1. Could you share more about your journey as a screenwriter and filmmaker, and how your experiences have shaped your approach to storytelling?

 

Wel first of all, thank you for your interest and enjoy reading! I almost feel like I haven’t thought this much about this project in the process of making it as I had to do during the answering of these questions. Almost :p

plugs(or is this strange? ) : If you want, you can follow me on my socials(Instagram & Facebook). Concerning writing or acting jobs you can reach out to me via info@lukasbuys.com. Follow our small, independent collective ‘3TIMES films’ on Instagram and Facebook.

I always loved movies. Borrowing a VHS player from family, gathering tapes from neighbors to watch. Quite omnivorous as it comes to genres. I remember at a young age getting friendship books and after the question “What’s your favorite film?” writing Grease, of which no other 7 year old was aware. Later still at a too young age, via my big brothers, getting exposed to movies like ‘the usual suspects’, ‘fight club’, ’Memento’, ‘Snatch’ and alike and these movies really making an intriguing impact. It was only in my early twenties that I realized that filmmaking might be an actual thing you can do yourself.. these things are getting thought up.. and made.. by actual people.. And although being somewhat aware that the film industry in Belgium isn’t big and is very competitive to get work in, let alone financially get by, … this awareness drove me to seek out filmstudies. Here I learned all technical aspect of filmmaking + the creative side. Learned that I love creating, thinking up things, working together on sets, that I can think up and create “special” things that people can be excited about (deducted from reactions to short films of mine, and festival selections). But.. following my studies because of a financial need I started working in another industry. The passion and drive were there but what happened.. life.. Several years passed , still writing in our attic and learning about the craft of screenwriting but little actual filmmaking came about. House, child 1, child 2, a starting burn-out, .. and then since +-2 years it was time.. Things had to get made again, new material, stories needed to be told, craft had to be exercised, passion and love for stories and filmmaking needed to be nurtured again. With two filmcolleagues we started a collaboration 3TIMES films(look us up on Instagram and Facebook :p) in which we support each other in creating our projects and getting short films made. Often no- to very low-budget but made with and by passionate people, facilitating ourselves and others in being able to create and practice our passion and craft.

 

2. "Dude" explores themes of identity, perception, and unpredictability, with your character taking on a complex and intriguing role. What inspired you to delve into these themes, and how did you approach portraying such a multifaceted character?

 

The story idea did not really start with the intent of exploring themes. It started with plot ideas. I wanted to entertain. And apparently for me these themes are “fun”, appealing, games, mystery, .. I guess all reasons why I like Stephen King’s work.. You never know what’s coming.

But off course because I am ‘me’ indeed these themes came to be in the story as is often the case in earlier stories and shorts of mine. I feel like I have a good grasp on these themes as to why I find them interesting and how I can play around in them and push the boundaries to move people.

This is also one of the reasons I saw myself playing this part. (Others being the practicality of production and finances :D). Several times I’ve written parts like this and always it wasn’t hard for me imagining playing it myself. This time, together with Joachim Huveneers(counter part), in advance we talked about our characters and over some sessions they got formed more and more. I

had written a script but during the shoot we freewheeled a lot, a lot of improvisation while still following the major lines of the story.

 

3. As someone who enjoys mixing genres and themes in your storytelling, how do you balance the darker aspects of your narratives with elements of humor and creativity?

 

With this story the most important thing was keeping it realistic, believable, and then along the way of the story the darker and humorous aspects could be pushed a bit. The scenes, although funny to me while writing, were never written to play to laughs. Also never played/acted to be. This is always important to comedy but in a realistic docu-style film like this I think even more so.

About the balance: I guess by following my gut feeling during the whole ‘coming up with the story, and eventually writing the screenplay’. Trying to go for what feels good to me. What is interesting, special, strange, crazy, .. but always keeping in mind that it has to be believable. A strange lesson: Originally I thought the overall tone would be dark, unease, estranging, thrilling, .. and during the editing it became clear to me that it had a lot of humor to it, even a real comedic tone. Which was a very fun realization.

 

4. Can you discuss your process of developing story ideas and writing screenplays, particularly when it comes to creating suspense, twists, and turns in your narratives?

 

I have a lot of ideas. The ones that stay stuck in my head and keep on coming to the surface are apparently worth remembering and gradually start snowballing. Sometimes it can go really fast, for quality’s sake it’s probably almost always better with aging. The starting idea most of the time for me is a scene. Something special, but almost always a plot-element, concept, twist, .. And from this the whole storyline will evolve. Characters, what the story is really about, the themes connecting the characters and the story will come later. Most of the time I try to have the full story/outline before starting the screenplay. Though when I start writing without really having an idea of what should come next I’ve also learned that fun things can happen and grow just while writing and being in the zone.

Straight and simple are not for me. I have an urge for things having to be original, new, creative, .. that is what I want in stories. Otherwise why bother. Biggest turnoffs for me are scenes that already have been done or in an unoriginal way. This also goes for the suspense moments. What would really be scary, strange, freaky, unsettling, … but always keeping in mind that it has to be believable and original. I say this as if I have/follow a guideline to think up these kinds of things. Far from it. This thinking process goes very spontaneous and organically. During biking, running, listening to music, even while listening to podcasts. I’ve recently noticed that while listening to screenwriting podcast I suddenly start thinking about stories of mine and developing them further. Because of the issues or ideas, situations, .. that come up in the craft-podcast (@Scriptnotes :)).

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5. How do you navigate between writing for hire projects, where you adapt to the tone and style of existing projects, and your own auteur stories where you have more creative control?

 

In the limited experience I have herein I noticed it is a balancing act. The most important thing seems to be that it is very clear for both parties what you as a writer will be doing, what it actually is they want from you. Full blown you, your voice, your writer craft and knowhow but totally their story, …

Switching between writing different tones and voices seems to go well for me. A practical thing that works for me: a music playlist per project. And for every writing project I have had one. Depending on the project I switch playlist.

If I write for someone else and the story is already set. I will still in the work that I am given bring my voice. My creative/original egg will be laid. It will be in the action lines, the dialogue, … They could have chosen any writer but they chose me.. so I bring me..

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6. What draws you to the thriller and horror genres, and how do you ensure that your stories have an authentic feel while still delivering suspense and entertainment?

 

When I was young I used to be scared in the dark. Now I like walking and jogging in the dark, even alone in a forest, empty streets, .. I feel like I got a grasp on what “is” scary. I’ve also always liked surprising and scaring people. Thinking up fun, scary things has always come natural to me as if it is a fun taks/game/challenge.

The authentic feel is indeed something I give a lot of importance too. It is in the dialogue, the acting style, the actions/plot points that happen in the story. I guess this comes down to really knowing the world your story is set in, what are the rules, what is normal, strange, … For this short ‘DUDE’ it is our own, realistic, world, with a grain of salt.. I hope with the docu-real style to get a bit of leeway from the viewer in the more strange/absurd parts, and in the portrayal of the character Ben. By being naturalistic an convincing in these aspects to get a bit of suspension of disbelief.

 

7. As an occasional actor yourself, how does your experience in front of the camera influence your work behind the scenes as a screenwriter and director?

 

I think it helps me when thinking out the characters, when writing dialogue, .. being able to look at it through the eyes of someone who might have to play a role. I think this is always an extra strength for a director or screenwriter, if they have a little actor/actress in them.

Also now when I am behind the camera I have more eye for the actors and their process, before and during the shoot. They are not just another technical crew member. Actors also want to give their best and do the best but filmsets are never easy situations. Giving a performance is almost alway putting yourself in a vulnerable position. So some nurturing, guidance and understanding along the way seems like an important thing and beneficial for everyone and the project.

 

8. In your opinion, what are the key elements that make a screenplay stand out, and how do you strive to incorporate these elements into your own writing?

 

Well.. I think a lot of things can make a screenplay stand out but that doesn’t necessarily make it a good script. There are no basic things or a trick guide to follow to ensure your screenplay has everything it needs. And then there’s the thing of a good crafted screenplay doesn’t mean it’s an interesting story.

For me what makes a good/interesting screenplay?

To me important are: consistent style throughout the screenplay, not too much text, confidence in your writing and style, the writing gives you a sense of tempo and tone of how a scene will be shot and edited, you feel the writer knows what the movie will be like, originality/things that have not been done before, told before or at least in an original interesting way, ..

 

9. Can you share any memorable experiences from your time working on film sets, and how they have influenced your approach to collaboration and production?

 

I’ve done a lot of independent, small crew, projects and these have often been very rewarding. I like it when the process is rewarding for everyone involved. A collaboration of artistic people giving input so the result becomes richer. When there is no, or almost no, money involved the people that actually have chosen to be there on set are almost always passionate and enthusiastic. All the quality coming through on the screen is paid with their energy, time and money.

I like working with a small crew for the flexibility, group-dynamic/feeling, input possibilities. And also because of the nature of our shorts being very independent/low-budget I often do my own production so keeping it small is more manageable.

When I think up stories and develop them I don’t keep production in mind. It is when I start

thinking of making one of these stories on my own or with our collaboration 3TIMES films I start selecting and adjusting on “producible-ness”.

 

10. Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for your filmmaking career, and are there any specific projects or genres you're particularly excited to explore in the future?

 

Making feature films or tv-series is the dream. Or at least being part of.

Genre-wise.. Often concept-driven, humorous, dark, fun, mysterious, entertaining, fantastical, .. I have a pitchdeck with several feature projects. I have a pitch & conceptdocument for an anthology series whit all different high concept short, dark stories (twilight-ish but often more gritty and realistic).

So I’ve got a couple of things lying around about which I am enthusiastic. But making a feature film with no money for the moment seems a bit too difficult in combination with my other job, house, wife, kids.. For the moment I am very happy making independent shorts with 3TIMES. In 2023 we made three. In 2024 we already shot one and aim to shoot two more. Since we started 3TIMES we’ve made contact with and had meetings with several institutions, funds, organizations, .. to get to know the lay of the land of professional audiovisual filmmaking better, make a network, connections, possible collaborations, how to get finances/subsidized, .. so these are things in which I want to take steps.

Oh, would love to work on or tackle a musicalfilm some day!

As acting is concerned. I would really once like to do voice-acting/fx for animation. I used to do voices(charactors, animals, monsters, accents, ..) a lot. Also as an actor I would like the chance to do an action roll: running, jumping, falling, .. I’ve always been very physical so I think this would suit me in combination with some humor.

Or a combination of both worlds. Playing a monster, zombie, creature, .. with physical FX or motion capture I would love. Going animal/primal/intuitive seems to go well for me.

 

11. Lastly, what message or emotion do you hope audiences take away from your films, and how do you aim to achieve this through your storytelling?

 

It depends on the film. But I always want them to be a bit surprised, something they did not expect, something strange, unnerving, something which makes them think, doubt, actively search for an answer,.. Something which engages them with intellect.. but also with emotion.

I’m not really telling stories with a message. These are my stories with themes that probably at this moment are concerning me. They slip in there because of my life, where I live and everything around me. I and my stories are a product of this time. If people see my films and get something out of it like a message, statement, social critic, .. very good for them. I am glad I created something they could connect or relate to.

But most of all I make movies to entertain and move people. I’m not really in a place yet where think or know that I have the answers, who does? So let’s have fun. I just like to create entertaining films and I think I have a knack for it and the passion to grow and get better.