Devin Goodsell is a Producer and actor who founded his own production company, Black Drone Media, in 2014. To date, they have produced the short films titled “If” and “Café Glass” and on February 10, 2017, the company’s first feature film, a horror movie titled “Bornless Ones”, is slated to be released. Devin was happy to discuss his company and projects.
Movies
Blasting News (BN): How did you initially get into films?
Devin Goodsell (DG): I’ve always been interested in movies, but for the longest time shied away from it. Then my mother passed away, and it became very clear, life is too short and fragile not to try and do everything you desire.
So, I enrolled in an acting class and boy was I terrible, but it was such a challenging, yet inspiring feeling and I was hooked!
BN: What inspired you to start your company and why that name?
DG: The company was originally started for a web series, but unfortunately the whole project went south, and at the end, all I could take away were some really great lessons of what not to do. I picked myself up, brushed myself off, and tried again by making shorts. I succeeded with one project that landed itself in the Tribeca film festival. The company name is a play on the "Black Helicopter" conspiracy theories with a modern twist.
BN: How did “Bornless Ones” come to be?
DG: I worked with Alex on one of his thesis films as an actor, and it was such a collaborative process.
Then I saw the film which was this thriller horror short, and was incredibly impressed with the quality of the film, especially for a student. I thought to myself if I ever were to make a horror film this would be the guy I’d use. Then about a year and a half later I had a buddy who had access to a house and wanted to shoot a film, so the first person I thought of was Alex.
That original house never panned out, but after the first meeting I told Alex if he wrote the script I’d produce it… and he did.
BN: What most interested you about this movie?
DG: When Alex finished the first ten pages of the script, he sent it over to me and damned! If you watch the opening, you’ll know what I mean. The story parallels all the great things about 90s generation horror films, but it somehow felt new again.
As for my character, Jesse, man this guy is resilient! One of my biggest struggles was the amount of damage he takes and trying to make it believable which became a really fun thing to try and tackle. Not to mention his possession!
Producing
BN: What's your favorite thing about being involved with entertainment?
DG: Being a part of this immense creative process where everyone just pours so much effort, time, and energy into one this one thing. It’s exhilarating, inspiring, and almost strange seeing words on a page become this huge collaborative entity that everyone helps create.
BN: How do you envision your company expanding?
DG: Make more movies! The goal is to work with scripts we either create in-house or come across or submitted by writers--we especially like Horror and Sci-Fi--We are targeting at least one new film a year and based on audiences and investor trust we hope to ramp that up in the next three years.
BN: Are there upcoming projects that you want to mention?
DG: I’m working on a thriller abduction story about a woman who is being held captive within her own trunk and a dark Sci-Fi film about AI.
BN: What advice would you give to someone who is trying to get a job in Hollywood?
DG: Do not be afraid to fail. In fact, try and fail often! When you are constantly succeeding, you aren’t challenging yourself enough. As for Hollywood, get involved. If you hear about a project that interests you, get on it. Email the producers to see if they need any help. It doesn’t hurt to ask. If you can get on the project, do your job well, be friendly, and you’ll make friendships that’ll take you far.
