Dawson Jollie
For any filmmaker, it’s a joy to see their work on the big screen; and for horror fan and creator Steve Dayton, it’s the accumulation of over two decades of practice and patience.
Back in December 2020, the Eau Claire local released his film, gIVE: a low-budget, psychological horror casting an intense observation on the ways people cope with loss. As the protagonist, Jay, struggles with his daughter's disappearance and his wife becoming unresponsive, he’s faced with the trial of moving on with life.
Since its release, Dayton’s film has enjoyed pleasant success, enough to earn acceptance as a feature at Midwest Weirdfest 2022, a film festival hosted by the Micon Cinema in downtown Eau Claire. Here, film fans worldwide will come in dedication to everything horrifying, supernatural… and simply weird!
With the sixth annual Weirdfest coming this March, the Guild is pleased to be covering Dayton’s gIVE once more; thankfully, he managed to “give” me the opportunity to share his excitement for the occasion!
Dawson Jollie: As writer, director, and producer of gIVE, what were some of your biggest inspirations that led to its creation?
Steve Dayton: It sounds funny, but one day I was going to take a nap, and so I put on Stanley Kubrick's 2001 Space Odyssey. As I was drifting off to sleep, I thought to myself ‘I should make a movie like this.’ It's funny to think about that moment because I was watching a masterpiece and thought, ‘Hey I should give it a shot.’ gIVE is not even close in the same category, but I believe if you watch gIVE you can see the inspiration in it. I also think that gIVE was born from my two greatest fears: as a child, the fear of being taken away, specifically by aliens, and as an adult, my fear of having something happen to one of my children. gIVE tries to relate to the viewer through our understanding of loss and how devastating it can be.
DJ: In what ways are your interests in horror translated into gIVE?
SD: I like suspenseful horror: I think the most powerful scare is the awkward movement where you think ‘is this normal’ or ‘is something wrong with what's going on’? I like horror that sticks with you and makes you think for a long time. The movie Mother comes to mind; I'm not sure if you would consider that horror, but the uneasy feeling has stuck with me since I've watched it. I want gIVE to make people think why the events in the movie happen and how different the situation would of gone for them if they were in Jay's place
DJ: The coping of loss appears to have major significance to the film's story; however, how close does this movie follow your own perspective on loss?
SD: I think gIVE is me looking at different people deal[ing] with loss and how that can affect the world around them. All the characters think and act a little bit like me: some keep everything inside, some pretend like it's not happening, and others completely shut down. I would be bold enough to say that we all deal with loss with a combination of these three ways. This movie is personal and should feel personal when you watch it.
DJ: With gIVE's acceptance into Midwest Weirdfest 2022's lineup, how does this reflect upon the film's success since its initial release in 2020?
“The acceptance of gIVE into Midwest Weirdfest has been the summit of this journey. I’ve been making movies for over 20 years, and this is going to be the first time I’ve seen something that I’ve worked on be on the big screen”
SD: The acceptance of gIVE into Midwest Weirdfest has been the summit of this journey. I've been making movies for over 20 years, and this is going to be the first time I've seen something that I've worked on be on the big screen. I'm excited to sit in the theatre and feel the reactions of the audience watching it.
DJ: What else does Weirdfest mean to you, as a creator in the Chippewa Valley?
SD: WeirdFest is such a special event to have in the Chippewa Valley. It's a great place to not only meet other creative people from the area but this fest brings in film makers from all over the world. Like I said above, every year I've gone I've come away with something sort of interesting experience.
DJ: Considering the film's low-budget, how beneficial was it to have your family, home and the forests of Eau Claire play such large roles?
SD: When writing a low-budget movie, you have to write and plan the movie with what you have for resources. My wife said, “if you are going to make another movie you have to bring the kids along,” so I made them all characters. I had a house, and Eau Claire's beautiful forest area, so I brought those locations in. Time is always so limited, so I also knew that I would not have time to jump from one locations to another so I needed to plan a lot of different scenes in a few locations.
Dayton and cast members discuss the next scene.
DJ: If a bigger budget were available at the time, could you ever imagine gIVE appearing any other way than it does now?
SD: Yes. Budget means time and resources. The more I think about that question, I actually flip flop on it. If I had a huge budget, gIVE [would] not the movie I made. gIVE is a heartfelt approach to connect big ideas in an interesting package. When making a movie, where you start and where you finish are two very different places. It’s sometimes easy to look back and say ‘I could of....’ ‘I wish I would of...’ but that's just not the way it goes. Like life, you do the best with what you have, and you keep getting after it.
DJ: Following Weirdfest, are there any other hopes you hold for the film's future?
“When you make movies, they live with you forever. gIVE is always going to be a part of me, but this will be the last big screening of the movie.”
SD: When you make movies, they live with you forever. gIVE is always going to be a part of me, but this will be the last big screening of the movie. Like I said above, I'm moving on to new projects and are always looking for new people to collaborate with
Midwest Weirdfest will be held Friday, March 4 through the 6 at Micon Cinema; Dayton’s gIVE will be screening Saturday, March 5 at 2pm.
For previous work from the Guild, featuring Steve Dayton, click here!
To stream the film on Amazon Video, click here!
For more information on Midwest Weirdfest 2022 and tickets, click here!