Virtually reminded me of the post-apocalyptic books I enjoyed as a kid. The limited human interaction and the drive to survive builds a strong character driven story. The setting and the characters all interact wonderfully and Virtually will tug at your emotions.
Virtually was screened at the 2019 FilmQuest film festival (website). It was nominated for Best Actress (Katie Savoy), Best Supporting Actor (Wolé Parks), and Best Sound.
I recommend Virtually to all my sci-fi loving friends (especially those who favor post-apocalyptic) who want a good character driven story.
Synopsis: A woman struggling to survive alone in a post-apocalyptic wasteland discovers a virtual-reality machine and escapes from her loneliness into a scenic virtual world. When she falls in love with a man inside this virtual world, she must choose between her love and her life in this romantic science fiction short film.
What was the inspiration for Virtually?
Virtually began when I was walking down the hallway at work one day and thinking about the prior few years of my time writing and working on scripts with various producers and realizing that not only had none of the scripts been produced but none of the projects were stories that really resonated with me. And while walking down this hallway I made a promise to myself that I would make a film, not just write it, but actually make a film that I myself would have been a fan of as an audience member. I wanted to make a movie that I wouldn't just be proud of as a filmmaker but also make a movie that I would love as an audience member. So right there, while standing in the hallway, I came up with the setting and the main character and the basic story, based on my love of science fiction and more specifically allegorical science fiction; stories set on a distant world or in a distant future that comment on the human condition and are applicable to our world of today. And before long I had come up with a story that is a study in survival with the central theme being, "Is survival really survival if you are all alone? Is life worth living without human interaction? Are you really alive if you are completely alone?"
I was the writer/director of the film, and is often the case on low-budget productions, I was also the runner, prop person, assistant-editor, post PA and guy who ran out on coffee runs…
What project(s) do you have coming up you're excited about?
I have two feature scripts that I previously wrote that are in various stages of development. Both are action/thrillers that I'm not handling day-to-day. I also have a script I just finished which is the sequel to Virtually and continues to explore the ideas of what it means to be human, that I hope to get into pre-production after the success of Virtually. And I am also developing two other projects—a fantasy/romance television series about a woman who's immortal and a WWII feature film about the occupation of my home island, Guam, and what its people went through until liberated by US forces. I hope to make all of them. (Yes, I'm ambitious!)
What was your early inspiration for pursuing a career in film?
I was one of those kids who got in line opening weekend to see Star Wars and had my mind blown away and forced my parents to bring me back the 3 following weekends to see it again and again. But outside of that, I've always been a storyteller. I love writing stories—in the third grade I entered the school writing contest and was initially disqualified because they said I had plagiarized my entry, that no third grader could have written the story. My mom was furious. So they made me come in after school and sit down and write another original story while a teacher watched me, to prove it was mine. And then they gave me my first place ribbon…. So I've always loved telling stories and making audiences feel emotion, and I'm also good with technology and gadgets so when I went off to college and started thinking about what I wanted to do with my life, it seemed natural for me to head to the film and tv production department and learn how to make movies.
What would be your dream project?
Well I listed a couple while discussing what I'm excited about that is upcoming. But there is a book titled Replay that I would love to make as a limited-series for one of the streaming companies. It would be a big, ambitious series that really ties in to the theme I work with most—what does it really mean to be alive, what does it mean to be human? It's the story of a guy who keeps living his life over and over again and it's really a beautiful story and I think only works as a limited-series which luckily has fallen into favor again. I think the rights are currently all snagged up from years of development as a potential feature film, but maybe someone like a Netflix would have enough clout to sort them out and help get this made. Netflix, if you are reading this, call me!
What are some of your favorite pastimes when not working on a movie?
I'm a huge soccer fan. I used to play and now I mainly watch. But I've been going to LA Galaxy game since the team was founded and I love the sport. I also am a huge fan of fantasy novels—my dream project would have been The Lord of the Rings trilogy but Peter Jackson beat me to it!
What is one of your favorite movies and why?
I love the movie Breaking Away. It's my all-time favorite movie. It's a simple story with so much heart and humor that touches on friendship and growing up and figuring out your life and falling in love. It really spoke to the teenage me and I so identified with aspects of every character. Even now, much older, I find myself identifying with aspects of the dad's character. It really taught me how you want your characters to be unique and compelling, but also have them dealing with emotions and challenges that the audience can relate to. Even in my sci-fi films I try to make sure that despite the fantastical or alien settings and futuristic technology, etc. that what the characters are dealing with at the most basic level are basic human needs and wants that anyone sitting in the audience can identify with. And Breaking Away was the movie that really taught me that.
You can find out more about Virtually on
Instagram @virtually_movie
Twitter @soccernurd
P. Patrick Hogan Bio
Originally from the tiny Pacific island of Guam (where America's day begins), Patrick attended Northwestern University in Chicago and then received his MFA in film and TV production from USC film school. His thesis film "The Business Card" was an award-winning short that had the distinction of being the first student film ever sold to an airline for in-flight entertainment. Pope Dreams—Patrick's feature directorial debut—screened at over 26 festivals around the world, won 11 Best Film awards, and was picked up for distribution by Porchlight Entertainment. It aired on Lifetime Network, was distributed in over 40 countries, and was released on home video and streaming through Netflix and Amazon. Along with working as a writer/director, Patrick is a highly accomplished sound editor and supervising sound editor with more than 100 television shows and movies to his credit. He's earned six Emmy nominations and three Golden Reel Awards for his work on such shows as HBO's Six Feet Under and Fox's Family Guy. Patrick lives in the suburbs of Los Angeles, where his wife and two daughters and one dog remind him daily that he is truly living a charmed life.
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