Jeremy Bell Writer/Director of "Reunion"

Jeremy Bell was born and raised in Centralia, Washington. After an aborted attempt at an anthropology degree he began writing full-time. His script Hope Springs Eternal was a 2005 semifinalist in the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition. Reunion is his directorial debut. Jeremy lives in Seattle with his wife Jennifer and a fat gray cat, who shall remain nameless.

What is the current project you are working on? 

Jeremy Bell (writer-director): I’m currently prepared to direct a no-budget horror movie from a script I wrote called Reunion. It’s about four old friends on the weekend of their ten-year reunion. They end up trapped in a house by a man who claims they assaulted him in high school. It gets ugly from there.

 Did you always want to be a filmmaker? 

Jeremy: I actually did not. I grew up being creative – as a kid and teenager it was mostly drawing and then painting. But, being from a smaller, blue-collar community, it never occurred to me that this was something I could do career-wise. After an aborted attempt at majoring in anthropology at the University of Washington I realized writing – telling stories – was my passion. I started writing and that eventually led to screenplays.  And then the next step was to take the decision as to whether something was going to get produced out of Hollywood’s hands.

 What inspired you to become filmmaker? 

Jeremy: I took a roundabout path to it, only arriving here in my mid-to-late thirties.  I became a filmmaker out of necessity really – I wanted control of my own scripts. I was lucky to have Matt Ralston (full disclosure – we’re cousins), who has similar tastes in movies, ready to take the leap with me. He’d been producing for a Seattle ad agency so he had a leg up on that side of it. It’s been a learning experience for both us, and always will be. There’s always more to learn.

 What is the best thing about being one? 

Jeremy:  I just enjoy the creative process, the way it ebbs and flows. It never ends really, even after the end credits you’ll still always be thinking about what you could have done differently. It’s exhilarating. And exhausting.

What is the worst thing about being one? 

Jeremy: On this current project the worst times have been where Matt and I have been overwhelmed doing the little things that you never really give much thought to being part of this whole process. That might be anything from breaking down the script, scheduling actors, acquiring props. The kind of things on a bigger production we’d be paying someone else to worry about. All necessary parts of the process, but mind-numbing sometimes.

What is the estimated number of projects you have worked on? 

Jeremy: I shot one short before film school (unfinished – we’d love to finish it for the DVD release of Reunion) called Ewok Assault. All of my other projects were in school, probably ten in all. After school we went straight into pre-production on Reunion. That’s eaten up the last year.

 Who  is your favorite filmmaker? 

Jeremy: Toughy. Since he has a film in theaters right now, I’ll say Terrence Malick. Beautiful films and he does his own thing. The trailer for The Tree Of Life made my wife cry.

 How has your life changed since you became a filmmaker? 

Jeremy:  I’ve gone insane.

What is one piece of advice you can give to someone who also wants to make it in the movie business? 

Jeremy: Make films for yourself. And because film is a collaborative medium, pick your collaborators well.  Also – and I cannot stress this enough – a supportive spouse can make your life infinitely easier.

What do you like to do besides filmmaking? 

Jeremy: I hang out with my beautiful wife, watch movies, read. I’m a homebody. Very boring.

Have you had any other jobs before you decided to become a filmmaker? 

Jeremy: I meandered around trying to figure out what I was doing with myself. I worked at a video store in Seattle briefly. After that I worked for the Seattle Public Library at the Rainier Beach branch checking in and shelving books. Very sexy stuff. And then my wife suggested I go to film school. That made sense.

What are some of your favorite American films? Foreign films? Television shows? 

Jeremy: American Films: Days of Heaven, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Foreign: La Dolce Vita, The 400 Blows, Wild Strawberries, Seven Samurai.

Television: Lost, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Arrested Development, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Rome, Battlestar Galactica, Fringe.

 How would you describe your film education? 

Jeremy: I watch movies, any way I can. And I try to see a variety of stuff, not limit myself to a few genres. I’ll give pretty much anything a chance if it doesn’t star Paris Hilton.

 How would you describe the film "scene" where you live? 

Jeremy: Small. I live in Seattle and even if you haven’t met someone working locally, you probably know someone who knows that someone. Or something. How many times can I use someone in one sentence? It’s small, but very supportive.

 How has social media changed the independent film industry? 

Jeremy: It’s allowing us as filmmakers to grow awareness of our little indie movies before we shoot frame one. And it allows a conversation to take place between filmmakers and fans. For us, on Reunion, we’re still trying to figure out how best to utilize those tools. Others have figured that  out faster than we have, but it’s something we’re always thinking about.

What's your opinion on crowdfunding and recent crowdfunding scandals? 

Jeremy: We raised our first $10,000 on Kickstarter and are currently trying to fill in the rest of our budget with an Indiegogo campaign so we’re fans. I’m not aware of the scandals you’re referring to, but like anything online, it’s a system that could be abused. We feel a deep devotion to our donors – these were the first people to show a commitment to us as filmmakers. It’s not easy, in the midst of a hectic pre-production schedule to get rewards out quickly sometimes (if you’re waiting for a T-shirt from us, my wife is on it!), but we’re trying our best.

What is the casting process like? 

Jeremy: For a no-budget feature your actors are your biggest assets, so you want to get this right. Because it was just Matt and I throughout most of our casting process we had to be a little creative. I wanted to see a lot of actors, but it wasn't feasible for us to bring in hundreds of people for a big casting call. So for our first round of casting I asked actors to submit videos, either of their prior work, their reels, or I would send them script sides and they could use those to make an audition tape. Once the cutoff date for those submissions came and went we went through the videos and decided which actors we wanted to bring in for in-person auditions. It’s probably not a perfect system and I’m sure we made more than our share of mistakes, but it did yield us an amazing group of actors. We couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out.

 How does independent film differ from the mainstream? 

Jeremy: It should be more original. Without the need to hit $100 million on your opening weekend you can get away from remakes and reboots and sequel number seven and tell original stories in original ways.

 You could go back in time and see any classic film being made. Which film would it be and why? 

Jeremy: Star Wars. I’d be curious to see how much attention Lucas gave his actors on that first film compared to what he did on the prequels.

 What's your favorite movie quote and why? 

Jeremy: “I know” from The Empire Strikes Back. Because, you know.

You could have any super power. What would it be? 

Jeremy: The power to dodge questions.

 What is your opinion on movie remakes? 

Jeremy: If you’re remaking a movie that underwhelmed the first time that’s one thing, but an American remake of Let The Right One In was completely unnecessary. And now they’re remaking Old Boy? I’ll see it, but I won’t be happy about it!

What is your opinion on book to movie adaptions? 

Jeremy: I’d like to try one.

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

Jeremy: Go make your movie, if that’s what you want to do, but keep in mind that 90% of the work you’ll be doing will take place before you even turn on the camera. Plan, plan, plan. And then plan some more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for doing the interview Jeremy.  I wish you the best of luck with "Reunion".