Matthew Lundberg is the Director of Photography on Mother's Day. I sent Matthew a series of questions relating to himself, his role as Director of Photography, and the production itself. Here is what he has to say....

So, what was your first scary movie?

If you want to be technical, the first scary movie I ever saw was The Land Before Time. I saw it in the theater when I was probably about three years old and I can clearly remember being scared. Looking back, I'm not quite sure what I was scared of, but the fear was definitely there.

Did it really scare you?

Hey, if you saw bunch of dinosaurs towering above you, animated or not, you would be scared too!

Were you one of those kids who once you had the experience of seeing a horror film you could hardly wait to see another?

To be honest, not really. You can shoot someone as much as you want on screen, but when people begin pulling knives and axes out, I get a little squeamish. I prefer movies that rely on implied violence rather than graphic violence. However, I feel that graphic violence used in particular scenes and in short supply can have a much greater effect than absolutely no overt violence at all. I also believe that excessive graphic violence is... well, excessive and is detrimental to a horror film. I think that there is a distinction between horror films and violent films. I don't always needs violence to scare me, and I feel that some of the best scares can be had without it.

Are you a fan of Friday the 13^th?

I am a fan of the original three, but when you start throwing the undead onto boats in Manhattan and into orbit around a sequel to the planet Earth, I get a little... I don't know... disenchanted. I see Jason X almost as the “Die Another Day” of the series (I am a huge James Bond aficionado) – it shouldn't even be in the series. Better yet, it shouldn't even exist. So, although a Friday the 13^th movie is not the first thing I would pick up to watch, I do enjoy them.

Which Friday the 13^th film was your favorite?

I'd have to say that the original is my favorite, but as I mentioned before, I like the two sequels also. I like the way that these fit together and the evolution of the original legend.

Before working on Mother's Day had you read any of the Eric Morse Friday the 13^th novels?

No, and I'm sorry to say William that I had not, and I in fact still have not . If an autographed copy found it's way into my mailbox that might change, however...

Though Mother's Day is a Friday the 13^th film, the character of Jason Voorhees does not appear in the film. How does this change this story and make it different from the others?

I'd like to answer this question in conjunction with the next one if that is all right.

Was the lack of Jason a detriment, or an advantage, or did it make any difference?

I don't know if it was either a detriment or an advantage; it was simply different. Jason was there, even if it wasn't really him – his soul was the driving force behind the rampage of the hunter. This shows that anyone can be transformed into a force of evil if the circumstances are right and that Jason is not necessarily the source of evil, but it's servant. His legacy will be carried on no matter what happens.

Most people have a very limited idea of what a Director of Photography does. Please tell us about what it is you do on the production.

As the Director of Photography, my job is to take the story that the writer and director create and make the visuals reinforce and help tell that story. Usually I like to experiment quite a bit and move the camera around and take risks and get the shot that makes the audience gasp and generally steal the show. But with this project I realized more than ever that the point is to tell the story that you came to tell and not to simply impress the crowd with some fancy tricks. My main goal was to achieve as much of a sense of realism as possible. Lighting was the area I put the most time and energy into, and I think that it paid off.

Is there much early preparation before you go on location?

For this film, I sat down with Cory and we went through most of the series, reviewing certain scenes and soaking in the general feeling and mood that the visuals presented. I did not take notes or put any plans down to replicate any particular shots from the series because it was not my intention to simply copy and otherwise rip off the style of other cinematographers and dump them into this film.

Do you have camera angles figured out before hand?

For this film no storyboards were created, so all the angles and shot scales were either devised by myself or Cory in advance or on the spot. Throughout the shoot, Cory had his vision and he would let me know where he wanted the camera placed most of the time; other times while he was working with the actors I would set up the shot on my own. Generally I like to work without storyboards because I find them restricting, but I also understand their importance. Cory and I both prefer shot lists as a reference to keep us on track, but I didn't have the luxury of being able to scout locations ahead of time so I had to think on my feet. As much as can be said for preparation, improvisation is also a wonderful tool, and something I enjoy using.

What was it that got you interested in working on Mother's Day?

Well for one thing, this is the first film that I have worked on where I have had the opportunity to act strictly as the Director of Photography without having any other official position to take my mind away from the visuals. This was a great experience because of that fact alone. I've also never worked on a horror film, so I wasn't about to let that go. And since I would have the opportunity to work with so many great people, how could I have turned down an offer like that? Making a film can be one of the most enjoyable experiences in the world, and if you have a great group of people to work with, you can't ask for anymore than that.

During every production there is usually one person that is the stand out person. Was there anyone on the crew of Mother's Day that you felt was this person?

Although I agree with you that there is usually one person who stands above the rest, I would have to say that in this case everyone pitched in and did more than their share to help bring this film together. As is usually the case with film making, we had to battle the elements, technical problems, and, inevitably, the aviation industry in our attempt to make the best film possible and we couldn't have done it without everyone helping each other out.

Do you think that if Mother's Day is a success and the fans show support that there will be more adaptations of Friday the 13^th novels in the future?

I definitely think that there will be more adaptations of Friday the 13^th novels in the future because in my view the studios don't know what the hell they're doing on their own and I think that audiences are realizing that. More independently produced films are getting recognized all the time, and with costs for film production dropping as a result of more widely available digital technology, more people are making their own projects outside of the industry.

Finally, what would you like to see in the future of Friday the 13^th?

What I would like to see in future Friday the 13^th stories is a return to the origins of Jason and of his mother – not necessarily an actual jump back in time as in a prequel, but having that part of the story woven into various subplots so that you get a new main story with new characters but there is a solid grounding in the original legend. I think that getting away from Crystal Lake makes for a more interesting setting, but it doesn't need to be New York or the voids of space, but simply a small, middle class, good old God-fearing town. I think that it would also be beneficial to have a good opponent for Jason. Not Freddy, not someone with superpowers or anything like that, just a really determined son-of-a-bitch who isn't going to let Jason just waltz in, plow through the newly plastered living room wall, stab a few loved ones, and leave them hanging in the trees around the neighborhood. Jason is dangerous because he is not just a hulking menace lurking in the woods scaring off little kids. He is systematic, calculating, cold, and brutal. I think that a lot of people have forgotten that amidst the gags and the stunts. If you want to scare me, don't show me a lifeless monster – show me a monster who is not only good at killing people, but who is driven to kill people by a hateful passion for those who can enjoy the things that true living has to offer. Show me the way Jason used to be on screen, and then I will start looking behind the door before I shut off the light.

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