Local filmmaker completes latest movie after change in direction

May 26—When local filmmaker Jacob Perrett last spoke to The Meadville Tribune in October, he was attempting to raise money for his latest movie, "If You Decide to Kill Me."

More than half a year later, Perrett has a completed movie, though one different from what he initially set out to make. Funding for "If You Decide to Kill Me" did not quite reach the level he was hoping for, which mixed with uncooperative winter weather to make shooting the movie he originally wanted not possible.

"We were really hoping for that film to have a harsh winter backdrop, and it really seemed like this past year was really patchy and it really wasn't consistent to shoot," said Perrett, who is a graduate of Saegertown Junior-Senior High School.

Instead, he approached the backers of "If You Decide to Kill Me," let them know the reality of the situation, and asked if they'd be OK with him making a different film, promising a refund if not. Fortunately for Perrett, the supporters were more than fine with the switch.

"All of the backers were really excited about this film and were on-board with the change," he said.

Thus what started as "If You Decide to Kill Me" instead became "We Never Stood a Chance," a thriller focusing on a man and a woman on a first date. The film is complete, with a trailer released on May 19 on his YouTube channel, called Something Sinister.

Backers of the film will get their chance to see it come October, when they receive Blu-ray copies. As for everyone else, Perrett is in the process of submitting the movie to various film festivals, including Erie Horror Fest.

The movie represents Perrett branching out from the horror genre in which his first filmmaking efforts were firmly planted. Previous movies he has made include 2015's "Planet of the Dead," which was shown at The Movies at Meadville, and an entry in the anthology film "10/31 Part 3."

Perrett described "We Never Stood a Chance" as a psychological thriller instead, moving closer to the drama genre, which was what "If You Decide to Kill Me" was intended to be. He said the movie plays on the anxieties of a first date.

The film is also different in how it was put together. Using a limited budget, Perrett worked very closely with the two lead actors, his fiancée Karlee Mihailov and Jacob Guseman, and allowed them to be improvisational with their dialogue to keep it feeling realistic.

"It was really, I feel like, a good collaborative effort from the three of us," Perrett said.

The two leads seemed to agree, both speaking positively about their experiences working on the film.

"It was actually sort of easier for me," Guseman said of the improvisational style. "I was having a lot of trouble memorizing my lines, and I think it came off more natural."

Mihailov said that when Perrett was writing the film, the couple had been watching several movies that involved improvisation. At first, she felt daunted by the prospect.

"I always thought 'Oh, there's no way I could ever do that,'" Mihailov said.

Instead, she found that it allowed the dialogue to flow more naturally, and ended up being something she most appreciates about the project.

Mihailov had acted in previous films by Perrett, but only as secondary or side characters. This was her first time as a lead.

"It was definitely nerve-wracking to start," she said. "I did a lot of theater in high school, but stage acting is very different to film acting."

Similarly, this was Guseman's first major film role. While he's had minor ones in productions by friends, he said this was "easily" his biggest.

"It was a very fun experience," he said. "It's basically my first real time acting, so it was a real challenge to me, but I feel like I learned a lot."

Before the film, Mihailov said she didn't know Guseman. By the end of production, she said making the movie had almost turned into three friends hanging out with how close they and Perrett had gotten.

Perrett is hoping by taking "We Never Stood a Chance" on the festival route, he may be able to attract industry attention to help support future projects.

"I have four distribution deals at this point in time, which is totally great, but it seems like that realm of getting a distributor has reached its peak," he said. "It's not opening the doors I would have hoped it would have."

He hopes to make a full drama next, seeing it as natural growth for him as an artist to try out different genres. He does not foresee taking another stab at making "If You Decide to Kill Me," calling it "filed away."

For anyone interested in seeing the movie, Perrett said he'll make announcements about what festivals accept to show it on his Twitter account, @SpeaksJaccob.

Sean P. Ray can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at .