This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of Steven Spilberg’s trailblazing movie Jaws, which instilled an irrational fear for sharks that still haunts us to this day. But as Australian director Sean Byrne shows in his latest film, Dangerous Animals, the hate these underwater creatures receive is rather unfair.
But hey, don’t get me wrong: his new movie, out in Spanish cinemas on August 14th, still shows some razor sharp teeth, blood, and intense encounters between humans and sharks. But it has more to do with their two main characters, Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) and Bruce Tucker (Jai Courtney), than with the animals. Ahead of the movie releasing in Spain, we sit down with Sean to discuss subverting the shark movie tradition, the grandiosity and beauty of sharks, the importance of a good script, and animals that look even more dangerous.
First of all, thank you for speaking with us. A mandatory question to get to know you: are you a window person or an aisle person?
(Laughs) That’s a great question, I’ve never got that before! I’m a window person.
Ok, so not insisting on that then (laughs). What got you into moviemaking in the first place?
My father was a huge movie buff, and he used to have his own radio show in Tasmania, where I grew up. People would ring up and ask random questions, forgotten movie facts for example, and he would usually have the answer. I went to the movies every week — he never had to pay because he had a gold card because he was part of the press. There was never any censorship in my house. From a very, very young age, I was exposed to all forms of cinema, and I’ve grown up with it as almost a second language without realising it was until now.
I did get a law degree, finished it, and then I was like, maybe I should try film because I’ve watched a lot of movies and some of them I felt like they weren’t great? And thought that, maybe, I could do a better job than that. I don’t know, that’s why I sort of started film school at that point. It all snowballed from there.
I did get a law degree, finished it, and then I was like, maybe I should try film because I’ve watched a lot of movies and some of them I felt like they weren’t great? And thought that, maybe, I could do a better job than that. I don’t know, that’s why I sort of started film school at that point. It all snowballed from there.
You’re presenting Dangerous Animals, which is out in different countries already. What’s the reception been like so far?
The reception’s been great, critically. Summer is a very competitive time, so it’s very hard to cut through. What I’m most proud of is that it’s the best reviewed shark film since Jaws.
Wow, congratulations!
Critics and audiences are finding it a really refreshing and entertaining experience because it’s a shark film that doesn’t demonise the sharks. Ever since Jaws, every shark film follows the same formula: sharks hunting people. So I think it’s long overdue that there’s an original shark film out there, which is why I think it’s being embraced.
I love that you mentioned Jaws because I wanted to discuss the long tradition of horror shark movies and how do you hope Dangerous Animals contributes to that legacy?
I hope it contributes to the legacy and subverts it at the same time. As much as I was inspired by Jaws in terms of filmmaking techniques, it’s the polar opposite in terms of morality. Sharks just don’t hunt people. The only shark deaths in Dangerous Animals happen because of the manipulation of men, but the film tries to show these animals in their true, majestic light. Even the score is not a ‘horror score’ in those moments. It’s about the beauty of these creatures. So, as much as it’s inspired by Jaws, it also tries to be a course correction and not blame the sharks, which have actually been overfished and hunted by humans to the point that they’re now an endangered species.
That’s so sad to hear, I didn’t know… Still on the topic of sharks, the movie starts with a couple of tourists doing the ‘swimming with sharks’ thing. Have you ever done it?
No, I haven’t. I insisted that I had to do it before we started shooting because I needed the experience, but it all happened so quickly that suddenly we were in preproduction. So it’s gonna have to be a birthday present or something like that (laughs).
“I hope Dangerous Animals contributes to the legacy of shark films and subverts it at the same time. As much as I was inspired by Jaws in terms of filmmaking techniques, it’s the polar opposite in terms of morality.”
The movie is certainly a frenetic roller coaster of emotions. How much of the peaks and valleys came from the script, and how much of it was decided during the final editing process?
It’s gotta be on the page to begin with. I worked with Nick [Lepard, the writer] over the course of probably two years trying to refine the script and make sure that all the horror moments are in there, whether they’re emotional or more visceral, and that the rollercoaster is going to work. But then, the edit is always the final draft of the script, and as it usually happens, a lot of the dialogue gets lost because much of the information can be conveyed behaviourally — and I tend to cut to the bone.
I’m very worried about an audience getting bored. This is actually the first film that I’ve made that’s crossed the ninety-minute barrier, which to me felt like three hours or something (laughs). Both of my other films are under eighty minutes. So yeah, it’s always trying to create a sense of ebb and flow and not make it feel repetitive, which can be quite tricky in what’s essentially a cat-and-mouse survival thriller. The audience knows the story early on: it’s about two sort of gladiators going at it, you know what I mean?
I’m very worried about an audience getting bored. This is actually the first film that I’ve made that’s crossed the ninety-minute barrier, which to me felt like three hours or something (laughs). Both of my other films are under eighty minutes. So yeah, it’s always trying to create a sense of ebb and flow and not make it feel repetitive, which can be quite tricky in what’s essentially a cat-and-mouse survival thriller. The audience knows the story early on: it’s about two sort of gladiators going at it, you know what I mean?
Yeah, I totally do. But don’t worry, even if it’s a bit over ninety minutes, there’s no time to get bored watching the movie! As a director, do you like to give very clear instructions, or do you let actors add personal touches here and there?
I mean, everything is storyboarded. But then, I also like to give the actors freedom to see what's gonna happen as well. The great thing about storyboarding is that you can see when there's something better. For example, when Zephyr and Moses first meet, the actual blocking of that is very different to how I imagined it playing out because there’s a magnet between two humans, so you don’t wanna step on something that happens naturally.
There’s a great freedom when actors hear something coming out of their mouths for the first time. I mean, everything after that, you’re basically repeating something that your ear has already kind of heard. But I feel comfortable with that freedom on set only because I’ve prepared so carefully.
There’s a great freedom when actors hear something coming out of their mouths for the first time. I mean, everything after that, you’re basically repeating something that your ear has already kind of heard. But I feel comfortable with that freedom on set only because I’ve prepared so carefully.
How so?
I always give the actors character breakdowns in advance, and also, what I call ‘a Bible,’ which is a three-hundred page sort of magazine about other films and character references that go to the backstory. I’ll have a backstory for each character, and that’s the starting point for discussions with each actor. Then, I grow from their life experiences. It’s a back and forth, so by the time we arrive on set, they know exactly who they are. The first frame of the film is the beginning of the movie, but not the beginning of their character arc; they know who they are before the step on that boat. That’s the only way a character can feel three-dimensional.
You’ve just said you expect to subvert how sharks have been treated before in cinema. But what was your personal relationship with sharks before doing Dangerous Animals, and how has it changed, if at all, during the process of making the movie?
I was well versed in the serial killer subgenre more than I was in the shark subgenre. I love Jaws because it’s a masterful piece of filmmaking, and it’s a great script. So first and foremost, what I wanted to get right was the script. But I'm not someone that’s ever been a shark fanatic.
I’ve watched a lot of Shark Week on Discovery Channel. My brother-in-law is obsessed with sharks, so there’d been a lot of dinner parties where he’d talk about how beautiful these creatures are, and I was fascinated. But that’s one of the joys of making this film: the deep dive into the different species and the behavioural differences between them. For example, the great white can never stop gliding or it dies.
But the reason that I made the film, and I know that it’s also the reason of the president of the studio that financed it, was this scene between Zephyr and the great white underwater. It’s an appreciation of two scarred creatures. I’d never seen a shark film where the sharks fill you with awe, and I just thought, what an incredible opportunity to do that — to show them in their true light.
I’ve watched a lot of Shark Week on Discovery Channel. My brother-in-law is obsessed with sharks, so there’d been a lot of dinner parties where he’d talk about how beautiful these creatures are, and I was fascinated. But that’s one of the joys of making this film: the deep dive into the different species and the behavioural differences between them. For example, the great white can never stop gliding or it dies.
But the reason that I made the film, and I know that it’s also the reason of the president of the studio that financed it, was this scene between Zephyr and the great white underwater. It’s an appreciation of two scarred creatures. I’d never seen a shark film where the sharks fill you with awe, and I just thought, what an incredible opportunity to do that — to show them in their true light.
“I’d never seen a shark film where the sharks fill you with awe, and I just thought, what an incredible opportunity to do that — to show them in their true light.”
I love that approach. As an Australian, you're very aware of how dangerous animals and nature can be. So if not sharks, what is the scariest animal that comes to mind? And do you think a film around it would work well in the box office?
For me, crocodiles. I find them scarier than sharks, which are so fluid and beautiful, their skin is reflective and lovely. If feels like there’s harmony with sharks and how they interact with this whole other world that exists beneath us. Whereas crocodiles, they come out of murky brown water that seems so ugly and dangerous. And they’re still so prehistoric. Their skin is so tough… They look like killing machines. They terrify me far more than sharks do.
I know you're just presenting this movie, and filmmaking takes a lot of time, but do you have any other projects on the pipeline?
Yeah, I have a small town serial killer procedural that’s shooting in Canada in March. I won’t spoil it any more other than this. I’ve written it, and I’m very excited about it! I haven't done a procedural before, so I’ve been sort of studying them. Hopefully, it’s gonna surprise audiences as much as other films do. But i’ll keep the surprise up my sleeve for now.
That sounds great! I’m sure we will be surprised, and I can’t wait to watch it. Thank you very much for your time!