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30 Questions for David Wheeler
In the absence of replies
from David Wheeler to these interview questions and indeed the absence
of any interview at all with him anywhere on the Internet in relation
to PoV, I thought it best to attempt to answer as many of these questions
as possible myself in summary form on the basis of what I have learned
and speculated upon after researching this movie and its background for
almost a year. Although I was in no way involved in its production
at any point, I do believe I can take relatively accurate guesses as to
what these answers might be. Once again, these answers are my own
- not David Wheeler's. Should I receive answers from him some
day and/or find another interview he has done relating to PoV, this page
will be modified appropriately. For other relevant interviews (questions
and answers), please consult the "Interview" and "Links" pages under the
"Home" heading at the top of the left hand side navigation bar.
A). Concerning your
directing role in PoV:
What methods did you use
to audition actresses for the lead role? What particular qualities
possessed by Stefanie von Pfetten made you choose her and what was she
like to work with?
- They acted out challenging
scenes from the PoV screenplay.
- Friendly and professional,
much passion and variety in her acting and strong sympathy toward the character's
problems.
I managed to identify,
visit, and photograph all but three of the locations of exterior shots
in PoV. Where exactly were the following scenes filmed?
- Jane photocopies her
pictures of Frank at night in chapter 3?
- Kinkos at downtown Vancouver.
- Frank speaks to the
audience while driving his car in his chapter 4 Encounter?
- To the east of Railway/Dunlevy
Streets.
- Peter makes his first
telephone call to Jane in chapter 5?
- Outside a house used for
some of the interior scenes in the West End.
Where were the following
interior only scenes filmed?
- the police station?
- The station shown on the
povpolice.html page on this Website.
- Jane and Mary's workplace?
- Digital Circus'
former headquarters at Rosedale Garden in Hamilton Street.
- Jane's struggle with
the New York photographer?
- "Jane's" apartment at
Railtown Studios.
Please give some indication
as to where these scenes were filmed:
- Mary's home?
- Peter's home?
- Mr. Barnes' home?
For example, did you
simply use one house for all three people? Did you perhaps ask the
cast and crew who might volunteer to provide their home for filming?
- All were done in the same
house owned by one of the production crew.
How did you go about choosing
the musicians to provide the vocal and instrumental soundtrack for the
movie? What factors made you select Payton Rule and jefreejon?
How long did it take them to complete their job and what input did you
have in deciding what they eventually produced?
- Recommended by a friend.
- Contemporary and passionate
tunes/songs.
- They were provided with
the script and character summaries and did the job in a few weeks.
In Tender Loving Care,
some movie scenes contain nudity. In PoV, no movie scene contains
nudity. Why did you avoid the use of nudity in this case? On
a similar matter, what influence did censorship (including possible moral
outrage and marketing difficulties) considerations have on your directing
and/or writing in PoV?
- To avoid accusations of
insensitivity re: rape/stalking issues.
- Not much apart from the
nudity issue.
The PoV endings look like
they were filmed in very chilly conditions for Stefanie von Pfetten and
Chris Bradford. How did they cope with the cold? Also on the
subject of the endings, a criticism I often read is that they are too similar.
Why not have more variety in the endings?
- Blankets and steam baths.
- Too little time and money.
Had you already secured
the rights to use "Jane and Frank's" apartments before you started writing
the screenplay? Also on the locations topic, was it hard to film
in the Alibi Room? Do you have any more comments on difficulties
or problems with locations?
- Yes.
- Yes, especially in the
very cramped vodka lounge downstairs. Also, filming had to be resumed
at daytime in the "nighttime" chapter 10 restaurant scene in order to fit
around normal opening hours at the Alibi Room.
- No.
Please share some details
of any funny or otherwise remarkable incidents that occurred during the
filming of PoV.
- Some of the assistant directors
and Chris Bradford (Frank) joked around.
Very brief answers here
please:
- Between what dates in
2000 did you film PoV?
- Late March / early April
2000 for two weeks.
- How many digital cameras
did you use to film PoV?
- One.
- What are some scenes
that required traditional movie artificial lighting equipment rather than
just daylight, moonlight, streetlight, or standard light bulbs?
- Jane and Carol in bed.
B). Concerning your
writing role in PoV:
What is your background
in dealing with the world of fashion modelling? In what ways are
these experiences reflected in PoV, both in the plot and in the character
of Jane? Was your background in this area the primary inspiration
for creating the plot of PoV? If not, what was your primary inspiration?
- Direction of fashion advertisements
and fashion shows.
- Jane is an ex-model who
still has many of the exhibitionist inclinations of those in that profession.
- Yes, its easiest to write
about what one knows.
What are the most prominent
themes you set out to explore in the PoV screenplay? Why did you
choose those themes? Please provide at least three very brief examples
on how characters other than Jane illustrate those themes.
- Recovery from trauma (same
as in TLC); obsession; eroticism; love; loneliness; and art.
- Excitement, some are rarely
explored in film, most have particular adult appeal.
- Obsession (and to a lesser
degree loneliness) = Barnes, Edwards, and Peter pursue Jane.
In the backstory you developed
for Jane:
- Why does she work as
a cleaning lady?
- For limited social contact
and to be as inconspicuous as possible.
- Where did she learn
to be an artist and why?
- At some sort of adult
education class to express herself in order to properly deal with her traumatic
experiences at the hands of the NYC photographer.
- What is her age?
- 23.
One of the PoV questions
asks whether or not the viewer thinks Jane is a victim. To what extent,
if any, do you consider Jane to be a victim? Conversely, to what
extent do you consider Jane to have a praiseworthy personality? Were
any real-life women (models and/or non-models) inspirations for the character
of Jane? If so, please elaborate.
- Definitely not! It
is true that she was a crime victim (attempted rape), and that she is still
traumatised by her experiences to some extent, but she is on the mend and
takes steps to improve herself on many occasions.
- Praiseworthy for her determination
and persistence to improve her life.
- No specific women were
inspirations for Jane - she is more of an ideal woman.
Not necessarily taking
into account the newspaper article that sometimes appears at the very end
of the movie, if you were to film a sequel or at least a few more scenes
after the PoV ending where Jane and Frank hug on the rooftop of Railtown
Studios, how would Jane's life/personality turn out? What impact
would her PoV experiences have had on her?
- She would marry Frank and
live happily ever after and eventually fully recover from her experiences
with the photographer.
What are some examples
of scenes you originally wrote in any version of the PoV screenplay that
were never filmed or at least never placed on the final version of the
DVD? Conversely, what scenes did you add while filming or in the
very late stages of the script writing process?
- Late scenes were all those
that involved Barnes as a potential primary villain.
C). General PoV
questions:
In each group of questions
between chapters, about how many have an actual impact upon future scenes
(including Explore and Encounter objects/scenes)? Also, why have
a series of questions at the end of chapter 11 which can't impact upon
the ending? Finally on this topic matter, what exactly is meant by
the "phantom demon"?
- Usually just 20 percent
or so.
- Left-over questions Digital
Circus forgot to place elsewhere.
- It represents the evil
supernatural forces and bad luck that plague Jane and Mary.
What was the contribution
of Rob Landeros to PoV and how is this reflected in what the viewer sees
and reads on screen?
- Business deals to finance
the movie and advice to David Wheeler on technical issues related to computers
and gaming.
Where are you currently
working? Is Digital Circus finished? Does only Aftermath Media
remain? Do you currently have plans to produce more interactive movies
on DVD? If so, what are some of the ways in which you would improve
on PoV for future productions?
- Digital Circus is operating
under a different name in Vancouver or at least at a different address.
- Yes.
- More variety in the endings,
no questions that cannot influence the plot, fewer bloopers in the "Explore"
material.
Have sales of PoV met
your expectations? What are some of the demographics (sex and age
especially) of PoV buyers? What demographic did you target PoV toward
and what were your motivations for doing so?
- Yes, or otherwise Aftermath
would have ceased business operations.
- Men and women in their
20s and 30s, especially those who are fans of interactive movies such as
Tender Loving Care.
- As above to capitalise
on (and hopefully expand) this often neglected market.
D). Short PoV side
issues:
I strongly suspect some
hallway scenes (especially near the elevator/stairs) were filmed on the
floor just below the roof level of Railtown Studios. But I also suspect
you mainly used an apartment one or two floors lower than that. Please
indicate the exact apartment you used for Jane.
- One or more of four apartments
at the northwest corner of Railtown Studios. The hallway of level
4 was certainly used in the chase scenes of chapters 5 and 12. The
hallway just outside apartment #5 on the first floor was used in chapter
6.
What is the name of the
artistic technique Jane uses to create the portraits of herself and Frank
that she hangs on her bedroom wall?
- Lithography (or a close
variation).
What does Peter do for
a living?
- Something financially rewarding,
artistic, or intellectual. Perhaps a combination of these.
When Peter is being questioned
by Edwards in chapter 6 and is asked why he chose Mary's personal column
ad to reply to, he says "I guess her ad just seemed ??". I can't
understand the last two words in that sentence. Please reveal what
they are. It may also be a two syllable single word.
- "to suit me"? "too
easy"? "too needy"? "to speak to me"?
As far as you are aware,
does any Canadian or US newspaper actually carry regular romantic personal
correspondence between two people as seen in PoV? If so, which paper(s)?
- None do, it's just artistic
license taken to further the plot of the movie.
You mention the "Nimble
Hippo" in both TLC (as a pizza place) and in PoV. Is this just an
amusing name you invented, or is there some reality to the Nimble Hippo?
- It's just a fictitious
amusing name.
Did you have a pair of
old public telephones as props that you moved around as needed (e.g. in
chapter 5)?
- Yes.
How many days, weeks,
or months elapse between the opening scene in PoV and the night chase at
the end of chapter 6? What about chapters 7 - 12 ... do they really
take place over just 24 hours?
- 1-6 = about one week.
7-12 = less than 24 hours.
Why was Federico's Supper
Club chosen as the location of the PoV wrap party?
- Live entertainment, great
food at reasonable prices, friendly staff used to capably dealing with
large parties, not too far from the PoV filming locations.
I've already contacted
you plus musicians Payton Rule and jefreejon and received useful replies.
I'd also like to contact Stefanie von Pfetten. Is her agent Kirk
Talent based on Beach Avenue? If you have any ideas on her current
business contact details, please tell me as I'd really like her autograph
and to be able to share such information with other PoV fans.
- Kirk Talent at 1006 Beach
Avenue.
PoV: the Fantasy, the Reality 
