I got the chance to Interview filmmaker James Kicklighter. James talks about his current film "Followed", what inspired him to become a filmmaker, and much more. Scroll down to read more.
1. What is the current project you are working on?
Followed is our new film based on the short story from Hugo-award winning writer Will McIntosh. It is set in an alternate universe where Zombies represent society's disadvantaged and oppressed.
2. Did you always want to be a filmmaker?
I didn't always want to be a filmmaker, but I always wanted to be a storyteller. When I was in the first grade, I wrote and drew this story about a Pollution Factory that was killing all the animals, and I am convinced that's what started it all. In fact, I think that at the center of all successful filmmaking is a great story, thus nothing has really changed.
3. What inspired you to become filmmaker?
I really liked the idea of being able to tell a story through different outlets in a single medium. For example, while a film is about the story, how we take that written word and exploit it in a visual and auditory experience can radically change the way an audience perceives the finished product.
4. What is the best thing about being one?
It gives you the unique opportunity to explore different types of stories while finding a message that hopefully resonates with audiences. It is important to me to tell stories that have some sort of commentary about life or society, not simply a mindless entertainment.
5. What is the worst thing about being one?
Being a filmmaker requires you to give up some aspects of your social life, so that is difficult for me because I am a pretty sociable person. Also, you miss out on a lot of film and television shows that come out, because you're so busy working on your own project. Personally, the last thing I want to do after editing all day is watch another movie.
6. What is the estimated number of projects you have worked on?
I've worked on somewhere north of 10 projects in the six years I have been producing.
7. Who is is your favorite filmmaker?
That is a difficult question for me, because I don't particularly have favorite filmmakers, but favorite pieces of what filmmakers produce. For example, I'm a huge fan of Sidney Lumet's Network and Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous, and both movies have really shaped the way that I look at creating a film.
8. How has your life changed since you became a filmmaker?
Your life becomes more public as a filmmaker. A certain sense of privacy gets tossed out the window, so you can't really live anonymously.
9. What is one piece of advice you can give to someone who also wants to make it in the movie business?
Just keep working. You hear about filmmakers that have this one project they've been developing for a decade, but they never make it. If you've got a passion project like that, keep developing it, but don't drop everything. Have other titles ready to go while you're waiting on that, because I think you lose a certain amount of respect when you keep waiting around. It is important to be driven and to keep moving along.
10. How would you describe your film education?
I took film classes at Georgia Southern University, but I got my degree in Public Relations. As JamesWorks has been around for six years now, we've learned a lot through trial and error. For example, we would never produce a film like we did when we started out. While we had secured some big attachments for our first film, That Guy: the Legacy of Dub Taylor, we really just threw in everything and the kitchen sink hoping that something would stick. We are much more organized now, walking into every project with a distinctive strategy and plan. But I think that's really the case with all filmmakers and you grow and evolve, taking lessons you learn from each project to apply to your next.
11. How would you describe the film "scene" where you live?
In Savannah, there's a great film community because of the Savannah College of Art and Design. The Savannah Film Festival is one of the most well-regarded in the world, and of course, Atlanta is one of the nation's leading independent film communities, with Georgia being one of the top five film producing states in the country. Certainly, we're in a great place.
12. How has social media changed the independent film industry?
Social media gives us the power to connect directly with our audiences and fans like never before. In fact, I can't imagine working in the film industry without social media anymore. I love having the capability to talk directly with our fans so we can discuss things that they are interested in.
13. What is the casting process like?
Casting is such a fun process, because you'll end up with five fantastic candidates that could each perform the same role. However, you know that they'll approach it in very different ways. Then, you're left with the difficult decision of figuring out how that actor's take on the character will impact the entire texture of the film. As a director, it's not my job to dictate the character to the actor, but to come up with a mutually negotiated vision of what that character looks like between the actor, myself, and the source material. I think it's important to find people that share that view.
14. How does independent film differ from the mainstream?
Independent film fills a space that mainstream cinema really cannot. We can never forget that the film industry is a business, and as such, studio tentpoles need to make money so smaller films can be financed. They are riskier and they don't always return a profit. However, that's why we have to have these bigger films to keep the smaller ones going. While I personally prefer working in the independent space, I certainly am not opposed to working within the "mainstream," so long as I can tell the stories I want to make.
15. You could go back in time and see any classic film being made. Which film would it be?
I'd go back and watch The Great Train Robbery. Today, when we have all of these digital resources, I think it would be fascinating to go way back and see what the first films were doing to attain the image. I'm sure it would boggle my mind, and I would have given up with the many multifaceted challenges they faced.
16. You could be any animal. Which would you be?
Easy, I'd be a Raptor Riding Shark. Google it.
17. You could have any super power. What would it be?
I would like to be able to teleport anywhere instantly. As I love to travel, I would go to all of the places that I want to visit, and some I'd go back to every day. For example, I would start my morning's at Caffe Poliziano in Montepulciano, Italy for a Latte, moving to S&S Cafeteria for Lunch in Macon, GA, and stopping by Avatar's Punjabi Burrito in Mill Valley, CA for Dinner. That would be the life.
18. Do you believe on life on other planets?
Until we can prove there isn't, I'd like to think there is. It seems quite arrogant to think that we're the only living creatures in a vast and rapidly expanding universe, you know?
Thanks James for taking the time to answer my questions. I'll make sure to see "Followed" as soon as it comes to my neighborhood film festival.
Information about James Kicklighter and his film "Followed" can be accessed from the following web links:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1803157/ "Followed" IMDB page http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2155567/ James Kicklighter's IMDB page http://www.indiegogo.com/Followed Fundrasing page for "Followed".
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