Brinna Kelly is the screenwriter and one of the stars of The Fare. Click here to check out our gushing review of the movie. Kelly kindly provided the following bio which describes her humble beginnings that have led her to the career she has now cultivated.
Brinna Kelly began her career in front of the camera at the age of 10 in Asia. She performed in several television dramas under prominent directors including award-winning filmmaker Zhou Sun. She relocated to Los Angeles and graduated from UCLA’s prestigious school of Theatre, Film, and Television where she studied under Tony award-winning director Mel Shapiro. In 2016, her feature writing and producing debut, The Midnight Man (starring William Forsythe, Vinnie Jones, and Brent Spiner) was released worldwide to positive reviews. In 2017, she produced the short film The Binding which screened at festivals across the country. Brinna worked as a screenwriter for Academy Award-nominated director Simon Sandquist. She wrote and produced more than 200 episodes of the highly successful web series Marvel/DC, which garnered over 79 million views.
Also see: Seo-joon Park Exorcises Demons with His Fists in The Divine Fury [Blu-ray Review]
Wicked Horror chatted with Kelly about the film, what’s next for her, and something she wished everyone knew about the business of movie-making, among many other things.
Wicked Horror: First of all, your writing and acting is stunning; The Fare really took me on a wild ride. Without spoilers, what made you go the sci-fi/fantasy route for your film?
Brinna Kelly: Thank you so much! I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed the film! Some of my favorite films are what they call “genre-mashes.” Basically, a film that simultaneously exists in several different genres. I’ve always gravitated toward such storytelling myself as a writer, and this script was truly an opportunity for me to be creative and explore those genre crossover possibilities.
WH: Why do you feel that it was important to frame a traditional story within a modern framework with a sci-fi feel?
Brinna Kelly: That’s a very interesting question… because it speaks to the heart of what all writers and storytellers do. You’ve heard of the saying “there are really only 5 different stories in the world, they keep getting re-told over and over, and every story is really just a re-telling of the original five.” Basically that, no matter how it’s dressed up, the fundamentals of all storytelling are as old as time. It speaks to the fact that storytelling draws on our collectively shared humanity and history to create emotions that are familiar, and it is up to each individual writer and storyteller to spin those very universal feelings into something fresh and new. In The Fare, I set out to take the very familiar tropes of human connection, love lost, and love found, and placed them in the setting of a sci-fi mystery. Hopefully, this offers the audience a viewing experience where the mysterious and sci-fi tinted plot is thrilling and new, but the emotions behind it all are relatable and human.
WH: So what’s next for you? Hopefully more films like The Fare!
Brinna Kelly: Hopefully is exactly the right word! But that completely depends on how much people like, and how many people see, The Fare. That’s our reality as indie filmmakers. We’ve done as much as we can with The Fare and the work is going to have to speak for itself and for us now. Hopefully this film can find and connect with an audience and lead people to want to see something more from me. Next up, I have written a horror-thriller with elements of fantasy and dark humor that I think audiences would really enjoy. It’s a wicked, fun ride and I can’t wait to make it! With some good fortune, hopefully The Fare can help create opportunities that will allow me and my partners to pursue that film. But that’s really up to the audience now and our hope is that The Fare will find them.
WH: What is something you wished everyone knew about writing a movie? Or acting in one?
Brinna Kelly: Well… I suppose I would want everyone to know about the amount of hard work, heart and soul, sweat and tears, and genuine love our entire cast and crew put into this film. As for myself, I would like the audience to know that my goal as a filmmaker is to entertain them. Truly, every creative choice I make, both on screen and off, is not for myself but for the audience. As a storyteller, I want to put my audience first and truly craft something that is entertaining for them! I hope we have succeeded in that endeavor with The Fare.
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