The 2018 Overlook Film Festival has come to an end and with it, a bevy of exciting immersive performances, announcements, and insights.

The festival, which took place for the first time this year in New Orleans, Louisiana, has always been known for integrating a large array of immersive offerings. From the sprawling, four-day alternate reality game (stay tuned for a full article covering our experience soon), to intimate one-on-one performances, this year’s festival was a veritable feast of experiential opportunities. With an entire slate of immersive options from which to choose, finding time to participate in everything as well as play the game, and still try to squeeze in a few movies was a greater challenge than ever before. (Thankfully, anyone who knows me, knows I love any excuse to create a spreadsheet and this year’s sheet was a beauty!) According to festival Co-Founders, Landon Zakheim and Michael Lerman, they’ve only scratched the surface of what they hope to do in future years.

Between experiencing all this wonder and immersion, Ricky Brigante and I had a chance to sit down with the creators of the various experiences and hear their thoughts on the state of the art form, the magic of this festival, and some exciting project announcements.

Check out the many creator interviews below! And I do hope I’ll see you next year at the festival, after all, you’ve always been there...

Interview with The Overlook Film Festival Co-Founders, Michael Lerman and Landon Zakheim

Michael Lerman and Landon Zakheim sat down with us at the tail end of the festival to reflect on this year’s installment with a particular emphasis on their immersive lineup. Though the guys were exhausted (and perhaps a little loopy), they seemed generally pleased overall with the outcome. This year may have been the first in its newer, more expansive location, but the core festival team has been together since 2013. Each year has presented new logistical challenges but the fellows have exciting plans for future installments, particularly with regards to their immersive aspirations. Watch their full interview below:

The Overlook Film Festival Co-Founders, Michael Lerman and Landon Zakheim

Total Horror Experience Immersive Creators Panel

The immersive creators panel brought together a list of heavy hitters from the genre. The panel, deftly moderated by Josh Randall (“Blackout” / Two Bit Circus), explored a range of topics from what drew these mad geniuses to immersive, the challenges this medium can provide, and even a few fun stories of attendees gone awry.

Darren Lynn Bousman (“The Tension Experience” / “The Lust Experience”), whose most recent film, ST. AGATHA would later have its world premiere at the festival, spoke about his immersive inspirations and what drew him into the medium to begin with. With the recent announcement of “The Experiences” moving to Las Vegas (and beyond) and the partnership with Joe and Anthony Russo (um, hi… AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, anyone?), Darren spoke to the scale-ability of immersive performances.

Jon Braver (“Delusion”), whose “Delusion Lies Within: A Cinematic VR Series,” was also world premiering at the festival, discussed his foray into directing a Virtual Reality series based on his successful 2014 immersive theater production of the same name. Delusion has been known to include intricate stunt and wire work and Jon spoke to the different challenges in hiding these magic tricks for film vs. live audiences.

Annie Lesser (“Infinitely Dinner Society Midnight Snacks”/ The ABC Project) returned to the festival for a second time after a great reception of last year’s immersive horror production, “The Chalet” (an Overlook adaptation of her show, “A(partment8)"). Annie shared some very interesting thoughts on audience/performer boundaries. Immersive shows have been known to create a sense of intimacy which, in the wrong hands, can be misconstrued. Knowing how to navigate these delicate situations can be an unexpected duty of a show’s producing team.

A relative newcomer to the immersive creator community, Austin Keeling (E3W Productions) was representing the Overlook adaptation of “In Another Room.” The show, which originally debuted in Los Angeles as a multi-scene narrative, had been restructured down to a standalone one-act performance, staged in a nearly unrecognizable hotel room (a testament to the extraordinary production design capabilities of Patrick Blanchard). Austin, along with brother Aaron and producing partner Natalie Jones, have in rapid succession, produced two very powerful immersive shows, both dealing with different aspects of the afterlife and both equally affecting. Though fairly new to the scene, this production company is sure to be one you’ll be hearing much about as the art form progresses.

Kristjan Thor (“Blackout”) reunited at this year’s festival with his creative partner, Josh Randall (“Blackout” / Two Bit Circus) to debut a new, and unfortunately hush-hush “Blackout” production. “Blackout” has been attributed by many as one of the earliest shows at the forefront of the immersive movement (we can safely call it a movement now, right?) and has set the bar quite high for those that followed. Though the show may be known for its extreme horror elements, perhaps one of the most fascinating aspects from a production standpoint is their careful attention to safety. Kris discusses some of the techniques they employ to ensure both the well-being of the audience and performer during particularly intense scenes.

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Watch the full panel below:

Total Horror Experience Immersive Creators Panel (L to R): Darren Lynn Bousman, Jon Braver, Annie Lesser, Austin Keeling, Kristjan Thor, Josh Randall

“Delusion Lies Within: A Cinematic VR Series” Jon Braver Interview

Jon Braver sits down to discuss the debut of the first few installments of his VR series based on the successful immersive theater production, “Delusion Lies Within.” From camera gear, to shooting techniques, Jon offered insight into this exciting format along with some tips on which rules might be OK to break when filming for VR. Having experienced the series, I can say that it was thrilling to see the characters and settings from the live show brought into the VR environment in this manner and I greatly look forward to future chapters.

“Delusion Lies Within: A Cinematic VR Series” Creator/Director, Jon Braver

Darren Lynn Bousman Interview

Fresh off a flight from Bangkok, Darren arrived at the Overlook Film Festival eager to premiere his new film, ST. AGATHA. We had a chance to sit down with the director after the immersive creators panel to discuss his thoughts on the art form, his feelings on the film industry in general, and some exciting news for fans of “The Tension Experience” / “The Lust Experience.” There may even be another non-“Experiences” related project on the horizon for those lucky few who know where to look…

ST. AGATHA / “The Experiences” Director, Darren Lynn Bousman

“Infinitely Dinner Society: Midnight Snacks” Annie Lesser Interview

Annie Lesser is no stranger to The Overlook Film Festival. Her previous show in residency at last year’s festival, “The Chalet,” (an adaptation of her popular immersive show, “A(partment 8)”) was so well received, the festival asked her to return with a variation on her other immersive project, “Infinitely Dinner Society: Midnight Snacks.” Though Lesser was met with some logistical challenges in preparing this installment entitled, “Bananas Foster” (a New Orleans specialty-dessert that involves lighting bananas on fire), she was certainly up for the challenge and described some of the clever work-arounds they employed to execute her vision.

“Infinitely Dinner Society Midnight Snacks: Bananas Foster” Creator/Director, Annie Lesser

The Interactive Deep Dive Interview

In case you missed it, The Interactive Deep Dive team made quite a splash at this year’s SXSW festival. In creating a four-day, highly engaging immersive experience for two participants (complete with an entire crowd protest-turned-party that I may or may not have attended… check out the SXSW featured story on the @No_Proscenium Instagram page for the answer), this team, led by Jeff Wirth, has assembled dedicated creators from around the country for intensive exploration into the most effective techniques for producing truly remarkable immersive work. From improvisational acting, to social psychology, the team shared some of their tools and discussed their recent horror-themed immersive work, “Spirit of the Torch.”

The Interactive Deep Dive Team, Joanna Harmon, Carlo D’Amore, & Christy Casey

“The Pumpkin Pie Show” Clay McLeod Chapman Interview

Clay McLeod Chapman is a genius storyteller. Full stop. From performing in front of a large crowd, to intimate one-on-one performances, Clay’s ability to transport audiences deep into the heart of his stories is nothing short of remarkable. We had a chance to pick his brain and hear about his prolific work as both an actor and author as well as the evolution of the popular “Pumpkin Pie Show,” which Clay has now been performing iterations of for 20 years.

“The Pumpkin Pie Show” Creator/Writer, Clay McLeod Chapman

“The Overlook Immersive Game 2018” Scott Gillies & Nick Tierce Interview

In what has rapidly become one of The Overlook Film Festival’s signature events, the 4-day Immersive Game has drawn much attention and a growing fan base, with folks flocking from around the U.S. for a chance to dive deep into the multi-day mystery hunt. This year, with the festival’s move to a larger, more expansive locale, they decided to enlist a new “artist in residency” to create the game. We sat down with Co-Experience Designers, Scott Gillies and Nick Tierce to hear about the process of creating this experience as well as their history in both story and game design. (Stay tuned for a full review of The Immersive Game coming soon!)

The Overlook Film Festival 2018 Immersive Game Co-Experience Designers, Scott Gillies & Nick Tierce

Suffice to say, this year’s festival was jam packed with immersive experiences. One might even question if the time has come for a stand-alone immersive weekend separate from the film festival (a la SXSW). In the meanwhile, I’m greatly looking forward to next year’s lineup. Though not confirmed, there are rumors that the festival may return to New Orleans next year and if the successful outcome of this year was an indicator, next year is sure to be mind blowing. Start saving up now, kids. Hope to see you in NOLA!

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