn enough, and I'm proud of that. And that's what started my career as a producer.

What would you say to people who want to make movies but think that it's too hard?

If you want to make movies, but you think it's too hard, ask yourself if you really want to make movies. Because if you do want to make movies, then make movies. Do everything in your power to make a movie. You know, get a camera. Start small; put scenes together. See what you can do put bring people together. You don't necessarily have to have money in order to make movies nowadays. If you have an iPhone, you could get, you know, editing, software's is everywhere, and it's easier and easier to use. What do you really want to do? If you really want to make movies, make movies. Don't let anybody stop you.

Where can people follow you?

You could follow me on Instagram, DaemonHillin, or you can follow me on Tik Tok. On Tik Tok, I do more behind the scenes style. Like what are we getting ready to do? Today is day three. Oh, we're getting ready to do this driving scene. That's kind of what that Tik Tok is. So, it's like a behind the scenes version of producing.