What is the current project you are working on?
We're currently in post-production for a short film called "3 Bullets" about two men who witness a violent crime and need to decide whether to ignore it or take action. It's a tight script by John MJS McGuinness with a lot of dramatic tension between the two leads (played by Clarence Wethern and Andrew Sass). I expect post- will be finished sometime this summer after which we will be shopping it around film festivals. And last week I wrote and co-directed an Adventure Serial for Minneapolis' 48 Hour Film Project with team Steeltoe Stiletto.
Did you always want to be a filmmaker?
Secretly. I consider myself a man of the theatre, but I've always found myself drawn to the rigorous narrative structures of film.
What inspired you to become filmmaker?
The concerted effort of my friend John McGuinness. I've always had immense appreciation for film, and am intensely curious about the relationship between audience and art. I've been studying theatre and storytelling since I was 13. Over time that exploration expanded to include games, site-specific art, modern dance, visual art, puppetry, and eventually film. I like art that has a high degree of complexity, and am fascinated by any creation process that requires me to maintain an expanded awareness. After writing and directing some incredibly complicated plays, the jump to film seemed like a very natural transition. But it took a little push to get me there.
What is one piece of advice you can give to someone who also wants to make it in the movie business?
The same advice I would give to anyone doing anything: Make lots of friends. Learn to recognize talent. Appreciate everyone. Use them well. Don't give up.
What do you like to do besides filmmaking?
I am the co-Artistic Director of Walking Shadow Theatre Company in Minneapolis with my friend David Pisa and my wife Amy Rummenie. I write and direct a number of plays each year. And as a hobby, I also sing for the steampunk rock band Bad September.
What are some of your favorite American films? Foreign films? Television shows?
Films that inspire me include: Adaptation, The Prestige, Pulp Fiction, Gosford Park, North by Northwest, 28 Days Later, Run Lola Run, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Yojimbo, Singin' In the Rain, Vertigo, Monsters Inc, FunnyBones, Kill Bill, F Is for Fake, 22 Short Films About Glen Gould, Touch of Evil, The Maltese Falcon, Amelie, The Third Man, Fight Club, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Unforgiven, The Matrix, The Remains of the Day, The Princess Bride, Exit Through the Gift Shop, The Lord of the Rings movies, Fargo, The Hudsucker Proxy, The Manchurian Candidate (original) - to name a few.
TV shows I like include: Jeeves & Wooster, Firefly, The IT Crowd, Slings and Arrows, Seinfeld, and the Venture Brothers. And there are also four plays that I always go back to for inspiration: Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde by Moises Kaufmann, 36 Views by Naomi Iizuka, 1001 by Jason Grote, and Seventy Scenes of Halloween by Jeffrey Jones.
How would you describe your film education?
Self-taught with guidance. I was trained in the theatre and have experience with all aspects of my field (acting, writing, directing, design). I got some subtle and not-so-subtle indications from the world that I should branch into filmmaking, and have pursued it with incredible vigor in the past six months.
How would you describe the film "scene" where you live?
The Minnesota film scene is really bubbling right now. Lots of independents are being made each year, and we're one of the most competitive cities in the 48 Hour Film Project. Since I started making films I've met more and more people who have an excitement for the artform, and I feel like it's being very well supported by the local community.
What is the casting process like?
I regularly work with actors through my job as a theatre producer, so I tend to reach out to the many talented people that I have personal connection with. We had open auditions for 3 Bullets, and cast Clarence Wethern and Andrew (AJ) Sass from those. Conveniently, I had worked with Clarence on Walking Shadow's production of Neil LaBute's Some Girl(s), and my producer John McGuinness worked with AJ on the film Last Breath. It helps immensely to have that working history with the actors.
You could go back in time and see any classic film being made. Which film would it be and why?
I'd like to suggest that a better use of a time machine would be to visit the set of my future feature and see how I secured funding. But if I had to choose a film from the past, it would probably be Citizen Kane. I have an immense respect for Orson Welles' career and the way he transitioned through different mediums. I'd love to know how he and his crew made their production decisions.
What is your opinion on movie remakes?
In the theatre world it's quite normal for a script to have multiple, completely different productions - so to me it seems only natural that films should be given the same treatment. That said, I've rarely enjoyed the remake of something as much as I enjoyed the original. There's too much pressure on a remake to be different from the original in order to justify its existence.
What is your opinion on book to movie adaptions?
I think Charlie Kaufman's Adaptation said it better than I ever could. It all comes down to the way different mediums treat stories. Most Hollywood films are pretty rigidly narrative, whereas novels have greater freedom to meander - and often quite a bit of the tone and feeling of the original can be lost in that translation - as well as a lot of depth. But I think there have been some film adaptations that are actually much better than the original material. I certainly felt that way about Election and High Fidelity - which are both books that I love.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I like to encourage people to think across typical artistic boundaries. As artists the best thing we can do is to recognize the strengths and merits of each medium, and then exploit that medium to its fullest potential.
Thanks for doing the interview. Readers can get more information about the Walking Shadow Theatre Company by clicking here.
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