5 More Questions with Ryan Henry Knight
Ryan Henry Knight’s “You Almost Saw Me” is a haunting experimental film about infatuation and what becomes of it. We asked Knight how the project started, what the most fulfilling part of the process was, and his favorite film of all time…
1) So, what have you been up to since we last spoke in June?
Whew. Since June, it’s been quite a ride. Ludere and You Almost Saw Me did some more screenings in festivals and picked up an award or two. I went to a few of them in New York and Ohio, which we’re both amazing. Additionally, a fashion film I directed got selected into the Aesthetica Short Film Festival in England, so that will be happening next month. I am SO excited for that. I taught some film classes in my city over the summer. I met Kanye West. I produced a film called Strings for my talented friend Karynn which we are currently in post for - super excited for that as well. My best friend Ahab and I started writing a feature. In September, I started my second year at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) here in Atlanta. I got the chance to do some filming for FADER and A3C. Got some gigs with Google. Last night I went to the Atlanta premiere of the film Waves, and got to speak with the brilliant director Trey Edward Schults and leads Sterling K. Brown, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Taylor Russell. I urge everyone to watch Waves when it comes out next month. But nonetheless, It’s been a wild ride.
2) I’d love to hear about the origins of “You Almost Saw Me” - what was the original seed, and how did it change over time?
You Almost Saw Me was supposed to be a 1 minute MOS film for my film class during freshman year back in January, hence the lack of spoken dialogue. However, during the writing process, things started to get a little too personal and I got a bit carried away. Thus, YASM was born. I wanted this to be a dark take on the concept of “having a crush”. It’s more about that phase of falling love where you fantasize about a person and how you two could be together before even knowing their name. It’s an innocent concept that I wanted to kind of push a little more and twist up a bit. Putting the entire film in Mona’s head felt right for me because it brings the audience into her thought process and fantasy, to the point where her ideas makes sense for a moment. We are Mona whether we are on her side or not.
3) What was the most fulfilling part of this project for you? And/or the most frustrating part?
The most fulfilling part of this project was definitely finishing the final edit. I went through so many different cuts to get — in my eyes — was the perfect one. When I found the perfect cut, I just decided it was time to just delete the raw footage so I wouldn’t feel tempted to edit it any more.
Additionally, shooting was also a fun process worth noting. After I finished writing the script back in a January, the cast and I met and ran through the script and we started shooting the next morning at 4am. We took a break at around 7AM, took a nap, and started back up at around 2pm. We wrapped at around 4:30pm.
Shooting the final scene in the film was probably the most difficult. We had like 15-20 minutes to shoot it — blood and all — because Myles, who played Elio, had to make it to a class. That whole climax scene was practically very carefully executed improv. By the end of shooting, there was fake blood all over the place. Funny thing — a few months later, the building we shot in was torn completely to the ground.
4) What would you consider your favorite film of all time, and why? And/or what’s the film you’ve seen the most amount of times?
To answer both questions: mother! by Darren Aronofsky. As soon as the trailer was released, I knew it would be my favorite movie ever. Then, when it came out, it was the craziest experience I’ve ever had in a movie theater. I saw it like 5 times. When the Blu-Ray was put out, I received it as a Christmas gift and immediately watched it on repeat for hours and hours on end. It’s a movie that I play in the background while I write. mother! is a rare breed of film. I love it so much because it goes beyond transcendental filmmaking. I feel everything at 100% power each time. I discover new things with each viewing. It’s insane. Truly brilliant.
5) What’s next for you?
I’m currently writing a bunch of different projects; mainly features. I’m in preproduction for my next short film, which will probably be my last narrative short before I dive into these features. I’ve recently been picked up to be a screener and programmer for PRINDIE, the Princeton Independent Film Festival, so I’m super excited for that. I’m working alongside some very talented people. I just get to watch a bunch of amazing short films! I’m also looking forward to directing more music videos. So many great musicians around me with such powerful music. I’m just so excited to do and create more.
