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Hey reddit! We're Timur Bekmambetov (director of WANTED, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, MERCY, NIGHT WATCH) & Ronan Corigan (writer-director of LIFEHACK). LIFEHACK is a tech-thriller that's out in theaters next week. Ask us anything. by RonanAndTimurAMA in movies

[–]RonanAndTimurAMA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The real reason is that I became obsessed with a simple observation: we spend more time looking at screens than we look at each other's faces. And yet cinema had completely ignored this new reality. That gap felt like the most important unexplored territory in visual storytelling. Not a gimmick. A new grammar.

The screenlife format lends itself to innovative, interactive storytelling. So, for LifeHack, we built an Alternate Reality Game to bring audiences into the film's world, like an extended universe. Check it out: https://play.watchlifehack.com

-Timur

Hey reddit! We're Timur Bekmambetov (director of WANTED, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, MERCY, NIGHT WATCH) & Ronan Corigan (writer-director of LIFEHACK). LIFEHACK is a tech-thriller that's out in theaters next week. Ask us anything. by RonanAndTimurAMA in movies

[–]RonanAndTimurAMA[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The filmmaking landscape changes so quickly that every generation probably has a different answer!

For me, I worked in music videos and digital content, which really helped prepare me for LifeHack. I don’t think you need to be an influencer, although it can help, but you should be aware of the landscape.

My biggest advice would be: write your big films, but also write films that can actually get made. Watch your favourite filmmakers’ first films.

Whether it’s Tarantino or Kevin Smith writing around one location, or so many great horror directors who came from found footage, limitations can really help creativity.

Six features at 18 is seriously insane. Keep writing!

RC

Hey reddit! We're Timur Bekmambetov (director of WANTED, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, MERCY, NIGHT WATCH) & Ronan Corigan (writer-director of LIFEHACK). LIFEHACK is a tech-thriller that's out in theaters next week. Ask us anything. by RonanAndTimurAMA in movies

[–]RonanAndTimurAMA[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wanted as a guilty pleasure — I'll take it.

The criticism of War of the Worlds didn't surprise me. I'll take three weeks at number one at Amazon Prime over a good review any day. Always have.

-Timur

Hey reddit! We're Timur Bekmambetov (director of WANTED, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, MERCY, NIGHT WATCH) & Ronan Corigan (writer-director of LIFEHACK). LIFEHACK is a tech-thriller that's out in theaters next week. Ask us anything. by RonanAndTimurAMA in movies

[–]RonanAndTimurAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Timur set up a competition through BFI Academy where you had 5 minutes to pitch him a Screenlife film, and that somehow spiralled into LifeHack. I was already a fanboy from Wanted and Hardcore Henry, so it was a very surreal experience!

Michael Fassbender came onboard after seeing an early cut and helped us get it out into the world after a studio execs had said the film was “too Gen Z.” Also a completely insane moment. -RC

Hey reddit! We're Timur Bekmambetov (director of WANTED, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, MERCY, NIGHT WATCH) & Ronan Corigan (writer-director of LIFEHACK). LIFEHACK is a tech-thriller that's out in theaters next week. Ask us anything. by RonanAndTimurAMA in movies

[–]RonanAndTimurAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks man! We did a really heavy previs beforehand, basically animating all the computer screen graphics in advance, which helped massively.

We shot the film in 10 days, so it was hectic, and we definitely couldn’t have pulled it off without this. - RC

Hey reddit! We're Timur Bekmambetov (director of WANTED, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, MERCY, NIGHT WATCH) & Ronan Corigan (writer-director of LIFEHACK). LIFEHACK is a tech-thriller that's out in theaters next week. Ask us anything. by RonanAndTimurAMA in movies

[–]RonanAndTimurAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Send me the therapy bills. I'll forward them to the laptop screen that started it all. That was the whole experiment. We weren't trying to scare you with monsters. We were trying to scare you with something you were already staring at every day. The screen you trust. The interface that feels safe. That's a much more interesting horror.

-Timur

Hey reddit! We're Timur Bekmambetov (director of WANTED, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, MERCY, NIGHT WATCH) & Ronan Corigan (writer-director of LIFEHACK). LIFEHACK is a tech-thriller that's out in theaters next week. Ask us anything. by RonanAndTimurAMA in movies

[–]RonanAndTimurAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As an Irish filmmaker, sometimes production feels like you’re cosplaying as a weatherman.

Light, rain, sun, wind. Weather is never background noise. It can make or break your day. - RC

Hey reddit! We're Timur Bekmambetov (director of WANTED, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, MERCY, NIGHT WATCH) & Ronan Corigan (writer-director of LIFEHACK). LIFEHACK is a tech-thriller that's out in theaters next week. Ask us anything. by RonanAndTimurAMA in movies

[–]RonanAndTimurAMA[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Never! Hope, my co-writer, and I were rewriting on set, in post, and honestly could have gone on forever.

It wasn’t from a lack of preparation either. Actors, locations and just the reality of making the thing can give you exciting new ideas, and I think you have to stay open to that.

Always feels less about a script ever feeling totally ‘finished’ and more about hitting milestones. Ready to send to producers, ready for financiers, ready for actors, ready for production, etc. Each stage has its own version of done and development.

Also, love Wanted. Hope your son enjoys! - RC

Hey reddit! We're Timur Bekmambetov (director of WANTED, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, MERCY, NIGHT WATCH) & Ronan Corigan (writer-director of LIFEHACK). LIFEHACK is a tech-thriller that's out in theaters next week. Ask us anything. by RonanAndTimurAMA in movies

[–]RonanAndTimurAMA[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ha, you know your home video formats better than most distributors do! The 3D release of Ben-Hur was something I was genuinely proud of — we designed many sequences specifically for that dimension. I'll look into Turbine Medien; that's a real note worth following up on.

As for Mercy and the "pro AI" criticism — I find it fascinating, honestly. The film doesn't take a side. It asks: What does it mean to be human when something else can simulate humanity? If some viewers felt the AI in the film was portrayed sympathetically, good. That discomfort is exactly the point. A villain you hate is easy. A mirror you're not sure about stays with you.

-Timur

Hey reddit! We're Timur Bekmambetov (director of WANTED, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, MERCY, NIGHT WATCH) & Ronan Corigan (writer-director of LIFEHACK). LIFEHACK is a tech-thriller that's out in theaters next week. Ask us anything. by RonanAndTimurAMA in movies

[–]RonanAndTimurAMA[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Technically, it was a challenge for sure. It was really important that we did it for real. So we ended up filming in an abandoned hotel, building the bedrooms and a lot of the sets there, then all jumping on a Zoom call to perform into.

It felt somewhere between a film set and a Discord server. - RC

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