Emma Roberts Nerve

Cast: Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Emily Meade, Miles Heizer, Juliette Lewis, Kimiko Glenn

Directors: Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost
Writer: Jessica Sharzer

Rated: M

Genre: Adventue, Crime, Mystery 

Running Time: 96 mins

 

The bigger the risk, the bigger the payoff in Nerve, an exhilarating thriller set on the streets of New York City, where amateur daredevils compete in an all-or-nothing game that mines their online information to exploit their wildest dreams"and their deepest fears.

 

Shy, straight-arrow high-school senior Venus 'Vee" Delmonico (Emma Roberts) breaks out of her comfort zone when she impulsively signs up for Nerve, an adrenaline-fueled competition that streams live over the internet. Young thrill-seekers challenge each other to a series of dares that rapidly escalate from mildly embarrassing to downright deadly, as an anonymous community of 'watchers" instigates the action. When Vee is partnered with a mysterious stranger named Ian (Dave Franco), their instant chemistry makes them online stars and fan favorites. As the night wears on, though, Vee alienates her longtime friends and puts her life on the line in pursuit of money and celebrity. Making a discovery about Ian's past, Vee finds her family's future at risk. As the tension mounts, the stakes rise"and the possible outcome shifts from win or lose to life or death.

 

Nerve
Release Date: September 1st, 2016
Trailer
nervemovie.com.au

About The Production

Are you a watcher or a player? That's your choice in the game of Nerve, in which thrill-seeking players accept increasingly risky dares from anonymous watchers to win valuable rewards. As small-time pranks ramp up into dangerous, sometimes acts, fans watch the action captured live on smartphones. Based on the popular young-adult novel by Jeanne Ryan, Nerve is both an edge-of-your-seat thriller and a razor-sharp examination of the seductive power of social media. The directing team of Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, best known for their work on Catfish and the Paranormal Activity series, have created an action-packed urban adventure that also offers keen insights into online behavior. 'Our first film, Catfish, started a national conversation about the internet and identity," says Henry Joost. 'This is a similar opportunity to talk about the way all of us, teenagers in particular, communicate these days. We can do all kinds of things on the internet that we might not do in real life."

In Nerve, when Staten Island high-school senior Vee Delmonico (played by Emma Roberts) is challenged by her best friend to take part in the game, it launches a series of life-changing events.

'We take a shy girl, sit her in front of the internet, and she's suddenly inspired to be someone she didn't have the courage to be yesterday," says Ariel Schulman. 'Someone in cyberspace is daring her to be something she may not want to be. Vee goes down the rabbit hole to the dark side of that. The online audience can be powerfully alluring. All of a sudden you're posting pictures you never would've shown anybody, and that'll catch up with you."

The game operates through a smartphone app, allowing prospective players to sign up and start taking chances instantly. Getting out is another story. 'The watchers have access to your personal information from Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat"everything else you're using," says Henry Joost. 'They custom-craft dares based on your fears and aspirations. It starts out pretty easy and fun. But the game tries to find your limits."

The more sinister side of the internet seemed like a topic that was ripe for exploration to actress Emma Roberts, who plays Vee. 'People are putting their whole lives on the internet today," she notes. 'This movie captures that phenomenon and takes it one step further."

Emma Roberts says she thinks twice now when she uses Instagram, Twitter"or even email. 'Nothing's ever truly private. I think this movie taps into that feeling. Whatever you post can potentially be seen by anyone, whether you want it to be or not."

The timeliness of the script was also one of the attractions for Dave Franco, who plays Ian, Vee's fellow player and potential love interest. 'The script taps into something that's relevant right now," he says. 'People are not themselves when they're hiding behind a computer screen. They are willing to do and say things that would be off limits when you're face to face."

Ariel Schulman and Henry Joostfirst learned about the project from producer Allison Shearmur, who thought the filmmakers' grasp of technology and youth culture made them the ideal directors for Nerve. 'These are young filmmakers with a lot to say about their generation," she says. 'Their style of storytelling is of the moment, authentic and unique. The technology in the film is 10 minutes in the future, but the themes and situations are right this second."

According to Dave Franco, the directors bring a unique point view to their films. 'They always give you something that you're not expecting," he says. 'I'm excited about every aspect of this movie"the visuals, the story and the characters all really work. This won't just appeal to younger people. It's much bigger and more thoughtful than that."

Each game of Nerve lasts only 24 hours; then a winner is declared and it moves on to the next challengers. 'The movie asks the audience the same question Vee asks herself," says Ariel Schulman. 'Are you a watcher or a player? Not just in the game of Nerve, but in life itself. Vee has played it safe her whole life, but Nerve pushes her to take chances, which can be very dangerous. If you play, you may get hurt, or you may win and become a celebrity and make a lot of money. You can take the safe road, or you can take the risk. It's all up to you."

Vee's adventure starts out as a high-octane Cinderella story, says Ariel Shearmur. 'She meets an unbelievably handsome and sexy stranger. She goes to the Bergdorf Goodman department store and walks out in a dress that costs thousands of dollars. She rides into New York City on a tricked-out motorcycle, and becomes a part of the city in a way that she probably only imagined from her apartment on Staten Island. It only gets dark when she has to start asking the questions that all of us are asking, like, -Who is this guy, really?'"

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the game, Ariel Shearmur suggests, is that there is no one villain; the threat comes from the anonymous online onlookers. 'The game goes from lighthearted wish-fulfillment to menacing and dangerous. Like a mob screaming for dueling gladiators, the bloodlust of the crowd becomes very disturbing."

The filmmakers drew on unconventional sources to find the inspiration for Nerve's kinetic energy and pace, including amateur videos they found on YouTube. 'Our key word in making this movie was -fun,'" says Henry Joost. 'We also wanted it to really embrace New York City, which you don't see as much as you should on film anymore. It's colourful and dynamic and exciting. It's an action movie that takes place in the world of Go-Pros and iPhone videos. Because it's a movie about kids doing dares, we looked to the internet for inspiration and found the most incredible stuff, which we tried to recreate."

Capturing the immediacy of a YouTube video in a commercial narrative film was challenging, he admits. 'It has partly to do with camera angles and cuts. But it's mostly about keeping things really visceral and putting the audience in the perspective of the player. When Dave Franco's riding a motorcycle, you're inside of his helmet. You're sitting on the back of the bike with Emma Roberts. You're the person on the street who's seeing the bike go by. There's a need to make sure you get the scene, but when you want to shoot it on one tiny camera and you want the actor to hold that camera, there's a lot of pressure to not screw it up."

After the success of Catfish, Henry Joost says he and Ariel Schulman were often asked if they believed the internet was inherently dangerous. 'We said no, the internet is actually very neutral. It is what you make of it. It can be an inspiring place that introduces you to people you would never meet otherwise. It can push you to become a better person. Or it can bring out something darker in you. At the end of the day, it's about owning up to your actions."

Let The Game Begin

Vee Delmonico dreams of leaving Staten Island behind for art school in Southern California, but fears doing so would disappoint her overprotective mother. 'At the beginning of the film she doesn't have the confidence to make that leap," says Ariel Schulman. 'And that's the crux of her character. Emma embodies the character perfectly"she wants to step forward and be the life of the party, but she plays shy so well. Once Vee starts gaining a little confidence, Emma Roberts becomes a spunky little action star. And she's so beautiful that it's always fun to point a camera at her."

Emma Roberts recalls reading many scripts while searching for her next project, but says Nerve was the one that stood out. 'It had all the elements of the movies I like to watch: It had a lot of action, it had a love story, it had a friendship story and it was set in New York City. There's something so expressive about New York on film for me. I remember putting the script down and feeling that this would be something special and I wanted to be a part of it."

When she met with the co-directors to discuss the film, Emma Roberts was impressed by their preparation, especially when it came to the movie's innovative visuals. 'They showed me a book they had put together with pictures that represented how things would look and feel," she remembers. 'They captured New York City as a character in itself in a way that I hadn't seen before. Visually, they're doing something amazingly fresh. They were really involved with everything from hair and wardrobe to the shots and the dialogue. They made me really excited to be a part of this."

Working with a pair of directors was a new experience for the actor and one she says she would be happy to repeat. 'Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost are amazing. It's great to have two people to bounce ideas off of. They bring such different points of view to the table while staying on the same page. They complement each other really well."

The directors say they pushed Emma Roberts to the limit for this role and she went for it. 'She was looking for something that challenged her physically and emotionally," Ariel Schulman says. 'It was pretty exciting for her to run through a major department store past hundreds of people in just underpants and a bra. And she had to rap Wu-Tang Clan while getting a tattoo from [internet sensation] The Fat Jew. That is not her typical day."

Ariel Shearmur says audiences will get to see a side of Emma Roberts they've never seen before. 'It is thrilling watching the transformation of ethereal, intellectual Emma Roberts into a real physical force. If people assumed Vee could pull off the third-act climax, the ride would be a lot less satisfying."

Vee's first dare is to kiss a mysterious stranger, who turns out to also be a player. The first meeting between Vee and Ian, played by Dave Franco, feels like an electrifying blind date, and the online watchers demand that they play the game in tandem. Dave Franco imbues his character with a genuine likability that adds an unexpected twist to the familiar bad-boy character.

'I've done primarily comedies in the past," says Dave Franco. 'This is a little bit more of a serious part even though there is a lot of humour. I wanted to do something romantic, but unusual.

Ultimately, this movie is a love story but not a typical one. There's a lot going on in terms of backstory that makes this romance very difficult. There's also a certain amount of darkness and grit."

There's a secret in Ian's past that he is not letting Vee in on. 'Everyone playing Nerve has some kind of secret," says Henry Joost. 'They're masking some insecurity, some mistake they've made in their prior lives and hoping that one lucky break can fix it all."

Ian is in the game to win for reasons he won't"or can't"acknowledge. 'He has a one-track mind," says Dave Franco. 'When he meets this girl, he's immediately drawn to her, but his goal is winning. As the movie goes on, he becomes more attached to her and doesn't want to see anything bad happen to her."

As a player, Ian's dares often involve his motorcycle, which Dave Franco had to learn to ride for the film. 'I didn't have a lot of time to learn, which was scary but also a lot of fun," he says. 'I would never actually take it on the road, but I feel like Evel Knievel when I'm in an empty parking lot."
Even scarier for Dave Franco was Ian's first scene, in which he has been dared to serenade a beautiful young woman: Vee. 'That's the scene I was most anxious about because I don't have the best singing voice," Dave Franco admits. 'I decided that it could be charming if this guy just fully commits even though his voice is lousy, so I went for it. It's an elaborately choreographed scene that's really fun to watch and I hope I never have to sing on camera again."

Emma Roberts and Dave Franco first met about five years ago, while filming a music video. Their genuine affection and respect for each other shines through on screen. 'We hit the ground running without any awkward getting-to-know-you period," he explains. 'She's so grounded and real. Emma has really good taste so when she tells me that something's working, that's all I need. I hope that natural chemistry shows."

Franco has been an admirer of Ariel Schulman and Henry Joostfor some time. 'Their visual style is amazing," he says. 'Even during the scenes where we're just talking, it feels like an action movie because of the way they use the camera. They always steer away from cliché and give you something that you're not expecting. They have made a movie that is for much more than just the teen audience."

Emily Meade, who plays Vee's outgoing best friend, Sydney, says the script won her over immediately. 'I found myself really caring about what was happening to these people. It has a combination of excitement and humour and heart, as well as interesting, layered characters. And everything pays off, which is unusual to find in a script. I was totally invested and laughing and having fun reading it, so I could only imagine what it'd be like to watch."

Emily Meade is one of the best young actors working today, according to Ariel Schulman: 'She has this cool sexuality, she's an awesome actor and she can improvise. She embodies the character of Sydney with a raspy confidence."

Emily Meade and Emma Roberts worked together on the 2010 crime thriller Twelve and have been friends ever since. 'I have always had a real bond with Emma Roberts," she says. 'I think in most ways we are very different from our characters, so it's been fun playing best friends but with this very different dynamic."

On the other hand, Emily Meade says, Miles Heizer"who plays Vee's sweet and unassuming friend Tommy"is not playing against type at all. 'Everybody's in love with him," says Meade. 'He's just the most earnest, intelligent, adorable guy. He turned 21 on the set, so we all went and celebrated his birthday with the best karaoke party ever."

Tommy and Vee are lifelong friends, but he harbors a not-so-secret crush on her. 'He doesn't want to see her become a player," says Henry Joost. 'It's just too dangerous. And he also doesn't want to see her end up with a different guy. Miles Heizer plays the part very low-key funny. We didn't realize how funny he is until we started editing the movie. This guy was killing it the whole time under the radar. He's a sneaky scene-stealer and a crowd favourite."

Miles Heizer, one of the stars of the television series 'Parenthood," agrees that the film is tapping into something important in contemporary culture. 'It's about the dark side of anonymity on the internet," he says. 'Awful things take place, but that comes along with feeling like you have no responsibility for it, because you're anonymous. It's crazy how desensitized we are."

A budding hacker, Tommy helps Vee and Sydney come up with a plan to combat the seemingly unstoppable game when it spirals out of control. Miles Heizer did some research into the more insidious side of the internet for his role. 'I met people who explained hacking and the dark web to me," says the actor. 'Everything is anonymous and there's all kinds of horrendous stuff there. You can do whatever you want and it doesn't get traced back to your IP address."

Over the course of the evening, Vee's mom, Nancy (Juliette Lewis), becomes aware that not everything is as it seems with her daughter. 'We knew that the character of Nancy needed complexity and compassion, as well as an authenticity that could only belong to Juliette," says Ariel Shearmur.

Lewis, who herself rose to stardom in rebellious teen roles, found the irony of playing the mom delicious, according to Ariel Schulman. 'She thought it was hilarious. She made her name as a young punk and now she's the finger-wagging mother of a young punk."

'She's a legend," adds Henry Joost. 'And because she brings the memories of her roles in movies like Natural Born Killers, it makes it even more believable that as a mom she has a history of being a little crazy. Seeing that in her daughter makes her want to protect her."

As the dares become more complicated, Vee finds herself unsure of whom she can trust. That's especially true when it comes to a menacing player named Ty who becomes her and Ian's primary competition in the game. Colson Baker (a.k.a. rapper Machine Gun Kelly) brings explosive charisma to the supporting role. 'That guy's a star," says Ariel Schulman, who also worked with Baker on his and Henry Joost's upcoming horror thriller Viral. 'He's an awesome rapper, and he's a great actor. He can work a crowd like he's onstage in front of 50,000 fans. He gives the character a loopy street edge that we're happy to have."

The directors have also worked in a series of sly cameos from a number of internet stars, including comedian and social-media personality Josh 'The Fat Jew" Ostrovsky, Vine standout Arielle Vandenberg, YouTube filmmaker Casey Neistat and internet artist Chloe Wise. 'The movie is about the internet and the creation of social-media stars, so it seemed appropriate to include a bunch of our favourites," says Ariel Schulman.

'We kept an eye on Instagram for actors from unusual backgrounds," adds Henry Joost. 'It just added a lot of energy and authenticity to the movie, and they were such fun to work with."

Up All Night

Lifelong New Yorkers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman knew from the start that their hometown was the only place they could imagine filming Nerve. 'I'm tired of watching movies that are supposed to take place in New York but aren't shot there," says Henry Joost. 'There's a special energy that gets lost. I feel like Ariel and I have been location scouting New York City our entire lives. We finally got to use our mental Rolodex of images."

The pair put together a demo reel of clips taken from classic New York movies to demonstrate their vision to the producers. 'It was a love letter to the city that tied into the key moments of this movie," says producer Ariel Shearmur. 'They convinced us not to film the movie anywhere else. Shooting in New York is a thrill. When you're trying to lock off a street, and your fellow New Yorkers are doing anything but avoiding where you're shooting, it feeds the frenetic energy."

To add to the film's verisimilitude, the directors gave their actors real dares and turned them loose. 'We took Emily Meade into Times Square, put a mike on her, and she went around messing with strangers," says Ariel Schulman. 'It's so refreshing to get away from the strictures of a movie set, and go be part of the city. There's so much energy, and when you've got an actor like Emily who is willing to do anything, funny stuff happens that you can't write."

Similarly, they tried to make the action as real as possible. 'It's getting Emma Roberts on the back of that bike and Dave Franco walking on a crane," says Henry Joost. 'Even if it's only 20 feet off the ground, he's still doing it, and he's still got that feeling of vertigo. That's what we're trying to capture: that shiver of authenticity."

Stunt coordinator Stephen Pope recalls the process of creating some of the film's most perilous dares. 'We scoured the internet, looking for the craziest, dumbest things people are doing out there. We didn't want to repeat anything that had already been done, so we put our own twist on everything."

One of the most exciting sequences is Ian's wild motorcycle ride down Park Avenue"blindfolded. 'How are they going to find their balance?" says Stephen Pope. 'How are they going to negotiate traffic and traffic lights? It makes everything more heightened. The scene ends at Grand Central Station, which is busy all times of day, so it was tricky to get everything just right.

It was a bit challenging, but it came out really well."

Emma Roberts says she will never forget those nights. 'I had such a surreal moment when I was on the back of the motorcycle with Dave. We both just looked around Times Square, and we're on a motorcycle at four in the morning, and I said to him, -This will never in our lives happen again.'"

For all its onscreen thrills and excitement, Nerve is also a cautionary tale about the internet's potential to cause harm, especially for young people. If the game really existed, the filmmakers believe it would become instantly popular, despite the risks"or perhaps because of them. 'If it popped up for real in the App Store or on some dark-web link, a lot of people would sign up," Ariel Schulman says. 'All of a sudden, hundreds of kids would be broadcasting outrageous dares live on their phones. I hope this film sparks an important conversation between parents and kids about peer pressure."

 

Nerve
Release Date: September 1st, 2016
Trailer
nervemovie.com.au