A fourth-grade class bands together to cover up their horrifying prank-gone-wrong before their D.A.R.E. officer shows up for his weekly lesson. Fool’s Day screens in the Joke’s On You shorts program at HIFF 2013. The film is also part of the Views From Long Island program.
Please describe your film in your own words.
Cody Blue Snider: Fool’s Day is a dark comedy about a 4th grade elementary school class that plays an April Fool’s day prank on their teacher and accidentally kills her. Fearing jail time, they set out to cover up the murder but must do so before their DARE officer shows up for his weekly lesson.
As the writer/director, what inspired you to tell this particular story? It’s dark and wildly funny.
CBS: Thank you. The idea casually came up as a fleeting joke during a late-night conversation with my brilliant brother and co-writer, Shane Snider. When thinking about it the next day, I realized I had never seen anything remotely like Fool’s Day before, and that was all the incentive I needed. If it hasn’t been done before, then that’s the direction I want to set sail in. Also, Fool’s Day is ripe with contrast, and that is a prerequisite of all my work. I strongly believe that contrast is a key to most (if not all) great art.
As humans, our brains like to quantify everything into definitive groups. But in reality, nothing is black and white; everything is a shade of gray, and that gray area contains all the truth and beauty of our existence. Contrast (or Irony) in art is one of the most effective ways of communicating this truth and, hopefully, an effective way of impeaching the monochromatic foundation of our thinking.
What’s the worst prank you’ve ever pulled?
CBS: I honestly don’t know. I’m not a big prankster. To me, it is more about the little things. Farting on my dog, breaking up with my girlfriend during intercourse, burning down my house and collecting the insurance money. Ya know, the little things… What was the question again?
What do you want audiences to take away from your film?
CBS: I hope audiences are entertained first and foremost, but on a deeper level, I hope they take away a little something about honesty.
Do you have one piece of advice for aspiring filmmakers?
CBS: Story, story, story. It’s all about the story. And every good story has these three elements; make sure yours does too:
1. Someone who wants something and takes action to achieve it.
2. Conflict.
3. Change. (And the greater the hero’s change, the greater the film.)
What does it mean to you to show your film in Long Island, where you are from? What are you most looking forward to at HIFF 2013?
CBS: It means a ton. This is a dream come true for me. Born and bred on Long Island, this has been an aspiration of mine since I was a kid shooting short films on my parents’ home video camera.
I’m most looking forward to seeing the audience’s reaction to Fool’s Day. That’s probably my favorite thing to do. If you see the film, you will understand why.
But I am also looking forward to all the amazing spotlight features, including Spike Jonze’s Her, Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, Drake Doremus’s Breathe In, and Alexander Payne’s Nebraska. Four amazing directors. HIFF has really outdone itself! Can’t wait!
Fool’s Day screens in the Joke’s On You shorts program at HIFF 2013. The film is also part of the Views From Long Island program. Tickets | Facebook | Twitter | Website
At only 23, Cody Blue Snider is an international award-winning filmmaker and acclaimed music video director. Born in New York, he was raised by Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider. His very first film, Lakota, earned him a scholarship to the School Of Visual Arts in Manhattan. Writer/director Adam Green took him under his wing on his Sundance-selected film, Frozen. At 19, Snider directed, edited, and wrote his debut short drama All That Remains, winning awards internationally. The film’s success propelled him into professionally directing music videos; where he’s received critical acclaim and millions of views online. Snider is managed at Circle Of Confusion. He is currently writing two feature screenplays, while his irreverent short comedy Fool’s Day screens the global film festival circuit.
[…] Here is an interview with director Cody Blue Snider, discussing the film just before it aired during the Hamptons International Film Festival last fall. Here’s an article about the creation of the bloody visual effects. One review I read mentioned that after a screening at the Tribeca Film Festival, director Cody Blue Snider says he hopes to turn this short into a feature-length film, so maybe it will come to a theatre near you. […]