TEN ‘TIL NOON, a critically acclaimed crime thriller, is Scott Storm’s second feature as a director. A film festival darling, with nine awards to its credit, the film secured both a small theatrical and worldwide DVD release.
Following TTN’s festival run, Scott served as co-producer, star and animator on the documentary, OFFICIAL REJECTION, a film that both chronicles the festival run of TEN ‘TIL NOON and serves as a film festival navigational tool for independent filmmakers worldwide.
His first feature, BURN, was a Slamdance Film Festival official selection and Special Jury award winner. Director Bryan Singer (THE USUAL SUSPECTS, X- MEN) and musician Adam Duritz (COUNTING CROWS) both served as executive producers. The film enjoyed a global film festival run, resulting also in a second-place award at WORLDFEST.
Scott attended both the School of Visual Arts and New York University Tisch School of the Arts, earning a BFA in Film and Television. The rights to his thesis film, SMILE, were sold to MTV Productions in 1997 and it has been broadcast during the Halloween season.
Scott has worked as an animation director on both local and nationwide television spots for MTV, NINTENDO and NICKELODEON. He has also worked in post-production editing feature films, reality television shows and award-winning theatrical trailers. In 2005, he traveled to Sydney, Australia, to perform special editing work on Bryan Singer’s SUPERMAN RETURNS.
Scott currently resides in Sherman Oaks, California with his wife and newborn son.
What is the current project you are working on?
That's a bit of a trifecta. On the one hand, I completed work on the investigative documentary WE RUN SH*T, a harrowing look into the experiences of a small group of club promoters navigating high ambition, criminal activity and borderline poverty at the hight of the economic downturn in America. On this picture I served as co-director, co-producer, editor and (gulp) animator. More info at www.werunshitmovie.com. This film is currently out to festivals and we are also taking meetings with potential distributors.
On the other, I am in the VERY early stages of development on a new screenplay by my TEN 'TIL NOON and OFFICIAL REJECTION partner in crime, Paul Osborne. SMALL HOURS is a dark character drama, right up my alley, that will be shot in spring or summer of 2012.
Lastly, in actual production, is a short animated film, THE APPLE TREE. I started work on it in February and it is being done entirely in Adobe Photoshop and After Effects. Since I have an animation background, having directed commercials in the 90's and done animated work on both OFFICIAL REJECTION and WE RUN SH*T, this seemed like a great way to keep my creative muscles flexed while larger projects took time to get rolling. It requires no money at all. I have the idea and I have the tools at my disposal. All it takes is time, effort and patience.
How would you describe your film education?
I went to three different film schools, because I am very difficult to please. The School of Visual Arts in NYC, Emerson College in Boston, and NYU. Honestly, I did not learn much more in film school than I hadn't already taught myself while running around the upstate New York woods with my friends and a Super-8 camera. So while I don't actually think film school is a great way to spend your time and money, I did form one or two lifelong friendships that would serve me later on, both personally and professionally.
What's your favorite movie quote and why?
It's not even from one of my favorite films. When Willy Wonka grabbed Veruca Salt's face and turned it toward him after her blurting out, "Snozberry? Who ever heard of a snozberry?", what came from him was something I'd never have expected.
"We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams."
So simple, so direct, so humbling. That statement sums up everything I believe about being creative and taking full responsibility for what you do with all that inspires you. It's another reason I also love watching other filmmakers' work. Because although you can feel that twinge of healthy competition from them, and even a hint of envy when you are blown away by what you see, you can also take comfort in being a part of a close-knit and super cool society.
Did you always want to be a filmmaker?
No, I'd originally thought I'd be an onithologist, because I loved birds. We had a birdfeeder right outside our kitchen window and at one point, I could name them all. Then I discovered music through one of my oldest and dearest friends. We had a basement band and I played the drums. My parents never recovered from the pounding chords of RUSH, YES, RETURN TO FOREVER and even the odd LYNYRD SKYNYRD songs wafting up through the vents. Then of course, I found a movie camera.
What inspired you to become filmmaker?
Predictably, STAR WARS. I had never seen anything like it. I saw it 20 times at least that first year in 1977. I was all about special effects for awhile there. But then when I started seeing the more serious dramas of Sidney Lumet, Martin Scorsese and Milos Forman, my interests shifted almost instantly.
What is the best thing about being one?
Being able to birth an idea and make it into something larger than life. You conceive it, you grow it with the help of close friends and collaborators, and then you can sit back and watch it and share it with others. Regardless of what period your story takes place in, each film you make is a time capsule for that chapter of your life, and you can replay it over and over again.
What is the worst thing about being one?
It's expensive, exhausting work, and often times...as I have unfortunately seen, it can cost you both relationships and friendships.
What is the estimated number of projects you have worked on?
All in all, I'd say 25 to 30
Who is is your favorite filmmaker?
That would have to be a tie. Peter Weir and Terrence Malick, both of whom I've had the extreme pleasure of meeting personally. Their films speak to me on levels that not many do and they are both masters of story and image. After seeing their early work I was never the same again...thank God.
How has your life changed since you became a filmmaker?
Always for the better, even in the wake of disaster. Because every day I wake up and face the day, I am making something. I am creating. And I always go to bed with a tremendous feeling of accomplishment. A day spent without creation is a day wasted.
What is one piece of advice you can give to someone who also wants to make it in the movie business?
Be relentless. Become an extrovert. Conquer all fear. Network. See many, many movies. Even the bad ones. Network. (this is something I've still never mastered) Do not trust easily. Most people you meet and talk to in the business are entirely full of shit. Be choosy of your allies. Network.
What do you like to do besides filmmaking?
Spending time with my family, live music, live theater, hiking in the northeast, travelling (outside the U.S.)
Have you had any other jobs before you decided to become a filmmaker?
I ripped tickets at my local cineplex, and was soon banished to the projection booth when I refused to take bullshit from customers at the concession stand. I painted subways in Brooklyn. I was a shipper-receiver for an Ad Agency in New York. I had a stint as a picture framer. Last job before I made the leap was editing wedding videos. I do not wish those years of hell on anyone.
What are some of your favorite American films? Foreign films? Television shows?
AMERICAN FILMS: Dog Day Afternoon, Taxi Driver, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Network, Badlands...
FOREIGN FILMS: The Year of Living Dangerously, Wings of Desire, The Seven Samurai, The Virgin Spring, City of God
TV SHOWS: *Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, Mad Men, Entourage, The Shield
*funny story: as I was coming INTO NYU as a sophmore transfer, a guy named Vince Gilligan, creator of BREAKING BAD, was graduating. We were shown the short films of the outgoing class at an orientation. Mr. Gilligan's film, I thought was one of the worst I had ever seen. So strange he went on to create one of my favorite television shows.
How would you describe the film "scene" where you live?
I am not terribly involved in the "scene" because I find most filmmakers I meet in Los Angeles to be utterly pretentious. There are some truly talented people here, some who I met on the film festival circuit, but I steer clear of the "scene" because I prefer to collaborate with people who don't strike me as instantly dishonest. I do recognize that this could also be born of my own personal issues with people in general. Some time ago, I did try to go to some indie film group functions and workshops, but what I found there was largely a bunch of people pissing and moaning about how hard it was to get their films made.
How has social media changed the independent film industry?
It's enabled filmmakers to get the word out about their work without having to rely on publicists, producer's reps or marketing budgets. That is, providing that you have a wide reaching network or have access to people who do. You no longer have to wait around for someone to "take you on" as it were. With social media, you can bring your film directly to as many people as you can gather.
What's your opinion on crowdfunding?
Well, I've seen it work tremendously well for a few friends of mine. It's not worked for others. Again, it's all about your tenacity and determination and of course, your relentlessness. I am going to give this a try in the coming months. But since I am not a terribly social individual, I do expect to hit a few brick walls. Having said that, I also will be enlisting the help of someone who's been there and done that and listen to what he has to say. It seems like the wave of the future for indie film, especially in that you are only asking people for as much as they can spare. In doing that, no participant is going to feel like they are in over their heads, and none will expect a monetary return on their "usually small" investment in your project. The more you gather, the more you have to work with. One can't know for sure if this will be a lasting trend, but it looks like a great idea is here for the taking.
What was you favorite cartoon when you were growing up?
Without question, Jonny Quest. I'd never seen something that took such risks in pushing the cartoon violence envelope...that is until I became aware of Ralph Bakshi. But it was just everything a young kid could ask for. The jazz soundtrack was another thing that made it a cut above the rest. Of course then the networks wussed out and cut a good portion of the gunplay and anything that could possibly be construed as racist. In my view, you just let it be. It was a product of the times.
What is the casting process like?
It's grueling. You usually have little to no money, but you still have to find the best of the best in spite of that. You cannot always be successful. And often times, you have an actor who KILLS the audition, and then when it comes time to shoot, they choke. I have had this happen once or twice. It's a risk. But when you go in knowing you've found the right people for the right parts, it's the most rewarding thing on earth.
How does independent film differ from the mainstream?
It has cajones. It doesn't try to be anything for anybody. It tells dangerous, volatile, rapturous, emotional and unusual stories. Don't get me wrong, some mainstream films DO get it right. But a precious few. I'll take a BLUE VALENTINE over a HARRY POTTER any day of the week.
You could go back in time and see any classic film being made. Which film would it be and why?
NETWORK, simply because I'd get to hang with Paddy Chayefsky, who I consider to be the greatest screenwriter who ever lived, and Sidney Lumet, whose work I've championed since I first saw Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico as a kid. I'd have drinks with William Holden, dinner with Faye Dunaway....and hide in the corner and watch the filming of Ned Beatty giving that unforgettable speech to Peter Finch in the dim light of that board room.
You could have any super power. What would it be?
To manifest money so that I could stop working for a living and direct full time, help my super-talented friends get THEIR films made, and make sure my kids had the best education money can buy.
What is your opinion on movie remakes?
It's cowardly and safe. It is also disgusting. Just because we have a new generation every 20 years does NOT mean they need to see an updating of something that was cool 20 years before, but catered to THEIR sensibilities. It's criminal. It's just plain stupid.
What is your opinion on book to movie adaptions?
It's not fair for me to really answer this, because I'm one of those weird-ass people who would rather see a movie than read a book. Of course, George R. R. Martin is slowly changing that. But it was because I saw the HBO adaptation of GAME OF THRONES that made me want to dive into the remaining books in the series. I'm far too impatient to wait for the show to be made and aired.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
No I think that about covers it. Thanks!
Thanks for doing the interview Scott. Keep me posted on your projects. I'm a big fan of Mr. Paul Osborne. "Official Rejection" is one of my favorite independent films. Follow Scott on Twitter @stormwatcher6.
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