We directed the zombie action flick Daylight’s End, then produced it in Virtual Reality, Ask US Anything!

How does it work, is the film's digital image stretcheed to surround a 360° space? If so, does that affect image quality? :~)

The film was shot as a standard film production. For the VR experience we did two things. We shot an original 360º video production with some of the same crew and cast. This became an original prequel for VR headsets. Then we used the original movie and placed it into a an infected zombie lair.

We also give you a ton of weapons that you can use in the lair. So if a zombie attacks you, you can blow them away,

• Dan

Hello Mr. Kaufman. I'm a big fan of your work, you give the smaller action film life in a world where a film of that particular genre will struggle to be made. My question is about Sinners and Saints: do you think a film like that would be succuessful to make in a time like this with reports of police corruption and America's gun violence record?

Thank you so much! I think it would be difficult now. It's an issue we've tackled head on in the sequel we are developing.

So I'm guessing:

White police man, black police man and CI who is integral to the story? All their lives should matter in the end.

Thanks for your time.

Exactly... Thank you!

Mr Kaufman:

How does one finance a film if they have no contacts, how does one have a crew if they have no friends to be apart of a crew?

(All hypothetical of course, I'm loved by many while i write through my tears)

Financing is tough. For my first film "The Prodigy" we created a "fake trailer" as a proof of concept pitch video. After many many months shopping it around we stumbled across an investor that really dug it and it all took off from there.

As for crewing up if you don't have film relationships I suggest going to local film groups and finding like minded film lovers looking to make movies. :)

"stumbled across an investor"

Could you explain in more detail? We'd love to hear about it.

haha I guess you're right that was a bit vague... but thats the problem with filmmaking. There is no "right way" or specific path to follow. Every film has been different. What I meant by that was we chased every lead we had to people that had equity to invest and right about the time we thought we had run out of options we meet our executive producer by sheer luck. We were showing the promo trailer to a friend and another buddy of his happened to be there at the time... He saw it and loved it and asked how he could be involved.

Thanks everyone for your questions! It's been a blast. You can learn more about the film here: https://www.groovejones.com/2016/08/daylights-end-vr/

The film is available on Itunes and all Video On Demand outlets and releases on DVD November 1st. DaylightsEndMovie.com

itunes.apple.com/us/movie/daylights-end/id1126587716

Just watched the trailer, I will indeed be catching this one. My question is don't you think the zombie movies are starting to become way to overdone?

I hear where you're coming from but I think if done well there is always more room for flesh eating undead and the end of the world.

What wqs it like working with Tom Berenger? :~)

Tom was awesome.... Super supportive and collaborative. Look forward to the chance to work with him again,

Do you have any more collaborations in the works?

Yes the lead of Daylight's End and Sinners & Saints, Johnny Strong and I are developing a few things... The sequel to Sinners And Saints at the top of our priority list. Hopefully well have news on that in the coming months. Also working on something with Scott Adkins on another cool project. Lots of this cooking... Fingers crossed we'll be back on set soon :)

How does someone who is interested in VR get into the industry?

Are you referring 360 videos or interactive?

For 360 video I'd invest in the Samsung 360 camera and start shooting. Production in this format is VERY different that normal 2d film.

For interactive I'd suggest you download unicy or unreal to start learning how to code -Dan Groove Jones

Is VR bad for a person's eyes? Just wondering.

I was wondering that also!

The short answer is no... Several studies out there but nothing on concrete on the long term effects. But it looks awesome :)

Do you have any advice on set control? :~) I'm not sure if Datlight's End was done this way? Just wondering is all. :~P

Can you clarify what you mean by set control?

Haha yeah, sorry for the broad question. One of my bad points lol. How to keep enough order on set without looking like a tyrant?

Haha... No worries. I think the secret is hiring a great assistant director and let him be the tyrant. Haha

Assistant directors are always the set bad guy :) Kidding aside we had a great time on set. Very much a team effort. Has to be when taking on something this challenging on such a modest budget.

Are you referring to normal films or 360?

Watched the movie On Demand and loved it. Plan on picking it up on blu-ray. I was wondering what kind of special features we can expect? I'm hoping for a behind the scenes feature, Johnny Strong on the soundtrack and score, and maybe commentary. Can't wait to see what you got next. Keep up the good work.

The blu-ray is still in development. As for special features we plan on using some behind the scenes footage and ideally Johnny and I will be putting a commentary together for it

What made you decide to go with the Zombie Genre? Isn't it a bit saturated at the moment?

I've always loved the apocalypse genre when it's done well. And this seemed to me like enough of a fresh take that it really interested me. this film is much more of an action horror film than straight horror. And our "zombies" are much more inspired by Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend" world than that of Romero's.

Looking at the photos from the set of VR shoot and there seem to be lots of extras. How many extras did you need?

We had about 20 or 30 infected chasing after us throughout the day. Very bizarre shooting it when you have to hide from the 360 camera in the next room to avoid ruining the take.

What sparked the thought to have this film released in VR?

I had gotten to collaborate with the guys at Groove Jones on a previous project and they mentioned this as a new outlet for films. I thought it sounded like an fantastic opportunity to get the film out to a larger audience.

What was it like working on Sinners and Saints?

Loved working on that film. One of my all time favorite experiences all around.

Mr. Kaufman, huge fan of your work. Saints and Sinners was a fantastic old school action flick, and Daylight's End was a ton of fun. My questions are: Where do you see the straight to video market going in the future?
There are a lot of titles out there, with some pretty familiar faces (Seagal and Van Damme being the most recognizable, but Adkins is a personal favorite.). Do you see the talent pool widening, or are we just going to see the same people over and over forever? Is this industry lucrative enough that it will attract talented and creative people such as yourself to stick with it, or will people drop like flies if that first flick doesn't get them notice from Hollywood?

I think with the prevalence of illegal downloads the VOD market is in a challenging spot. The industry is going to have to come up with a solution or it just won't be viable to make these size films. As for the talent pool I think it will evolve. If the VOD business figures out how to make it financially worth it I think you will eventually will see the stars of todays big screens joining the ranks and some of the guys you're referring to will do less. It's tough game... all about endurance =D

Do you give your extras a lunge bump in their pay?

Yes... As much Red Meat as they could catch

Hi, Congratuwelldone on the film! Do you have any directorial advice? :~)

Thank you so much! Shoot shoot shoot. Get out with a camera and create your own work. AND surround yourself talented mentors and crew that can help guide and support you.