From The Blair Witch Project to Paranormal Activity, the found footage style of filmmaking has nestled its way into the horror/thriller genre. So many films have utilized this technique along the way that its hard to keep track.
A few examples are the V/H/S movies, Creep, Lake Mungo, Final Prayer, The Taking of Deborah Logan, Cloverfield, Chronicle, and many, many more. The newest flick to join the line-up is called The Andy Baker Tape, which follows two brothers on a suspenseful road trip that quickly turns into something much, much worse. The official synopsis reads as follows:
"In October of 2020 food blogger Jeff Blake and his half-brother Andy Baker hit the road on a food tour that had the potential to change their lives. They were never seen again. This is their footage…" While the synopsis hits the nail on the head, Lada added the following.
“The Andy Baker Tape was written, shot, and edited in a 6-month period during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Created by a displaced screen actor, an out-of-work Blue Man, an Australian-based sound engineer, and a first-time female producer; this film is a testament to creation and keeping the artistic spirit alive while the rest of the world was forced into hibernation. Our story is a joyride of laughs, thrills, and suspense. My team and I are delighted to share it with you.”
We had the opportunity to speak with Bret Lada himself and learn a bit more about the spark he had to create the film, and explore more of what he sees the movie to be. Check out the audio conversation and the transcript below, or for those looking for a fully immersive experience, simply scroll to the bottom for the video interview!
Bret Lada: It was the top of the pandemic and I just came off a short film that had won an Academy Award. I was in a lot of filmmaking. I got a grant through SAG then and I bought a camera. And I was co-producing some shorts with Dustin to keep myself occupied during the lockdown. We made a couple short films and we had this idea to do this mockumentary road trip going out to the Grand Canyon.
We were gonna shoot this weird heart of darkness American story mockumentary and we decided that if we were going to spend two weeks on the road that we better script this out. And we started writing the script in this found footage style and we realized that if we were going to do this well we had to make it more self-contained and stay in a singular location.
So Dustin and I wrote this. We both grew up at the Jersey Shore. As an homage to New Jersey we were both staying there during the pandemic. And we really just wanted a project that we could act opposite in and create something to keep ourselves artistically fulfilled during the lockdown.
What do you guys think of Bret Lada's comments? Will you be tuning in to The Andy Baker Tape this month?
Check out the full video interview below. And, as always, be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section.
This episode features the multi-talented Bret Lada. Not only did he direct and star in his newest release, The Andy Baker Tape, but with a crew of four, he had his hands in every possible aspect of filming.
The movie is a mockumentary that follows two brothers in a thrilling, horrifying plot that comes to a shocking conclusion you'll have to wait to see for yourself. As Lada says, while he is told there are comparisons in his film to Creep. I also learned that he sees the film as Planes Trains and Automobiles meets The Blair Witch Project.
We had a killer time, and it's a great flick for anyone who loves the found-footage genre.
The Andy Baker Tape premiered on the Terror Films Channel today with a wide digital on August 12 and the Kings of Horror on August 19.