The body-swapping genre is getting a fresh and energetic twist with Greg Jardin It’s what’s inside. The sci-fi horror-comedy marks Jardin’s directorial debut, with the filmmaker having previously made a name for himself directing both shorts and music videos. Some of Jardin’s more notable previous productions include the teaser promos for Netflix 13 reasons why seasons 2 and 3, When they see us And Colin in black and white: the path is powerAs well as the short film teaser Cowboy Bebop: The Lost Session For the live-action adaptation of the streamer.
Jardine wore the hats of writer, director and editor for the movie, with It’s what’s inside Focusing on Shelby, Cyrus, Reuben, Dennis, Nikki, Brooke, Maya and Forbes, a group of friends who reunite at Reuben’s family home to celebrate his upcoming wedding. Forbes, who has been estranged from the group since college when a party went wrong and he was expelled, shows up with a device that allows them all to swap bodies. What starts as a fun night of exploration becomes a suspense-filled one as they revisit old secrets, grudges and desires.
Related
Jardine has assembled an impressive young ensemble cast for It’s what’s insideincluded Fear The Walking DeadAlicia Debon-Carey, Chilling Adventures of SabrinaS Gavin Leatherwood, The resortS Nina Bloomingarden, BarryDevon Terrell, The White LotusBrittany O’Grady, I love my dadJames Morosini, Brockmirs Reina Hardesty and Fear Streets David Thompson. First premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, followed by South by Southwest, Jardine’s feature debut proves to be the perfect mix of visually inventive direction and balance of comedy and thrillers, currently with an 81% “Certified Fresh” approval rating from Reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Ahead of the movie’s Netflix premiere, Screen Rant Interviewed writer/director/editor Greg Jardin to discuss It’s what’s insideAs his original concept evolved from a comedy to a genre mix with thriller, as the one location of the movie boosted his creativity while writing it, and perform multiple table reading to help his cast discover their characters.
Jardine’s unique musical taste led to It’s what’s insides genre change
“… It was just a matter of maintaining, on set, a pervasive sense of tension and anxiety…”
Screen Rant: Greg, you are a genius. It’s what’s inside Was so much fun, it kept me guessing all the way to the end. Now you describe it’s what’s inside as a sci-fi thriller with jokes. How challenging was it to balance the thriller and comedy elements without making sure they overshadowed each other?
Greg Jardin: Yeah, I initially conceived it as just a straight-up sci-fi comedy. It wasn’t until I was actually writing the actual script that I started listening to music, and the music I started listening to was more thriller, psychological horror-type stuff. Specifically, I listened to the score of the movie The Double with Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska.
That score is great. The guy who did it, Andrew Hewitt, amazing. We got him to do the score for our movie. So, really, that kind of thriller stuff came into it. And then, it was just a matter of maintaining, on set, a pervasive sense of tension and anxiety, and just giving the actors their freedom to be funny.
Developing the Ensemble Cast’s Backstories”Took a while“For Jardine
“That just seemed like a good source of trouble.”
Now, the reunion of old friends with unresolved rivalries adds a fascinating layer to this story. How did you approach developing the characters’ backstories with the complex relationships?
Greg Jardin: Yes, it took a while, honestly, but it just started from me knowing that I wanted the story to be about a relationship in crisis and a woman who didn’t feel valued by her partner as a result of his diet of social media, media, etc, etc. And then, the thought that there was a woman from their past that he could never get over, and that she always felt like a consolation prize. That just seemed like a good source of trouble. I guess it’s really just built out of that initial triangle. And of course, Forbes, who is the mystery guy in the room. So yeah, it kind of started from there.
Jardine Finds Constraints Like Stories in One Place”Very useful”
“… It was honestly freeing to know that it had to be in this house.”
Now, you have a mandate to write a contained film in one location with a small cast. How did the constriction boost your creativity?
Greg Jardin: Yeah, great question. I think I find constraints like that very helpful. You often have constraints like that in promos and music videos and stuff, and it almost takes the crowd away from, “I can do anything.” It’s like, “Okay, now, I can just do this.” And once I had that limitation specifically, once we had the house, it was like, “Okay, how can we make this movie, this house, look and feel and sound completely different than any other house we’ve seen in a movie In this subgenre?” So, it was honestly freeing to know that it had to be in this house. And then, at that point, the challenge was, “What can we do to the house?”
Jardine wanted multiple table reads to give his cast a “baseline“For multiple personalities
“… It also really just came from them bonding, spending time together.”
Now, a lot of the cast actually credits the rehearsal process as when they actually found the character. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you read two tables, one of the souls, and one of the bodies. Can you talk about how that helped inform the cast of playing one of the characters?
Greg Jardin: Yeah, so we read the souls table first, and I think that’s just helpful for everybody to listen and to have a baseline for everybody’s general mannerisms, the way they talked, etc. And then, after This, we essentially had a whole week of rehearsal, where the base helped, and then informed the final table read, which was at the end of the week. However, it also really just came from them, spending time together Did everyone stay in the same hotel and just get to know each other, and also learn their characters, and learn from their casts, I think, was very important in how the movie came out.
If I’m not mistaken, they also recorded each other as their characters to help prepare them and get some of the mannerisms for some of the characters. Can you talk about where the idea came from?
Greg Jardin: They record each other? That honestly wasn’t even my thought. They honestly just kind of started. I didn’t even realize they were doing that. And at a certain point, I see dude walking around listening to his AirPods, and I’m like, “Oh, what song are you listening to?” He’s like, “Oh, I’m listening to James say this line.” I was like, “Oh, interesting. Fascinating.” I had the idea for them to record each other for just the first Brady Bunt test rounds. That we did almost as an exercise, but everything beyond that, they all just did on their own.
About It’s what’s inside
A group of friends gather for a pre-wedding party that descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend arrives with a mysterious game that awakens long-hidden secrets, desires, and grudges.
Stay tuned for our others It’s what’s inside Interview with:
Source: Screen Rant Plus