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Mitesh Kumar Patel On Directing House of Quarantine, Inspiration For the Story

July 27, 2021 | Posted by Bryan Kristopowitz

The 411 Interview: Mitesh Kumar Patel

Mitesh Kumar Patel is a writer, director, and producer who, according to imdb, has been making movies since at least 2010. Patel has directed such Neron and Anti Corona Virus. Patel’s latest movie as a director is the thriller House of Quarantine, which is currently available on all major Video On Demand platforms and on DVD and Blu-ray. In this interview, Patel talks with this writer about making House of Quarantine, making a feature film during a global pandemic, and more.

Bryan Kristopowitz: Why did you want House of Quarantine to be your next movie as a director?

Mitesh Kumar Patel: Last year during the pandemic most movie production was stopped so I thought it would be great to make a one location film, something that would keep us in business and entertain others. The goal for this arrangement was to create a suspense thriller and House of Quarantine was the right fit for it.

BK: What was your inspiration for the story? Was the “inciting incident” of the plot always going to be Covid-19 or were other potential ideas considered?
MKP: When we were filming my previous movie Anti-Coronavirus, I got the idea for House of Quarantine, and I shared it with a few people and they all loved it. Due to the pandemic, we cannot make a movie with a lot of locations and extras, so the House of Quarantine idea was the perfect fit.

BK: Describe your working relationship with writer Randall Lee Smith.
MKP: Randall is the writer for my two movies, Anti-Coronavirus and House of Quarantine. He did an excellent job of writing both scripts in a very short time. I would say it was not possible to produce these two quality films without his help.

BK: Where was House of Quarantine filmed? Did you actually make the movie in one house or were there multiple houses involved?
MKP: House of Quarantine was filmed in one house in Chandler, Arizona. It was one of the executive producer Anthony Casanova’s houses in south Chandler. He was super nice to offer us to use his home to shoot this movie during the pandemic.

BK: How did you cast House of Quarantine?
MKP: When the script was locked, we decided to have a physical audition for casting followed by CDC guidelines. It was less submissions for the audition, but it was perfect casting by Tamara McDaniel.

BK: How long did it take to make House of Quarantine, from finishing the screenplay to completing post-production?
MKP: The screenplay took a month to finish during the pre-production. The production was eight days and post was 3 months. It was a quick turnaround so we could release it sooner.

BK: What was the hardest part of making House of Quarantine for you as a director? What was the easiest?
MKP: The hardest part for me as a director was giving detailed direction. Being Indian born and with English as my second language it was hard sometimes to express details, but I was blessed by having an excellent crew. The easiest part was also the crew since we worked on so many projects together.

BK: How difficult was it to film the “pool fight”?
MKP: The pool fight scene was well planned. We had 2 cameras, one was an Osmo action camera which we used under the water and the second was the main Blackmagic 6k camera. The actors also prepared well for the fight scene. We could only do one take due to shorter production time, but it was a great shot and it all worked out.

BK: How is making a movie during a global pandemic different than making a movie under “normal” circumstances?
MKP: Making a movie during a paramedic was super hard. The social distancing, working with a limited crew and wearing masks definitely effected the creativity. We saw a lot of rejections from potential film locations due to covid and missing a lot of extras in the background.

BK: Is House of Quarantine a horror movie or do you consider it more of a thriller?
MKP: House of Quarantine is definitely a thriller.

BK: Any moviemaking heroes?
MKP: I don’t follow any particular filmmakers but I do use film scenes as a reference.

BK: Any upcoming projects you can tell us about?
MKP: Yes, I am working on a new supernatural thriller called Woman in the Maze. It is about a young lady who gets stuck in a maze house which is cursed by the house owner.

BK: What do you hope audiences get out of House of Quarantine?
MKP: That the audience will enjoy the movie and its many twists and turns.

BK: Any chance of a House of Quarantine 2?
MKP: Yes, I already have a story ready for part 2 and am going to work on the script soon. I plan to produce part 2 in summer 2022.

BK: What sort of movie are the characters actually supposed to be making in House of Quarantine? Would it have been a good movie if they actually finished making it?
MKP: That’s funny, They are making a movie about the “Lockdown” and they get locked down in the “House of Quarantine.” If they ever finish making it, that would be part 2.