Independent film production encompasses many challenges, as well as an inherently skillful touch with the necessary art of compromise. But you wouldn't always know it from interviews with filmmakers, many of whom have a tendency to latch on to one or two good anecdotes or merely fall back on thematic talking points when discussing their project. Refreshingly, writer-director Brian Metcalf is not of that ilk. His feature debut, the sci-fi-tinged adventure Fading of the Cries, faced many bumps and hurdles over the course of a 10-year period from initial conception to its eventual theatrical release this week, but perhaps none quite as rocky as a production cycle beset with fire, a compacted schedule, and on-the-fly script revisions. I had a chance to recently chat one-on-one with Metcalf, and the revealing conversation is excerpted over at ShockYa.