BRWC Exclusive Interview: Chris Raney

10th August 2018

From High Octane Pictures, the studio that brought you Jurassic Games and The Veil, comes a fire-breathing, wind-riding fantasy adventure that’ll run ‘rings’ around the competition this August! Dragon Mountain!

In a fantasy world of dragons, magic and myths, four Dwarves are mining in the dangerous Dragon Mountain when a sudden, violent explosion causes a cave in, trapping the Dwarves inside. With oxygen getting low and supplies dwindling the group must work together to figure a way out before it’s too late. But the path to freedom may not be as simple as they hope when they cross paths with a hungry creature tracking them in the darkness.

Robert Morgan (Solo : A Star Wars Story), Brent Bateman (Birdman), John Hutton (“Power”), Gys de Villiers (Vehicle 19) and Serah Henesey (Bullet) star in an exciting, steampunk adventure from filmmaker Chris Raney.

What part of the world do you call home, Chris?

Utah.

Have you always been based there?

We were based out of Brooklyn. As you can imagine, the streets of Brooklyn aren’t suited for high fantasy films, so we have since moved to one of the most beautiful places in North America, Utah.

Was the goal always to makes movies – or is it something you fell into?

My interest in filmmaking developed from a crush I had on an actress named Paz Vega. I knew I wouldn’t be suited for acting, so I figured the best way to meet Paz was to become a film director. Although my crush on Paz has since waned, it was replaced by a rich appreciation for films and filmmaking. Thanks Paz.

Dragon Mountain

Tell us about your past and present projects – where did it all begin?

Dragon Mountain is our first feature film outside student productions. It is our goal to create stories within a high-fantasy world. These are the films we’d like to see more of, and we’re in a unique position to try to remedy the lack of content being produced.

And was it important to you that the films be shot in your own country and/or city?

Yes, when you say fantasy film, people often assume distant filming locations like Iceland or New Zealand. It is important for me to highlight North America’s exotic landscapes, in particular, Utah’s.

Tell us about Dragon Mountain.

Dragon Mountain tells the story of several dwarves and a human foreman trapped in a mine after a tragic collapse. It is a high fantasy suspense thriller. When we began development on the project, the Chilean mining incident was breaking into the news. Upon completion, the Thai soccer team rescue operations just concluded, so the story both formed and is now being bookended by current events. The mysteries of caves and mines is something that quickly captures the public’s imagination. For Dragon Mountain, we wanted to play off the fears and mysteries of the unknown underworld and bring them to the silver screen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsG3XShs7JE

Did you travel with the movie crew?

Did it force you to relocate somewhere temporarily? Yes, most of the crew was crammed in a small trailer outside the mine. It was definitely the image that comes to mind when you mention independent filmmaking. It was a great experience and we wouldn’t trade it away.

What can we look forward to seeing another chapter?

We are currently filming the 2nd film in a series of films that take place in Dragon Mountain’s world of “Rhye”. Many more adventures to come.

Dragon Mountain is released August 7 on VOD and September 4 on DVD.

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