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To not take no for an answer. In one scene I wanted Martin to only be lit by candle light. The crew was like "No, you can't do that. You have to light it". Then on the day we shot the scene James came by the set and was like "you know, you should light that with just candle light" and everyone was like "Yes! Great idea James".

As a director you can actually ask for things from the crew and you probably won't achieve great things if you don't push a little bit.

They're both fun in different ways which is why Lotta and I don't plan on stopping making shorts. When we make them it's more personal and in some ways pretty liberating. But of course on a Hollywood film you get to play with some really fun toys and can do things you wouldn't be able to do alone (or with a crew of two).

I'll check out your short when I'm not under time pressure.

Everything! I'd never been on a film set before and now, the first time I was on a film set I was the director. It's like one of those nightmares where you're naked in front of class. I learned pretty quickly to collaborate and communicate my vision but there was some struggling with that in the beginning. A feeling of "just give me the camera, I know what I want". I was just very unused to working with other people (besides from my wife Lotta).

Yes. Before we knew if Lights Out was actually happening Lotta and I started thinking about shooting a feature just her and I. It would have been about an abused woman who hides from her husband in the only place he thinks she wouldn't dare to go. The haunted house where the woman's parents mysteriously died.

With writing I find that I only get writer's block if I'm not writing. If I'm just trying to think of ideas it doesn't usually get me anywhere but if I sit down and start writing it keeps coming.

It's basically forcing stuff out even if it's nonsense. I have a lot of saved screenplay pages that are just profane nonsense but it helps to get going.

EDIT: Here's an example https://www.dropbox.com/s/jzkdetno2osryw0/Blabber01.pdf?dl=1