Fantasy unlocks the mind to the most interesting characters and worlds you could only dream of. A Goblin’s Tale, an indie short film by Peter Dukes starring Radio Disney star Tiffany Giardina, is a wonderful example of how fantasy tickles the imagination.

Peter Dukes is an independent filmmaker working under the banner of Dream Seekers Productions, the production company he started with his sister, Aubrey Dukes, who has VFX work on Thor and Captain America under her belt. I had the opportunity to speak with Peter Dukes on how this short came about and how he managed to pull of the special effects in a limited budget. A word of warning, there are spoilers right off the top in this interview! Watch A Goblin’s Tale here and check out our conversation below:

A Goblin’s Tale, A Short Film By Peter Dukes

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsgzKpW5PdY[/youtube]

SciFi Mafia: Where did the idea for the short come from?

Peter Dukes: The idea for our film came from snowglobes.  A world within a world.  The idea of living within any given “reality” without realizing that it’s not as real as you think it is.  I love that stuff. I had long been wanting to make a darker fantasy ala the fantasy films of the 80’s ala Labyrinth and Legend.

SFM: How did you get Tiffany Giardina involved? 

Peter Dukes: Tiffany’s reps came across a casting notice I’d put out for the film.  They liked the pitch, liked the work we had done before and requested the script.  They loved it and the audition was set up at that point.  Timing also played a critical part in her casting.  She’s a successful musician/entertainer and was looking to expand into acting just when my film was entering the casting phase.

SFM: What cues did you give Laura Kearsey to play the goblin?

Peter Dukes: I had a very specific image in my head of how I wanted the character of Vlix to be.  I didn’t relay any of this to Laura because I always like to see what the actor’s range is, and what they can bring to the table free of any director notes.  Laura came in and had a fantastic reading.  She was it.

Soon after came character notes such as the fact that I didn’t want Vlix to be easily labelled as a “good” goblin or a “bad” goblin.  I really wanted to land her right in that center gray area, which I felt was appropriate for a goblin.  We also talked about how I wanted her mannerisms to be, as well as the inflection in her voice.  Just small things.  For actresses like Laura, I really wanted to give her free reign to take the part and run with it.

SFM: The SFX make-up for the goblin is wonderful! Did you already know Larry Bones prior to this?

Peter Dukes: Larry Bones (Bones, Hiding Victoria) and his wife did a fantastic job on a very limited budget.  I did not know them before this project.  When the time came to hire an FX team I did a very thorough search around town.  I received a lot of qualified applicants, but Larry was able to offer everything that i needed.  It also didn’t hurt that along with his talent at make-up/prosthetics he was also a super nice guy and a total pro on the phone and on set.  I would work with them again anytime.

[Above: At right is filmmaker, Peter Dukes]

SFM: Did you intend this to spin off to a feature-length film?

Peter Dukes: I have no feature script in place yet for this project.  There’s only one film I’ve ever made with the intent of expanding it into a feature.  The short was well rec’d and that script is currently under option with an indie producer.  So, I’m certainly not opposed to expanding A Goblin’s Tale, but I think we’ll just take it one step at a time.  Test the waters with the first few festivals and just kind of see how things go.

SFM: I really enjoyed the music. What parameters did you give Jeremy Schieffelin to compose the score?

Peter Dukes: Jeremy is a superb composer.  There’s a ton of composers in this town, but very few stand out like he did.  I knew right away that I wanted him for this project.  We talked in great detail about how I wanted the music at certain points of the film, and I sent him temp music to communicate to him what kind of tone i was looking to establish.  However, before we discussed any of these details, I simply told him I’d like to put together a soundtrack as an ode to Jerry Goldsmith‘s work, particularly from the 80’s.  Amazing stuff, and very appropriate for this film.  Jeremy just so happened to be a big fan of Jerry, so we were on the same page from the very start.

SFM: What did you find the most challenging about making this short?

Peter Dukes: Like many of my films, the big challenge is always time and money.  We had very little of either.  So, you have to be able to tell you story without many frills, and you have to be able to accomplish this while shooting at a blistering pace.  A Goblin’s Tale was shot in one night for under $700.

Dukes has two other films slated this year under the banner of Dream Seekers Productions and is working on two other features independent of his company.