INTERVIEW with Julia Marchese

Marchese will next be adapting Stephen King’s short story I Know What You Need into a short film which she will also direct.

Marchese’s first film was the 2016 documentary Out of Print about the importance of revival cinema and 35mm film exhibition to culture & featured interviews with Rian Johnson, Edgar Wright, Kevin Smith, Joe Dante, Patton Oswalt, Seth Green and many more. The film played around the world, is now streaming online and the 35mm print of the film is now a part of The Academy Film Archive.

Marchese acquired the film rights to the story as part of Stephen King’s Dollar Baby Program, which allows the rights to certain short stories of his to be bought for one dollar (and you really do send Stephen King a dollar bill in the mail). The contract states that the rights are good for one year, and the resulting film must be 45 minutes or under, plus the film must be non-profit, non-broadcast.

Another requirement of Dollar Baby contract is that all of the finished short films must be sent to him to view. That means you can be part of a project that Stephen King himself will watch.

I Know What You Need is a short story that was first featured in the September 1976 issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine, and then compiled into the short story collection Night Shift in 1978. The story centers on Elizabeth, a popular college junior who is approached one night by Edward, an unkempt outcast whose first words to her are “I Know What You Need” – and she is shocked to discover that he does. The film will be set in the year the story was first published – 1976.

The film will be shot on the gorgeous campus of the University of Maine, where Stephen King attended and where the story is set.

That means this film will be shot in the exact same locations that Stephen King wrote about in the story.

Marchese is an avid Stephen King fan and has been a loyal Constant Reader since she was a child. In addition to reading his works growing up, she has also spent the last two and a half years reading over 40 of Stephen King’s books that are a part of his vast multiverse connected to The Dark Tower series. She is also a film programmer, actor and the co-host of the popular horror podcast Horror Movie Survival Guide.

She is beyond thrilled at this opportunity to adapt her favorite short story by her favorite author for the screen.

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Who is Julia Marchese?

I am a filmmaker, actor, writer, podcaster, cinephile, film programming and all around horror hound.

My first film, 2016’s Out of Print, is a documentary about the importance of revival cinema and 35mm exhibition and preservation to culture. It features interviews with filmmakers such as Rian Johnson, Edgar Wright, Kevin Smith, Joe Dante, Mark Romanek, John Landis, Stuart Gordon, Joe Carnahan, Tom Holland and many more.

I am also a Constant Reader who has acquired the rights to turn my favorite Stephen King short story, I Know What You Need (from 1978’s Night Shift) into a short film, as part of Stephen King’s Dollar Baby Program. The film will take place in the year the story was originally published in Cosmopolitan Magazine – 1976 – and will be shot in the exact locations mentioned in the story, on the beautiful University of Maine campus, in the Summer of 2021.

I also co-host the popular horror movie podcast Horror Movie Survival Guide.

How do you make sure that production is on schedule? What steps would you take?

My campaign to fund the film just ended, and the film won’t be shot until next summer so I have about 8 or 9 months to prep, which should be plenty of time. Of course filmmaking is a collaborative art, so I will be working with crew that can help with budgeting and scheduling, but really when it comes down to it, a lot of being a director is just being organized.

What did it mean to you to acquire one of King’s stories?

Inline image Oh, it’s an absolute dream come true. I have been reading his books since I was 11 years old and have always been a fan.

I realized two and half years ago that I had never tackled his master work, The Dark Tower series. This needed to be remedied immediately. So I devoured the books, loving each one more and more and starting to panic as I neared the end of the series. I didn’t want the story to end!! I got to the 11th stanza in book 7 – The Song of Susannah (Constant Readers will know where I mean) where the reveal was going to be so good and I was so excited, that I needed to prolong that feeling as long as possible.

So I decided to pause my reading there and read every Stephen King novel and short story related to the The Dark Tower (there are A LOT, over 40 short stories and novels combined!) before re-reading the Tower series (and then continue on to the Marvel comic series omnibuses and The Dark Tower companions after that). It’s taken me two and a half years so far and I am still working on it. It’s the most incredibly brilliant literary multiverse puzzle that I have ever undertaken, and I am enjoying putting the pieces into place more than I can say.

To ask for the rights to my very favorite story by him, and get them – to be able to tell my version of his story? Unbelievable. That being said, I will try to be as faithful to his story as possible!

How would you summarise the whole experience?

A pleasant surprise! I asked for the rights to “I Know What You Need” expecting to be turned down, but I was given a contract. Then I asked the University of Maine if I could film there, expecting to be turned down, but they also said yes. I was very nervous about launching my indiegogo campaign in the middle of a pandemic, but I actually got a tremendous amount of positive support and feedback! So I had the worst case scenario in my head every time, but actually they all turned out very positively so I am super grateful for that!

What was the first horror book you read?

I read It, Pet Sematary and Carrie all back to back at 11 and I can’t remember which came first – they are linked together in my mind. But I went straight from Judy Blume to Stephen King, with no RL Stine bridge between. Hardcore horror only thank you very much.

What, in your opinion, is the most important quality of a filmmaker?

To put themselves into the film. I think of directors like Wes Anderson or Baz Luhrmann or Dario Argento – when you see one of their films, you know it’s their film – their visual style, their music choices, their camera work. I want to feel the filmmaker within the film.

How do you manage difficult situations with actors?

Luckily I have never had to! I’ve directed stage plays, but there was never any problems there, and my first film was a documentary, so no actors, only interviewees who were all on time and an absolute delight. But I think because I am an actor as well as a director, I know how scary it can be to be in front of the camera, which helps. I’m looking forward to working with the actors on I Know What You Need – there’s only three main characters, so it’s going to be very intense!

What is the best and the worst part of producing a film?

Best part is meeting and working with people all to make one creative piece together, and to have a product afterwards that you can look back on that will be, hypothetically, immortal. The worst part is the pressure and the panic to get everything right, which of course you can’t. But you can surround yourself with talented people who can help and answer your questions!

What is the biggest rock in the way when doing your job?

My own anxiety, 100%.

What is the best memory you keep while filming this piece?

I’m just very excited to shoot this in Maine, in the exact locations where the story takes place. That almost never happens, and I feel like Stephen King kind of has to be shot in Maine. So I am thrilled to take that on and show the beauty of the state!

What is next?

Pre-production! Storyboards, casting, locations, wardrobe, crew, etc!

What is the greatest lesson you have learn in this experience?

Just ask. The worst someone can say is no.

Do you have old projects you would like to finish eventually?

Oh sure, I have a file of finished or partially finished scripts that I would love to make someday. We will see if they ever get made! Fingers crossed!

How did you get into this world?

Through Stephen King! Reading and watching Pet Sematary introduced me to his world and the world of horror all in one fell swoop! Bless that man!

What book would you love to make a film about?

I’d love to adapt Stephen King’s The Long Walk or The Talisman. I’d love to do a true to the period version of Valley of the Dolls or Flowers in the Attic, non horror wise.

How do you feel when the film is finally finished?

The film itself being finished is really only the halfway point for filmmakers. Yes, you’ve finished pre/post/production but you still have film festivals and getting it seen to go through, so it’s just part of the process. But if I can get the vision for the film in my head onto the screen I will be very pleased!

Where can the audience find your work?

My first film, Out of Print, is available on DVD and on Amazon Prime, and other VOD outlets. This new film, I Know What You Need, will only be available to watch through film festivals and private screenings, as per Dollar Baby contract rules. I am still accepting donations to fund the film, so feel free to email me at iknowwhatyouneedfilm at yahoo dot com.