Interview with Little Bites cinematographer Andy Patch

Little Bites is a gripping new horror film directed by Spider One (frontman of Powerman 500 and brother of Rob Zombie) that delves into the emotional and psychological struggles of a young widow as she faces an unimaginable threat. With a powerful performance from Krsy Fox and appearances by horror legends like Heather Langenkamp and Barbara Crampton, the film blends tension, fear, and drama.

Little Bites cinematographer Andy Patch masterfully captures the unsettling atmosphere, using shadows and lighting to heighten suspense. In this interview, Patch shares his creative process and the challenges of bringing this chilling story to life.

1428 ELM: How did you approach creating the visual tone for Little Bites, especially with its mix of horror elements and emotional drama?

ANDY PATCH: Like every project, every creative decision is there to serve the script. At the emotional core of this story, it’s really about the emotional state of this mother as she deals with sacrificing herself in order to protect her child.

Since most of the movie revolves around our lead actress Krsy Fox, I really had to think about her mental state, and how that would be reflected in the world she inhabits. Since she’s clearly deteriorating both mentally and physically, we didn’t think she’d be keeping her house clean, polished, and well-lit. Despite this, we really did benefit from a pretty amazing location. This took care of 90% of our production design, and we really had a lot of fun shooting just about every angle we could in that creaky old house.

I quickly learned though that we’d really be pushing the shadows, as the dark wood of the house really absorbed all the bounced light we were throwing at it, so it did become a challenge to very quickly get a usable exposure in such a short time frame.

Horror icons in Little Bites

1428 ELM: With horror greats like Heather Langenkamp, Bonnie Aarons, and Barbara Crampton in the cast, how did their presence influence your choices in framing and lighting to emphasize their iconic status?

ANDY PATCH: For each of their characters, our approach was dictated by the script, as opposed to who they were as these iconic horror legends.

For example, Heather’s character was something of an unexpected (albeit brief) mentor, perfectly at peace, and full of insight and wisdom. Because of this, we kept her in the light and added brunch and diffusion to shape the light on her face. It was really important to keep her looking beautiful and out of the shadows.

Similarly, Barbara played someone from the outside world, being (literally) dragged into Mindy Vogel’s dark world, so for us, it was important to keep the nice beauty lighting on her as long as possible but then obviously let her sink into the shadows as the story progresses.

1428 ELM: The film features a nightmarish monster. How did you collaborate with the special effects or makeup team to visually integrate the monster into the film’s world without losing the tension and suspense?

ANDY PATCH: As I’m sure you can imagine, when shooting a monster character like Agyar (Jon Sklaroff), it actually becomes more about what you don’t show since you really want to maintain that element of mystery and fear for the audience. Revealing too much would quickly give too much away, so you generally want to show as little as possible, and be very precise in what you do show as the script progresses.

There would be scenes where I’d have to be very specific with the framing, so I’d be telling them we’re doing a medium close-up on this section of his body, or we’d be doing a head-and-shoulders close-up, just so they could take the necessary time to dress those areas of his body. I remember there were a few scenes where we couldn’t show below a certain point on his neck because the makeup line would be seen.

So those little things became a challenge, but since we were working against the clock so frantically, it really became necessary, so he didn’t have to be in the makeup chair for an extra hour or so. It really does become a conversation between each department, and every person is fighting for more time for themselves, so it’s very important to stay flexible and collaborative. The shoot always goes much better when you can be supportive of other departments and choose your battles wisely since it’s never always about you.

Building tension

1428 ELM: Horror often relies heavily on shadows and lighting to build tension. What lighting techniques did you employ to create a sense of dread and fear throughout Little Bites?

ANDY PATCH: This actually plays pretty heavily into the previous question, in regard to the choices we make about what not to show. Spider’s primary reference for the film was the Brando sequence in Apocalypse Now... you know the shadowy scene in which his bald head sticks out into a shaft of warm light? This look came entirely from that, which is funny because I think that was the only movie reference Spider actually told me, which I loved.

So because of that, most of Agyar’s scenes were lit with that one primary crack of light coming in, and our job was to frame and position him in exactly the right position so as to not give too much away. I remember there was one scene where the light basically went straight down the middle of his face, and we asked our actor Jon Sklaroff to essentially not move his head an inch in either direction. We were still able to maintain the slightest eye light in both of his eyes, and even though he couldn’t move an inch, I think that really enhanced his performance quite a bit. It just goes to show how these seemingly small decisions can be the difference between something entirely working or not working at all.

1428 ELM: How did you adjust your cinematography approach when working with the young actress (Elizabeth Phoenix Caro), especially in scenes that were intense or emotionally driven?

ANDY PATCH: With every actor you’re working with, you need to take a lot of things into consideration with the choices you make. First and foremost, you need to have a good rapport with them, which is why it’s pretty important for me to walk up and introduce myself to every actor when they come in.

There’s been times when I haven’t done that, and when you start asking them to move here, move there, etc... I feel like it’s not conducive to making them feel comfortable. In this film, the actors typically had to get to a pretty emotional and dark place, so you want to make sure they feel open and welcomed. Since Elizabeth is so young, that was extra important to all of us since you have even less time with child actors.

Thankfully, she was an absolute pro, so she made our jobs very easy. I was able to spend a little extra time (or more time than I anticipated) lighting her, since she was able to come in and just about nail every take. She was a dream to work with, and I can tell she’s going places.

The Spider man

1428 ELM: How was your collaboration with Spider One as both the writer and director? Did his music background influence the pacing or rhythm of your shots in any way?

ANDY PATCH: So far, every project we’ve done together has been a fantastic experience. Obviously, I’d say there’s never enough time, money, crew, etc., but we’re all in it for the love of it, so we know what we’re getting into. The projects are certainly getting better, and our collaboration is getting easier, especially since I’ve locked in a more core group of crew members who are still happily along for the ride.

As far as his music background, I’d say it just helps in terms of understanding the hard work that goes into any creative endeavor. I’d say 75% of what we actually do on set is more logistics, problem-solving, and manual labor, and 25% is a true creative and artistic experience, which I imagine is much like loading up a group of musicians and going on tour. It’s certainly not always as glamorous as it may seem, but you know that all the tedious busy work is just a necessary part of the process.

1428 ELM: With Cher as one of the Executive Producers, did her vision or input have any impact on the visual style or overall production approach?

ANDY PATCH: I actually never had any direct interactions with Cher, although I certainly wished I did. She was very trusting with Spider and Krsy both, so as far as I can tell, I think her input was minimal. I wish I had a little more firsthand knowledge of this. I know the script was sent to her probably less than a year before we started shooting, and I was told she certainly loved the script. Since I never had any direct interactions with her at this level, I don’t want to speak too much out of turn, but my assumption is that the themes of this script would speak to anyone with children.

Not only is it about the hardships and sacrifices of having children, but it’s really about the lengths that we would go to protect them. I don’t think I’d be wrong to say she responded to that.

Eaten alive

1428 ELM: Little Bites’ storyline deals with a young widow being slowly eaten alive by a monster. How did you visually depict the emotional and physical deterioration of the main character as this unfolds?

ANDY PATCH: Well, as you watch the film, I’d say the strength of Krsy Fox’s performance is the primary method by which you see her emotional deterioration manifest itself. Since she’s the one on the screen for the vast majority of the movie, she was able to really immerse herself in that role and carry what she needed to for this character.

However, there were a few things that I was able to do on my end that did serve to complement her performance. One example was a deleted scene that didn’t make its way into the film. We actually shot an entire intro sequence that was much brighter, warmer, and happier, in which Mindy and her husband find out that they’re going to have a baby. Visually, it was a night and day difference between her mental states, and it was probably the best way to show the effect that Agyar has had on her life.

1428 ELM: Did you rely more on practical effects or digital enhancements for the horror elements, and how did that affect your approach to filming key scenes?

ANDY PATCH: It was all practical, except for one shot near the finale that involves blood dripping down the walls. There’s a sequence in which everything gets much more heightened and frantic, and we introduce some flickering red lights before the final showdown with Agyar. It’s pretty subtle, but in the background, you see blood slowly dripping down the walls, which I think worked to great effect.

Apart from that, everything was practical, so shout out to our SFX team Ashley Stansbury and Kenneth Calhoun!

1428 ELM: How did you use cinematography to differentiate the more intimate, emotional moments of the mother-daughter relationship from the horror sequences involving the monster?

ANDY PATCH: Even though most of the movie is pretty dark and ominous for our characters, there were a few moments where we got to try to take things in a different direction, even though it might be subtle to most. There actually was one scene in particular in which they’re sitting at a table during a daytime interior. In seating them, we chose to leave Mindy on the shadow side and Alice on the key side... because during this scene Mindy was beginning to frighten Alice, as she was telling her the truth about Agyar. So it made sense for her to appear more frightening.

There was another in which they were sitting at the bed together, and we made sure to warm, welcoming, and pleasant, since that reflected the nature of the scene. It was a safe tender moment between a mother and daughter, so we needed to make sure that our choices reflected that..... so I think if you can make any choices big or small to visually reflect the underlying tone of the scene, you’ve done your job.

It’s definitely a subtle thing that most viewers shouldn’t be consciously thinking about, but I think that’s something that can really elevate the filmmaking. Most of my favorite films certainly have a considerable amount of subtle yet deliberate choices, that aren’t obvious but absolutely serve the story in mostly subconscious ways.