I’ve loved ghost stories all my life. With "The Presence", I wanted to try one myself and in doing so give a classic ghost story some sort of twist. Classic ghost stories usually split into two parts: the first is a slow creeping sense of discovery that there is ‘a ghost in the house’. Eventually the characters figure out there is indeed a ghost and the second part turns into an investigation: who is this ghost, why is it hanging around and what can be done? The first part of a ghost story is, for me, the most fun. When approaching "The Presence", to try something different, I wondered if that fun first section of creeping discovery could be extended throughout the entire movie. To add a further flip, we see much of the movie from the ghost’s perspective.

We shot the movie in the wilds of Oregon at the base of Mt. Hood with the best cast and crew anyone could assemble, whatever the budget. This amazing team of artists helped me take the script and turn it into a movie that at times still takes my breath away, and I am the movie’s harshest critic. I’d crawl through glass for the incredibly talented people listed below, as well as the rest of the cast and crew that were involved with the production, which is a beautiful testament to their hard work.

I was hooked when I first read the script almost 6 years ago. Halfway through, I turned on all the lights in my house and had to stop reading. The next day, I continued reading, but there was something about this story that, even in broad daylight, was still so unsettling.

From that initial draft, and through the entire journey of the past few years, I've had the privilege of supporting Tom Provost in his unique vision. With the help of an amazing cast and crew, we now have a beautiful film that crawls under the skin and lives with you for days -- a smart film that in many ways reinvents the genre. Thanks to every one who helped make this happen. I'm so proud and thankful to have been a part of this one.

It's been a privilege for me to be involved with "The Presence". Both the cast and crew were highly dedicated to making this film a quality production at every level. I'm also intimately involved with the post production since we're using my facility, Chroma Lounge Post, for the color grading and mastering. Since Tom Provost has embraced much of the new technology, from shooting on HD to utilizing a DI workflow, we've been able to maximize every dollar, resulting in production values usually associated with much higher budgeted films. Combining his efficient methodology and his talent for storytelling, he has delivered an experience that I'm sure the audience will truly enjoy.

Six years ago Tom Provost came to me with a script he was working on that would become "The Presence." Right from the start I realized two things: Tom is a gifted writer and he doesn't take no for an answer. Working in independent film is a combination of artistic ability and toughness that is hard to bring together. I have been involved in a lot of tough negotiations on feature films, both as a producer and an entertainment attorney, and it was great to have a producing partner like Tom who never backed away from a fight. The whole cast and crew have showed that same determination on this project. It is remarkable how on a truly beautiful film like "The Presence," the work and intensity of the last six years can dissolve away, allowing us to be transported into this mysterious and haunting world we have all helped to create.

I was attracted to this project because Tom had two things in mind from the outset. First was a vision for the film that combined a heightened naturalism with a sense of dread and darkness. This allowed us to establish a very specific tone, and explore the characters’ emotions in the play of light and shadow. Second was a spirit of artistry and collaboration that all of us shared in making the film. I believe "The Presence" is a testament to both these goals, and I am very proud of our work on the film.

www.collinbrink.com

I was initially drawn to work on “The Presence” by the genre. I had cut three features at that point – an art film, a comedy and a dark drama – and I had become obsessed with suspense films with a horror element, especially the seventies movies made by Polanski, Roeg and Kubrick. When I met with Tom and we got on the topic of "Rosemary’s Baby", I knew this was the project for me. Tom also showed me a sequence he had cut together from early on in the movie and I was hooked by the look and feel of the film. I was amazed that such a rich palette could be achieved with a digital camera and was curious to post my first digital feature. During the process of editing, it was exciting to create moments of suspense and the scares that make the audience jump but also to always be balancing that with moments of lightness and intimacy that make this ultimately a journey of character.

The old cabin where we shot was located about 75 miles outside of Portland, about a half hour from Mt. Hood. It was built in 1933 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), one of FDR’s New Deal programs during the Depression. The same highly skilled craftsman that built our cabin were also employed to build the nearby Timberline Lodge, where "The Shining" was filmed. Needless to say, we had a great deal to work with in terms of beautiful architecture. But the cabin was furnished with modern utilitarian “camp”- style furnishings and contemporary electric appliances whereas the script called for a rustic cabin isolated on an island in the middle of a lake, deep in the wilderness, without any electricity or modern conveniences. So two of our main tasks were to cheat the location to match the script and restore the cabin’s interior rustic character.

The other important aspect of the design was to create a mysterious energy at the cabin, which was written as a decades - old family retreat that had been empty for many years. We wanted to create a restrained sense of rustic elegance and nostalgia, fused with an unsettling metaphysical tension. To achieve this, we worked with vintage craftsman décor, an earthy color palette and minimalistic composition.

One of our most challenging projects on the shoot was to build a 50 foot structural dock extending out into Timothy Lake … while the forest service was simultaneously draining the lake at a rate of about a foot per day! We also built various set-pieces which appeared to be old and rustic, such as an outhouse, false walls and a working hand water pump in the kitchen.

www.darcyscanlin.com

What an adventure it was costuming a film in the forest! Mt. Hood National Forest is 60 miles from Portland and 20 miles to the nearest pair of socks. Fortunately, our fearless director had a clear vision and his trust in my ability to translate that into wearable looks made it possible to dress the actors with limited time and resources. With the exception of our leading lady, they arrived only a day before they appeared on camera. I was able to shop and fit Mira Sorvino in Los Angeles and collect a few extra pieces in San Francisco on my way to Oregon. Tom's repeated use of the word "timeless" and pictures of our location were the key to my artistic direction. Darcy Scanlin's set was flawless and it was my pleasure to help inhabit the space she created with characters who felt as if they belonged there. Stills from "The Presence" feel like beautiful photographs from a time gone by that might be found in many an American attic. Every department working toward this common goal resulted in a film that feels both familiar and fresh, seemingly tangible and alive.

When I first saw "The Presence" I was struck by how visual and silent it was. The film’s setting, a haunted cabin, secluded deep in the wilderness, suggested a natural, acoustic approach to the music, rather than the more electronic ambient approach which we have come to expect in today’s commercial “horror” pictures. But then, “The Presence” isn’t a horror film. And, it is not “just” a ghost story. Rather, it is a drama which ruminates on the psychological “ghosts” which haunt us all from within, as well as the ghosts that can terrorize us from without.

When talking to Tom about how to best go about scoring the film, I suggested that we try to build tension by composing music which, if not married to the film would not, necessarily, be scary at all, but when put to the film, creates a disturbing and unsettling sensibility. By concentrating on musical themes and colors, I felt I could capture something about the emotional world of the film as well as complementing the extraordinary performances of the actors, allowing the sound design to convey the more obvious natural and supernatural sound elements.

It's been a great pleasure to work with someone as visionary as Tom Provost, on a film as unique as “The Presence”.

Is a casting director and co-producer