I am grateful I was connected to the material from the beginning because while I felt protective of the story. And there were definitely many changes I never would have made, had I not been a director-for-hire, but I knew that once I sold my script it was going to change. It forced me into a spiral of creative madness and allowed me to look deeper into the material while we shot, justifying story and intent all the way along. I work well under pressure and pulling double duty was changeling but also exhilarating. Maureen Bharoocha: I did a lot of rewriting on set, which was very unusual for me. Script: Once you’re on set, how much rewriting do you have to do and is it tough to switch hats, from writer to director? What’s the most challenging thing about juggling both jobs? Our first draft took about one month to complete. We broke the story and drafted detailed outline together but then divvied up scenes. Writing in a team is great because it’s fun to bounce ideas around and split the writing duties. So, when I was asked to write the feature, I immediately brought my friend Ellen Huggins on board. Maureen Bharoocha: I love to collaborate with other writers.
Script: What’s your process? Do you outline? Or do you jump right into script pages? How long did it take to write this one? I’m also a big fan of 90’s mid-star vehicle movies (think Single White Female, Dead Calm, Freeway), so when I was given the opportunity to write a thriller, I thought that our Do-It-Your-Self cultural landscape was the perfect setting for a frightful fable. I’ve also always been fascinated with stories of the interloper and terrified by home invasion. Maureen Bharoocha: In Fatal Flip, a couple buys a fixer upper to flip, but when they discover the repairs are too much to handle, they hire a handyman who reveals himself as a psycho. Script: How did you get the idea for your thriller, Fatal Flip, that you wrote and directed that will air on Lifetime?