A Murderous Delight: Dawn Storey On Their Short Film "Dooley Does Murder"
Dawn Storey is an actor, writer, and director out of Los Angeles, CA. Their directorial debut short LiME premiered in March 2020 on several streaming services after a successful festival run. For their second short film, Dooley Does Murder, Dawn dips into the campy horror subgenre for a delightfully murderous romp that is sure to slay audiences with laughter. The film will premiere on July 23rd at this year’s Outfest: Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival as part of its “Turn and Face the Strange” shorts program. Later in August, it will be available on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, and Vudu.
A handsome queer vintage perfume salesman experiences a major life change after he loses control of his “NECKrophiliac” fantasies.
We had the pleasure of chatting with Dawn about the film, its origins, exploring the darker side of identity, stepping out behind the camera, and much much more!
How did the concept for Dooley Does Murder originate?
Dooley comes from my deep-rooted love of campy horror movies, but honestly, it came to me randomly. I was in Forever 21 with my younger sister a few years ago, and a song came on that had the name “Dooley” in it, and I thought it was the most ridiculous name I had ever heard. As I listened, the title came to me. The actual story didn't grow until I was on a flight to Seattle, and I was reading an article about the Castro District in San Francisco. Originally, the story took place there, but we had to work around that pesky pandemic, so we moved things down to L.A. Dooley is my wink at my favorite genre of horror, and I wanted to make something that was total opposite of my film LiME.
The film examines the darker side of identity and positive influence in a fun and campy way. Why were those topics important to you, and what excited you most about exploring them?
Exploring one's identity has always been relevant, but now more so than ever. We have so many unlicensed guides on social media, and if the message sounds good enough, we give it weight and it becomes fact, even if it isn't. I'm very pro therapy, so I'm always advocating for it anytime anyone will listen, and people like Dooley are why. Most of the messages or online figures with followings who exist in the self-help space mean well, and I'm sure help a ton of people, but what does that mean to someone who is unstable or someone who lives with psychotic tendencies? We read memes that tell us to be our greatest selves, and we hear messages from people saying it's okay to be yourself, and I agree, but what I hope Dooley does is ask the question of what happens when the wrong type of person processes and applies this, or stumbles across someone with ill intending influence? Yah know they say the villain of the story never thinks they're doing anything wrong because it's what’s best for them, and I think that's what excited me about writing the short and portraying Dooley.
On this project, you’re not just working behind the camera, but you’re also stepping out in front as well. What was it like directing yourself, and what did you enjoy most about playing this character?
It was an experience for sure. I learned a ton and cannot stress enough how much preparation matters when you decide to wear several hats at once, but it was worth it. There were times I felt a bit overwhelmed, but my co-producer Maritta Kachele, my DP Thomas Hubble, and my AD Kevin Keeling were such a support in different ways. I wouldn't have been able to do it without them and I'm forever grateful. Playing Dooley was exciting and came easier than I thought it would, but it was great because the character and I couldn't be less alike. I love horror and when we have discussions about inclusion in film, for me that includes allowing black actors, actors of color, and or queer people to play these kinds of roles. The villain oftentimes is the juiciest role of them all, so I had a blast, and while I stand behind trans actors playing trans characters I refuse to box or limit myself to essentially playing me. The beauty of storytelling and acting is exploration, and I had a blast doing that with this film.
That’s so awesome, and I completely agree. Tell me about the rest of your cast and crew. How did you find them?
I got to play with some cool people, and I happened to know Keva Walker who portrays Sunflower personally. Allana Barton who portrays Doris was in another project I directed, and I was lucky enough to come across Reid Schmidt's audition for this. I just feel lucky to have found actors who trusted what we were doing. The crew came through a lot of different channels. My DP brought several core members of the crew aboard, and my co-producer and I locked in our makeup and special effects team through social media. This business is about networking, and I love collaborating with new people and the Dooley crew killed it!
Since the film centers around a vintage perfume salesman, it got me thinking about “Smell-o-Vision” for some reason. I was curious if Dooley was a perfume what would it smell like, and what elements would make up its fragrance?
How cool is Smell-o-Vision? I would’ve loved to pair it with this film. If Dooley had a perfume, I would say it would be parts anxiety sweat, and maybe something like Narcissus, as it has a bittersweet animalic-hay-floral smell... Yeah, that’s it. If not that, he’s wearing Brut Classic.
This was the first time you worked with cinematographer Thomas Hubbel. Can you talk about the process of working with him and how y’all created the film’s aesthetics?
Yea, I adore Thomas. He is really talented, and I remember I sent the script to him, and during our first call, us working together made sense; we immediately were on the same page. During the pre-production process, he elevated so many things visually, and it was exciting to see as a director, and especially a writer having someone come in and simply get it. He came in with very specific visions for the color, perspective, and lighting for the film. It was such a collaborative effort, which I feel is really important. Because I acted in every scene, I needed to work with someone I could trust when it came to making sure we got exactly what we needed. Sometimes, you work with people and hope to work with them again, and this was one of those experiences for me.
What films or filmmakers inspired Dooley and its look?
Honestly, the 70s and the entire horror camp aesthetic is what I was going for. I was lucky enough to find locations in LA that worked for the story after moving it from San Francisco. My co-producer found Dooley's apartment, and after visiting the location, we fell in love with it. It was important for me to find locations that felt enclosed on Dooley, and for me, I think the genre was an inspiration for the look and feel of the movie. It all began with Dooley himself and what I wanted to accomplish with his presentation, which changed several times, but I think we landed on something that works. More specifically the end credits are a direct homage to Stuart Gordon’s 1987 film, Dolls, and its intro.
What drew you to the visual arts? How did you get into directing?
I’ve always loved movies and writing and storytelling, and as a young person, I did a lot of theater, so I can’t pinpoint what exactly it was about it, outside of a natural love and appreciation for it as a fan and a student. I always wanted to direct, and it was in the back of my mind, but in 2019 I decided to dive in with my directorial debut short LiME. I find that each time you do this there’s so much you learn and take with you. I’m still so early into my storytelling career, and I’m fucking excited to do it again and again and again…. Filmmaking challenges me in a way that nothing else ever has, and I'm addicted!
The film will be having its world premiere soon at LA’s Outfest, which must be very exciting. What do you hope audiences take away from the film?
I hope people have fun and laugh and hopefully appreciate all the hard work we all poured into this. Outfest is such an amazing festival and community of artists, and I’m so appreciative to have Dooley Does Murder included in this year’s selections.
Do you have any future projects in the works that you can share with us?
Right now, I’m in pre-production for my next short film Cruising on 7th, and I hope to shoot my first feature Bama Boy Preacha in the Spring of 2023.
Murderous for more?! Check out the links below:
Podcast with Dawn Storey about Dooley Does Murder
Dooley Does Murder review
LiME review
LiME interview
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!