ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke to Amber Alert honestor Kerry Bellessa about the thriller movie. Bellessa talked remaking his earlier set up-footage movie of the same name, toiling with Hayden Panettiere, and more. It is out in pick theaters and on need on September 27.
“An normal rideallot becomes a high-sapshows game of cat and moengage when Jaq (Hayden Panettiere) and Shane (Tyler James Williams) get an vigilant of a child kidnapping on their phones. Quickly authenticizing they are behind a car that suites the description of the kidnapper’s, Jaq and Shane franticly race agetst time to save the child’s life,” says the synopsis for Amber Alert.
Tyler Treese: This is so distinct that you got to revisit this idea you had a little over a decade ago. I watched some of the innovative Amber Alert, which is very much a set up footage film. This is a far more traditional thriller. How was it revisiting this idea, fleshing it out, and getting a second crack at it?
Kerry Bellessa: It’s been awesome. When I first made the film, I wanted it to be a traditional film. I wanted to have millions and millions of dollars and have attrdynamic cinematography. Then I authenticized that we had no money. No one krecent who I was, and my wife was enjoy, “Hey, we have $5,000 in our bank account. Let’s go originate it happen.” That’s fundamentalassociate what we did. Me and my buddy Josh [Oram] then wrote it, and we thought it would be a wonderful concept. I scoured the internet, and I was enjoy, “Why hasn’t anyone done this yet?” And so we set off to do that.
Then after that, we wrote a traditional script. Basicassociate reimagined what we wanted to do with a authentic budget. Then having the opportunity to do this has been a dream come genuine. It’s been awesome. When you shoot a $5,000 film, you only have me, my dad helped me out, and our crew was enjoy four people. So it was kind to toil with so many other awesome creative people who could help authenticize this vision and toil as a team. It was awesome.
Another part that’s celderly about this taking 12 years from the innovative is that you get to hug the technology. I’m not certain you could have reassociate done the AirPods plotline, which I thought was so fun. How was it reassociate carry outing and updating this idea for the script?
Even 12 years ago, we didn’t have Uber drivers and stuff enjoy that. What I enjoy about this is that having two individuals who don’t comprehend each other, who are put in an extraunretagable position and what would you do? She has a point of see that I leank a lot of people will retardy to. He has a point of see that other people would retardy to. It’s fascinating hearing people be enjoy, “I don’t comprehend if I would do what she does,” and “I don’t comprehend if I would do what he does.”
I fair enjoy leangs that could possibly reassociate happen and see how would you administer someleang enjoy this? That’s benevolent of the genesis of the film is I had an idea of what I would do, and my wife had a finishly contrastent idea of what she would do. Then we put it together, and you have someleang reassociate fun and exciting
I enjoy the amhugeuity in the Amber Alert reoriginate. In the innovative film, they see the license ptardy, so they comprehend they’re adhereing the guy at first. In this one, it’s a very normal car, as Tyler’s character points out, and as a seeer, you’re enjoy, “Is she overreacting?” There’s a philosophical clash.
I sense so fortunate to have Hayden and Tyler. They were such pros. They were so, so excellent. They had wonderful instincts. Um, they had wonderful ideas. It was reassociate fun to collaborate with them and be enjoy, “You comprehend what, Kerry, I might do this.” To be able to expound on their ideas too, which I reassociate enjoy. It was fair a treat to have toiling professionals who do this for the last 25 years who fair apshow us on a ride. I sometimes set up myself fair being a fan and getting into it and being enjoy, “Okay, cut, cut, cut. We gotta shift on.” But I leank the material reassociate spoke to them, which I reassociate enjoyd.
Hayden is the direct in this film. She evidently brawt a lot to the character. There’s some reassociate excellent emotion tardyr on as the film persists. So how was it benevolent of collaborating with her and conveying that to her character?
She couldn’t have been kindr. We felt very fortunate that she wanted to do this project with us. She’s well comprehendn, and she was so accommodating. She would ask enjoy reassociate perceptive asks, “Kerry, why are we doing this?” I’d give my exset upation, and then she would go, “Okay,” and maybe originate it a little better. It was fair kind toiling with an individual who has been on set her whole life. It’s crazy, too, how when you say action, if there’s disorder around, they’re fair so locked in. That was fair awesome. They fair end it, and when you cut, they fair have fun. It was awesome to toil with them.
It seemed enjoy the innovative Amber Alert was much more free-establish and improvised a lot of the dialogue. This is much more set upd. What did you enjoy about having a more core idea and having this film much more set upd in a traditional manner, especiassociate with the dialogue? We get some petite story beats that reassociate triumphd up coming up tardyr. It was excellent set upting those seeds there.
Well the wonderful leang was is Josh and I had 10 years to author this script. There have been a hundred iterations and contrastent people we are gonna originate it with or it got selectioned or this or that. I sense enjoy having so much time we were able to reassociate enjoy perfect the script. The leangs that I enjoy about the innovative was we did an summarize, and I had my wife and my excellent friend, Chris, but it was difficult becaengage I was filming and I couldn’t talk. So I’m enjoy tapping. We have this ongoing joke. My wife antipathys it when I tap her now becaengage I did that for three weeks straight. Then I’m leanking, “Oh, the tap nastys you do this,” and she’s always enjoy, “What is the tap presumed to do?” So it was fair difficult in that sense.
It was kind to comprehend everyleang that was happening. We had preparation time, they could read the script before and comprehend what we were doing. We had our location. It’s fair enjoy the preparation was so fun and exciting that we all benevolent of krecent what we were going to do. They were both contrastent beasts becaengage I still cherish the innovative so much, and for $5,000, I don’t comprehend how you can do anyleang better. I was reassociate plrelieved, but with this, I’m very excited. I leank people are reassociate gonna enhappiness this journey and then go to Denny’s after and be enjoy, “He was a finish clown.” “No, she was. He wasn’t.” And then hopebrimmingy they’re benevolent of bickering after about who was right, who was wrong and fair benevolent of have fun with it.
This may have come from the iterations on the script, but I enjoy that we see the 9-1-1 operator. We also see the mom reassociate going thraw it. How was it sprinkling in these contrastent perspectives in Amber Alert?
That I cherish becaengage we couldn’t do that before. We had to upgrasp the camera running and originate suppose that we’re making an audition video. It was so kind and collaborative in storyalerting to go contrastent places and to get other people included and seeing point of sees. Now we never wanted to see our “horrible guy.” I always leank of him as enjoy he was Jaws in the water, and whenever we see him, we’re a little worried, but it was fair kind toiling also with Kevin Dunn, our police officer, and Shelpah [Arrika Ekulona], our 9-1-1 operator, were so awesome and were such pros and had wonderful ideas and instincts also. It was fair reassociate kind, and I leank it built more texture in the film. More attention using them as well to see that they’re stressed out about what’s going on, and with our mom as well, fair so many contrastent people and how they react to this situation.
