Tamara Lowery Author Of The Waves Of Darkness Series

Tamara Lowery is a former maid and current auto industry worker. She is a graduate of Soddy-Daisy High School and Chattanooga State, where she majored in Journalism. She is a new author. She currently lives in Tennessee with her husband and the Rottentots, her cats.

To learn more about Tamara and her work please visit the following websites:

http://facebook.com/pages/Waves-of-Darkness/209264812443773
http://facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001147240611
http://plurk.com/Viksbelle
http://gypsyshadow.com/TamaraLowery.html#top
http://en.netlog.com/tamaralowery

What is the current project you are working on?

Several, actually. The foremost is the reformatting of the manuscript for Demon Bayou, the second installment in my Waves of Darkness series, which is slated for release from Gypsy Shadow Publishing this October. (My publisher has adopted the Smashwords submission style guidelines to make for easier ebook distribution.) I also have three ongoing manuscripts I'm working on: Hell's Dodo, the fifth book in the Waves of Darkness series; A Dream of Water, a YA fantasy inspired by a dream I had last Spring; and The Adventures of Pigg and Woolfe, a Steampunk serial.

How do you define success?

Perseverance.

How do you handle rejection?

I look for the positive. Why was something rejected, and what can I do to improve it? Also, rejection is sometimes a Godsend. Blood Curse, my debut novel and the first in the Waves of Darkness series, was rejected by several agents and publishers before Gypsy Shadow signed me. Last year I saw a lot of stink being raised about one particular publisher that had rejected the MS over their ill-treatment of several of their authors. I figure I dodged a bullet there.

Did you always want to be a writer?

No. I wanted to be a ballerina when I was five. I HAVE always had an interest in the written word and have been an avid reader from an early age. In Junior High, I wanted to go into Journalism, and even majored in this in college. But, as far as I'm concerned, real journalism is nearly dead. Given the choice of tabloidism or writing honest fiction, I'll go with the fiction. Also, "Real Life" side-tracked my writing aspirations for a couple of decades, but it gave me a better perspective from which to write.

What inspired you to become a writer?

Put simply: reading. When I read, I tend to get totally submersed in a book to the point of having to put it down for a moment and "walk it off" when I get too emotionally wrapped up. My mind was writing fan fiction years before I'd ever even heard the term.

What is the best thing about being one?

World building. I love when I sit down to write, and what appears on the paper surprises me. Often it's as if I am just a channel to scribe out what my characters are telling me or are seeing or experiencing.

What is the worst thing about being one?

Organizing my thoughts. That, and having inspiration hit when it's not convenient to write. (I work a full time job to pay the bills, and write during work breaks.) It can be very frustrating when my mind starts scrolling through scenes faster than I can write it coherently.

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

Around 15 narratives, some of which are only school memories. (The MSs were lost in one of my many moves.) I can't remember how much poetry I wrote back in school. Only one narrative has been published to date. Actually, The Adventures of Pigg and Woolfe is a revamping of an old creative writing exercise from High School. We had to pick a nursery rhyme or fairy tale and put our own twist on it. I had taken The Three Little Pigs and made it into a space opera. Rather than try to repeat that experiment, I decided to take the two main characters, Clyde Pigg and Draeger Woolfe, and adapt them to a Steampunk setting.

Who is your favorite author?

I have to pick ONE? Tolkien, Douglas Adams, Anne McCaffrey, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Janet Evanovich, Laurell K. Hamilton, Jean Auel, Michael Gear & Kathleen O'Neal Gear, Elizabeth Peters, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, Michael Romkey...shall I go on?

How has your life changed since you became writer?

Just in the last year I've entered a world I'd never dreamed I would. Just the wonder of feeling accepted into a community I used to only observe from the outside as a fan is WONDERFUL. It also has given me the access to lessons others have learned the hard way.

What is one piece of advice you can give to someone who also wants to be a writer?

Write what you like to read. Practice, practice, practice. DO NOT GIVE UP YOUR DREAM...EVER. I went through four years of rejections before finding a publisher. There are others who went through many more years than that. Watch your grammar. If you can find a used grammar textbook at a school or used bookstore, BUY IT. Do NOT rely solely on spellcheck programs. THEN and THAN are NOT INTERCHANGABLE! Make sure your manuscript is as clean and professional looking as possible before submitting it to a publisher. That is one of my biggest pet peeves and is a sure way to mark a writer as an amateur. Your editor will thank you. A sloppy MS is guaranteed rejection. If you aren't sure about a passage, read it aloud, or better, let someone else read it aloud, and see if it makes sense. Do not be afraid to rewrite. NEVER think that what you wrote is perfect; there is always room for improvement. Be prepared for a lot of hard work for very little monetary return. Authors who become multi-millionaires are the exception to the rule, not the norm. If you have a day job, for God's sake, DON'T QUIT! Most of the other authors I know can't afford health insurance, and some of them are big names in their genres. Lastly, build an online presence. Publishers do look at your "platform" of social networks. They are more likely to sign a new author who already has a large potential reader base. Publishing is a business. They don't publish books just out of the kindness of their heart; they expect to make money. They aren't going to invest a lot in something they don't think will give them good returns. Keep in mind, however, that self-publishing has become a very viable options for those who don't fit the current "market" model. If you decide to go this route, however, I would suggest finding a reliable and reasonably priced freelance editor: see comments about sloppy manuscripts.

What do you like to do besides writing?

Draw, sing, read, and once in a while piddle with crafts as the mood hits and time allows.

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

Yes. I have worked retail. I was a maid for seven years. I've worked food service. Currently, and probably until I retire, I build Volkswagens, working in the Body Weld shop. Specifically, I'm part of the team that builds the hoods, fenders and trunk lids for the Passat.

How would you describe your education?

Worth it. I probably would have been a professional student, if I could have afforded it. As it was, I only achieved an Associates of Arts in Journalism back in 1988.

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

To Kill a Mockingbird. (The movie was great, the book was even better.) A guilty pleasure used to be late 70s-early 80s barbarian flicks, swords and sorcery stuff. They were so cheesy. My favorite foreign film would be Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Besides being fantastic eye candy, it is a very good story with well developed characters. I'm also a Star Wars fan, although Episodes 1-3 were high on effects and low on story, kind of like a huge, beautiful wedding cake that turns out to be all icing with a stale mini bran muffin at the core. As for TV: both seasons of HBO's Rome, True Blood, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, American Idol (sometimes I think the judges are drinking the blue toilet water in those cups based on some of their comments), and Deadliest Catch. I still miss Capt. Phil Harris.

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

I'm not really sure. I haven't had the time to look into local writing groups or workshops.


How has social media changed the publishing industry?

It has put a lot more of the burden of promotions on the author, but it has also opened the industry wide to independant publishing houses and self-publishing.

You could have any first edition book. Which book would it be and why?

There was an old, ragged Christmas carol songbook that my grandmother had. I wouldn't have to have a first edition, but I'd love to find a copy. It had two variations of the carol The Holly and the Ivy, one with the traditional English tune you always hear and one with a traditional French tune I have NEVER heard anyone record. Personally, I always thought the French tune was prettier.

What's your favorite movie quote and why?

I don't really have a favorite.


What is your opinion on movie remakes and sequels?

I judge them on an individual basis. Some are good, some should never have been done. Night of the Hunter, for instance, should not have been remade. Seeing the color remake lost a lot of the atmosphere and charm of the original. The original was made in black and white for a reason. Color technology had been available to the studios for decades when it was shot.


What is your opinion on book to movie adaptions?

Depends on the screen writer, casting, and director. However, if a movie captures someone's attention enough to make them look for the book, then it is definitely a good thing. Which reminds me, I need to add The Color Purple to my to-buy book list.


Is there anything else you would like to add?

Yes, I'm still a bit giddy about my debut novel, Blood Curse, ranking #7 on this years Preditors and Editors Readers' Poll in the horror category. I was surprised to have been nominated, but to finish in the top ten was fantastic!

Blood Curse is the first book in the Waves of Darkness series, which follows the adventures and trials of Viktor Brandewyne, a bloodthirsty pirate in the truest sense. He draws the ire of a very powerful witch after killing one of her favorites in a dispute over a tavern wench. She curses him to become a living vampire: he has all the powers of a traditional vampire, but is unaffected by sunlight or holy items. Given his ruthless nature, one would think this was more a blessing than a curse, but there's a catch. The curse will eventually destroy him, starving him to death regardless of how much he feeds and robbing him of all self-control until there is nothing but his Hunger. To avoid this fate, he has to find the seven Sisters of Power, perform tasks for them in exchange for a portion of their magic, and bring it back to Mother Celie, the old witch (and eighth Sister) who raised him from an orphan, to free him from the curse. He is aided in his quest by Hezekiah Grimm, aka The Grimm Reaper, his first mate, Belladonna, a man-eating siren, and Lazarus, a shape-shifting creature that is sometimes a large black cat and sometimes a raven.

Each book in the series deals with a separate Sister. The Sisters will not be easy to find, nor will they be easy to please.

Blood Curse is available as an ebook from http://gypsyshadow.com/TamaraLowery.html#BloodCurse as well as from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, Omnilit/AllRomance, and other ebook outlets. I have posted a book trailer for Blood Curse on Youtube at http://youtu.be/k67QHiYAEA



Book 2 in the series, Demon Bayou, will be available from Gypsy Shadow this October.  Viktor's search for the second Sister of Power takes him to the bayou country near New Orleans. He encounters vampires not made by him for the first time. The bayous and swamps hold their own danger, as well. An ancient demon guards the way to the Sister. Worse, Belladonna starts dying in the black waters of the bayous. Viktor must choose: continue on or return the siren to the sea. Without magic from all the Sisters, he cannot break the curse. Without Belladonna, he will never find all the Sisters.

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Thanks so much for doing the interview Tamara.   I wish you the best with your projects.   Also, I didn't know there was another variation of "The Holly and the Ivy".

Actor Larry Laverty

Larry Laverty is an actor living in Oakland, California. Larry is known for the wide range of characters he plays and the unique way he brings his characters to life. He's appeared in over 100 films and over a dozen television shows. Most notably, he's appeared in John Frankenheimer's 'The Fourth War,' playing opposite Harry Dean Stanton, Gus Van Sant's 'Elephant,' 'The Hamiltons,' 'The Sanguinarian,' and 'Dead Tone,' playing opposite Rutger Hauer. His television appearances include 'Judging Amy,' 'The Practice,' 'Breaking Vegas,' 'The Tonight Show,' 'The Dating Game,' and numerous soaps including 'All My Children,' and 'Days of Our Lives.' Larry started performing professionally on stage at Oakland's Woodminster Theater playing in a number of Shakespeare's plays and numerous Broadway musicals. He prepared for his acting career by studying with The American Conservatory Theater, the Jean Shelton Actors Lab, The Groundlings, and Second City among others. He holds two college degrees, one in Business Administration, one in Political Science. Competitive in sports all his life, he ran on the track team at Oakland's Skyline High School, and spent 11 years competing in speedskating and bicycle racing. Larry was born in Berkeley, California and grew up in nearby Oakland.

What is the current project you are working on?

Early in my career, I had the great good fortune of working on two films with Irish filmmaker Dermot Tynan who was living temporarily in California at the time. We've kept in touch for the twenty years since that time and finally, we get to work together again, this time in Ireland. Dermot is feverishly writing away and I'm anxious to get a look at the script very soon. He knows how much I enjoy playing oddball characters and he has a dandy in mind this time around. The film will be titled 'Green Star Liner.' We have no dates set yet but it's not too far off, especially since we've both been waiting for twenty years so far.

What is it like working with Gus Van Sant and Rutger Hauer?

I had just taken a leave of absence from Hollywood to focus on independent films all over the country. My agent in Portland, Oregon called to say she had an audition for me for a film called 'Elephant,' to be directed by Oregon resident Gus Van Sant. I went and later worked a week on the film. The timing was good as I'd recently spent a number of years studying Improv which was a good thing as Gus encouraged us to flesh out our characters from the script in our own ways. It was such a pleasure being given free reign by a director of Gus' stature. He's such a calm spirit and very supportive. A few months later, I visited Gus in his downtown Portland office where he was cutting 'Elephant' and I look forward to the day we work together again.

Rutger Hauer is yet another story. I'd grown up watching 'Blade Runner' and a couple of other Rutger Hauer films so I was well aware of his legendary status. Funny thing though, the first day I reported for work, I couldn't find anybody to check in with except a hand full of the salty drivers who move the equipment trucks around. I hung out with them for a few minutes and then noticed that one of them looked familiar. It was Rutger, just hanging out with the Teamsters like I was. Later, on the set, he held court as most veteran celebrities seem to do, fielding a stream of autograph seekers and recalling stories from various well-known films he'd worked.

Did you always want to be an actor?

That's funny! It never dawned on me to even try acting until I was 24 years old and took an acting class on a whim during my last year of college. It just never crossed my mind and I actually thought the whole acting thing was strange. I'd been on a couple of children's television shows when I was a kid and had sung in church choirs all my life but I was far more interested in sports and doing things outdoors. What worked for me was that acting allowed me to explore all sorts of things that people do in life, a pattern that I'd gotten into as I worked a wide variety of jobs to pay my way through college. Never say never, it is said. Now I've been acting professionally for over 20 years, exploring all sorts of careers and many aspects of humanity, and I really can't imagine myself doing anything else.

What is the best thing about being an actor?

I love the art in it all. I love creating these characters I play. I love taking a script, chewing on it, and bringing the images on a page to life. And I get to travel to all corners of town, to every corner of the United States and Canada and later this year to Ireland to do it. I've always fed on challenges in life and it took a good ten years of performing before I actually felt like I'd gotten fully in touch with my imagination and felt justified in calling myself an artist, an actor. Ten years! Along the way, I've worked with lots of wonderful people and animals and I love the collaboration that goes on in making a movie. It's really inspiring when a group of talented people come together to make something. But there are more challenges I'm facing in the works, and that's OK, like re-establishing myself in Hollywood. I trained in Business and worked in business before becoming an actor so my mind's suited to the business side of acting too and its going to take every ounce of what I've got to get back to where I was in Hollywood before I left to focus on indie films.

What is the estimated number of projects you've worked on?

From the early days I started doing this professionally, I became aware that some actors have careers that amount to only a few dozen films or select Tv shows. And then there are others who like to be working all the time and end up working in over one hundred or even two hundred films. I've now worked in over one hundred films and over a dozen television shows and I feel like I'm just getting started. When I was in L.A. the first time, I focused on television, but once I left the establishment to work

only indie films, I had to find work in as many as I could to make it pay financially.

There were times where I was preparing three or four films at the same time. It was crazy-making. I'd spend an hour or two a day prepping one character, take a break, and then go to work prepping the next character and so on. I loved it, I was doing what I loved to do and doing it all the time. But then the economy turned a few years ago and investors backed out of independent films in large numbers. So I'm working in fewer films these days and am aiming to supplement the film work with a few television roles.

How has your life changed since becoming an actor?

When I was working my way through college, I really had no firm idea what I was going to do for a career. At first, I thought I'd work my way up through a corporation like so many other folks. Then, after getting a good taste of the corporate world, I thought I might work in the public sector, trying to positively affect policy toward our environment and animal life. After a thorough search, I eventually drifted into the arts and found acting. I do my best whenever I can to support others who care about our environment and animals but I became consumed by the challenge of being an artist, both technically and financially. About five years into it, I felt I'd never be able to work in an office again. At ten years into it, and having fought hard for legitimacy, I knew there was no turning back. Having experienced all that I have and experienced it so fully, I know that acting has made me a much more aware and sensitive person. Sometimes the pain in life finds its way to my core a little more readily than I'd like.

What do you like to do besides filmmaking?

I love exploring places with friends. One of my favorite past times is going for a walk in a park, a park like Yosemite, Yellowstone, along the beach, through the forest, with someone I feel close to. I love sharing the sights and sounds of our world with other people. And in the same vane, I do what I can to make our world a little better place. I pick up litter, I help anybody who needs help, and I support those who are doing good deeds also. I'll always love being out on the road on two wheels, on a motorcycle or on a bicycle. And I love hanging out at coffee shops, catching up with old friends.

Have you had any other jobs before you decided to become an actor?

Let's see. I've delivered newspapers, maintained a botanical garden, checked groceries, sold keg beer, worked for a moving company, worked in a window factory, milked cows, worked in a warehouse, driven a forklift, been a telephone operator, a bank teller, stocked women's shoes, and mowed people's lawns. Most of these jobs involved a fair amount of sweat and I have to say that I'm grateful that I don't have to sweat very often as an actor.

How would you describe your film education?

There was that first acting class, during the time I was finishing up my second degree. The two instructors were veterans of New York and thought I had something special. To them, I'm forever grateful. Their comments and support planted a seed that really didn't sprout until several years later. After doing a few plays, I figured I'd better get to work and figure out what acting was really all about so for the next ten years, I was in and out of scene study classes, university classes, and classes about Improv. Then I ran across an interview of Anthony Hopkins in which he described the way he went about what he does and the lights bulb went on for me, there were fireworks. Between having reconnected to my imagination through Improv and realizing that absorbing the dialog of a script could be effortless, it all came together. At the same time, I'd been supplementing my acting income by working low-level crew positions on big-budget films with Academy-Award winning directors and cinematographers. From the hundreds of days on set with those folks, I got a feel for the process of making movies and soon felt just as much at home on a set as anywhere else in the world.

Furthermore...

Acting is just plain great fun, most all of the time. How wonderful to be paid for doing something that you'd almost be willing to do for free! But there's a catch. For me anyway. I'm well aware of lots of nasty things going on in the world and they bother me every day of my life. The pain that some human folk cause to animals. The way some human folk have no respect for the natural world, for their communities, for other folk. I've seen and experienced more than my share of terrible things and I imagine I'll see a bunch more while I'm here. So as a carefree actor, I'm smiling at the pain, laughing in the rain, and keepin' on smilin.'

Two films of mine will be released this year, 2012, 'Treasure State", a wonderful family film, and 'Sisterhood of Death,' an outrageous comedy, despite its title.

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Thanks for doing the interview Larry. Below are some stills Larry sent me from family film "The Wylds" he  stars in:

[slideshow]

Filmmaker Rick Greenwood

Richard (Rick) Greenwood Jr is a writer/director/producer/cinematographer who  earned his MFA degree in filmmaking from the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles CA in December 2010.  Rick was born and raised in upstate New York and came from a hard working background which not only breeds a great work ethic and determination in him and his  work, but the appreciation and value in all he sought s after and obtains.  He received his BFA in Fine Art from the University at Albany in 2008 before moving to Los Angeles in 2009 to attend grad school and begin his life in filmmaking.

With great visual esthetics, strong story telling and deep characters grounded in everyday hardships, Rickʼs films explore the dark places of the mind and society but through strong characters hope is still found in tragedy and loss.

Hinnon Valley is Rickʼs breakout film which has earned “official selection” at over a  dozen festivals and has won four awards to date. Char Hardin film reviewer for Horrorphilia.com gave the film a 5 out of 5 and listed it as one of the top 15 best short  horror films of 2011, while Gruesome Hertzogg gave it a 9 out of 10. Hinnon Valley was also featured before Scream 4 on itʼs opening weekend in a private theater in upstate New York. With the festival buzz and the amazing feedback before Scream 4 it looks  like the feature version of Hinnon Valley may be possible in the near future. Steps have been made to make Hinnon Valley available to the public for rent and sale by mid year 2012.

“Film is a medium which encompasses every aspect of art, from the visuals and dialogue to the sounds and music it IS a world of it’s own. Having the power to bring someone into a world you create and have them invest their heart and soul into it, living and breathing the characters emotions and situations is the most amazing feeling in the world.”

Richard (RICK) Greenwood Jr

nino2169@aol.com

518-322-9449

www.imdb.com/name/nm4091844

What is the current project you are working on?

In January I will be the Cinematographer for a low budget indie horror feature called “The Rental”. It will be shot in LA over the corse of three weeks. I am really excited to get to camera for my first feature. I also have two Feature scripts that I am pitching right now. The first is a dark noir conspiracy thriller called “Origin”. That one is my baby, but also a very high budget project. The second is a slasher/horror feature tentatively named “The Forgotten”. This script I wrote as lower budgeted project, which is something I am hoping to secure the funding for a go to camera on in the spring. I will direct, write and produce it.

How do you handle rejection?

How do I handle rejection?-haha Well, in this business you have to get used to it really fast. Projects will arise and struggle, then begin to look great, then disappear quicker than the first twinkle of the inception of the idea itself. You canʼt let it get you down, you have to just keep pushing and be resilient-only the strong will survive. Itʼs not always about talent itʼs perseverance, passion and drive that makes the difference in the end...and of course if you have the talent to back it up in the end, then your set.

What does success mean to you?

Finding something in life that will not only support you but inspire and motivate you. Success to me is just being happy and comfortable with your life, job and the people you chose to surround yourself with.

Did you always want to be a filmmaker?

Actually if you asked me when I was younger what I was going to be when I grew up, I would have said a Rock Star. Iʼve always been drawn to and very good at anything in the arts, drawing, painting, sculpting, writing (poetry, songs and stories),music and of course a love for film. So I guess it just all made sense for me to go into filmmaking, because film is the culmination of all art forms from the writing to sound/music to the visuals, it is the ultimate work of art. Something that is so powerful people can lose themselves in so deeply emotionally, energetically and passionately. It is such an amazing feeling when you can get someone to invest and lose themselves in the world and characters you create.

 What inspired you to become filmmaker?

Itʼs sad, but the catalyst for my move into film was the passing of my father in 2005. My father and I were very much alike, very hard workers, stubborn and willing to sacrifice to get things done. However that sacrifice becomes a downward spiral because you keep putting the things off for yourself to fill the immediate needs of the moment, none of which help put you on the path of your dreams or passions. He used to give me crap all the time to do something with my life and my talents, but I never really listened, in the end he only wanted what was best for me and to not waste myself like he did. The defining message to me was when he died, he died of a heart attack at work, not with his family, not having fun or riding his Harley, but at work- I too was on the fast track of doing the same thing. I was a workaholic, even more so than him and I was wasting my life away. It unfortunately took such a terrible thing to happen for me to finally wake up and do something about my life. So I went back to school and received my BFA in Fine Art and planned on continuing to get my Masters in art as well, that is until I got my hands on a camera some editing software and away I went. I took to it like wildfire and everyone told me this is what I need to do, so I did.  Despite a laundry list of problems I ventured out to LA and went to Grad school at The New York Film Academy at Universal Studios. Things in my personal life were about to get much worse, worse than I could ever possibly imagine, but I loved the school and what I was doing. The average person probably would have given up right at the start, but I am definitely not one to quit. I lost everything, but I persevered and am now at a new beginning in my life. Things are still very uncertain, but at least I am still chasing my dreams.

What is the best thing about being one?

The best thing is that I get to do what I love to do. I mean itʼs extremely challenging, but nothing else can equal the rewards of seeing your work up on the big screen and have people really enjoy it. I am honored that I have had the opportunity to work with and meet some great and talented people, people I hope to continue growing and working with for years to come-and the list grows with every production.

What is the worst thing about being one?

The worst thing would have to be the money. Unless your independently wealthy or have a financial backer of your own, youʼre out there fighting and clawing to get someone to believe in your work, your project and most importantly you. It is very trying and I see how people could take the rejection personally, but you can never give up.
What is the estimated number of projects you have worked on?

Wow, including school Iʼd say probably around 50 or so in all different positions- everything from directing to grip, gaffing, acting, AD, producing etc...Iʼve done it all.
Is there a sequel planned for "Hinnon Valley"?

Since Hinnon valley is a short Iʼve never planned any sort of sequel to it, however I would like to do a feature version of it hopefully in the near future with Alexis Zibolis returning as the lead character.

Who is your favorite filmmaker?

I donʼt have a single favorite filmmaker but I like Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, Alex Proyas, Peter Jackson, Mel Gibson, Wes Craven, Clive Barker, Frank Capra, Orson Wells, Guillermo del Toro, Quentin Tarantino and many many more.

How has your life changed since you became a filmmaker?

The last couple years have been really tough. I have given up a lot for this dream and I am hoping my gamble pays off. I can honestly say though, that for the first time in my life I am doing something that I truly enjoy and it makes me happy to do it.

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

Do it because you love it, not because you want to be rich and famous. It is a very tough industry where the majority unfortunately fail. Talent will only get you so far in this carnival of favorites, friends and favors-hard work, a relentless drive and passion will make the difference in the end. Surround yourself with great people who are as driven and passionate as you and make it happen, donʼt wait for someone to do it for you.

What do you like to do besides filmmaking?

I love watching and playing Hockey and Football. I also enjoy playing music, drawing/painting, watching movies and am a car fanatic.

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

I have had a ton of jobs. I am a workaholic, so I buried myself in work at a multitude of different jobs. Let me see, I started as a paper boy, then had my own landscaping business, did carpentry and finishing work with my father, auto mechanics, kennel manager and vet assistant, cook, server, bartender, yogurt server, stock boy at a grocery store, free lance art, commercial cleaner, maintenance and a bunch of other things Iʼm probably forgetting. Told you Iʼve done a lot...keeps me well-rounded haha.
 What are some of your favorite American films? Foreign films? Television shows?

Some of my favorite films are Braveheart, Forest Gump, Lord of The Rings (all three), Exorcist, The Shining, Nightmare on Elm Street(original), The Crow, Seven, Double Indemnity and so many more. Foreign films, I loved The Artist, Irreversible, The Orphanage, I Saw The Devil and a lot of the J-hor stuff. I donʼt watch much T.V. but shows I liked were The X Files, that 70ʼs Show and Quantum Leap.

How would you describe your film education?

I earned my Masters degree from the New York Film Academy at Universal Studios in Los Angeles CA. I am truly happy and proud of my experience there. They have a great all inclusive hands on program that teaches you so much at such a quick pace-it is truly a trail by fire. The added benefit of their program is that not only do you learn directing, but ever aspect of filmmaking, from producing to grip work. Of course like any program you get out of it what you put into it, but I know for me I can walk onto any film set and do any position they need me to do, makes me much more employable when the directing gigs arenʼt there.

What's your opinion on crowdfunding?

Anything it takes to get it done! If everyone is in and excited about a project I am all for it, when power struggles and egos get in the way then itʼs not worth it. Indie Go-Go and Kickstarter have allowed and supported many people who otherwise may have never had a chance to get their work realized, for that I think itʼs a great thing.

 How does independent film differ from the mainstream?

Well unfortunately due to the economy and tight fisted executives everywhere I think the mainstream film industry is suffering in its creativity and willingness to try something new. Studios want a guarantee that they are not only going to make back their money, but also make a large profit from their investments. Thatʼs why they keep banking their money into remakes and book adaptations, stuff that already has a branding or label to it. Even though I love the Lord of The Ring movies they are a prime example of taking something that already has a huge following and fan base from the books and translating it to the big screen. No matter what, the film will get a huge draw because it already has a name. Adversely- independent films have much more freedom, but they too still want to invest in projects that have a greater potential upside, because those who have money want to keep it. The strength of independent films are the people that make them. It is a very devout talented hard working group that can make things happen out of nothing. You have to pull favors and utilize your assets to make it happen, but in the end you still unfortunately need money.

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

Never really thought about that before, but I guess I would say “ Touch of Evil”  by Orson Wells. I would have loved to see that amazing opening shot come together and see a master filmmaker at work.

What's your favorite movie quote and why?

Off the top of my head...”victims arenʼt we all”...”look what youʼve done to my sheets” (The Crow), “I have exorcized the demon!” (Ace Ventura) or “I hate to see you go, but love to watch you leave” (Face Off). When you get my brother and I together all we do is quote movies, so I could probably go on all day-haha. These are the first few I thought of, The Crow because I love that movie and could probably quote the entire film, Ace Ventura cause itʼs hysterical and I use it all the time, Face Off just cause itʼs a great saying...and Iʼm an ass man lol.

Do you believe in life on other planets?

I think youʼd have to be ignorant not to think there is life outside of the planet Earth. We are such a small speck in the large picture, I think itʼs complete arrogance to think we are the only ones.
 What is your opinion on movie remakes and sequels?

Like I brought up with mainstream filmmaking, it is now just a part of the world. On the whole, I am against remakes. Most remakes in my opinion lose the essence of the originals as it tries to take something that was made for a different audience and time and twist, mash and distort it to hopefully appeal to a whole new audience-always dilutes it(Nightmare on Elm Street/Red Dawn/Arthur/Conan the Barbarian-horrible...Girl With The Dragon Tatoo/Dawn of The Dead-good). Sequels can be cool and fun especially  when its continuing a film and/or character in more journeys, but unfortunately they never seem to know when enough is enough. Anyone up for Rocky 87?
What is your opinion on book to movie adaptions?

Book to move adaptations are tough, you will never truly satisfy all parties. Books are a great resource with amazing stories and characters and often have the potential of making great movies, however you can never fit everything from a book into a movie. So the challenge comes to the filmmakers, especially the writers and directors. They have to pull the necessities of the story out and decide what to leave behind-which will always disappoint a true fan of the book. In my opinion directors such as Kubrick with the Shining and Jackson with TLOR and The Lovely Bones did an amazing job of finding the core and heart of the stories and making amazing movies out of them. Some of the best and some of the worst movies have been adapted from books, I guess itʼs just a matter of who the filmmakers are.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would like to thank you John for showing an interest in me and my work and for giving me this great opportunity. I hope to have more work to talk to you in the very near future about :) and thanks for everyone who reads this and finds something in it that either intrigues, entertains or enrages you-lol.

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Thank you for doing the interview Rick.   I'm a fan of you and your work. I enjoyed "Hinnon Valley" very much. Keep me posted regarding  HV as a feature film and your other projects. Also let me know when the film  “The Rental” will be available to rent ;)

Filmmaker Jo Custer

[caption id="attachment_2713" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Jo Custer (right) guest judging the Gulf South Funniest Comedian semi-finals hosted by Johnny Rock with Vince Vance and Terry Jurgelsky."][/caption]

Born in Maine and raised primarily in northwestern Pennsylvania, Jo is currently a New Orleans writer/director/producer, cab driver, photog and occasional journalist and actress. At six she entered a Sunday School essay contest and won: first in her church, then in the region, then in the state. Studying creative writing intensively for a few years at Penn State before ultimately switching to and earning a degree in journalism, she expanded from poetry, short fiction and play writing into film criticism, editing, news reporting and writing for the screen.

Last summer, Jo strung a story for the short-lived Louisiana Entertainment Reporter. She was also hired to adapt fiction for the screen under the auspices of mixer publishing and solicited to write film features for Paste Magazine, but both pursuits have so far had to cede way to her ability to keep herself afloat financially and growing as a filmmaker. Since ’09, she has been whittling away at a short story collection under the pseudonym Jules Alder — and various short films under her more prosaic name, since ’02. Last year, The History Press published her personal essay, Chopsticks, in the journal collection Western Pennsylvania Reflections: Stories from the Alleghenies to Lake Erie.

This year finds Jo’s short film HOTCAKES, an urban Western shot last November, in post-production. The rough cut will be under twenty minutes and test screened in New Orleans and on her Unclear Pictures YouTube channel on January 28.

HOTCAKES represents the first in a series of short film challenges Jo has set herself en route to readying herself to make a first feature film. The second in the Short Stack Series is currently in treatment form and will be produced mid-May or in late September, the determining factor being the success of the HOTCAKES Kickstarter campaign.

What is the current project you are working on?

We're in post-production and pre-marketing, in the rough cut/test  screening/crowdfunding stage, of HOTCAKES, which I originally wrote as a 5 page urban  Western. I liked the concept and characters so much, I expanded it into 17 pages and decided to direct and produce it myself with my editor as co-producer. I had started to shop the 5 pager around New Orleans, then realized there were no producers available who really got or connected with the story. My writing's too subtle for many, producers and actors alike, which is rough because I agree with Gary Oldman, et al, that acting is not a cerebral process; it's an emotional process. But a highly cerebral and intuitive process needs to precede the emotional, something that the uber-talented Gary Oldman maybe takes for granted.

People familiar with Owen Wister's classic Western novel The Virginian will have a clue as to what kind of protagonist HOTCAKES features. Those who aren't should picture a gentleman ranch hand, a real cowboy, surrounded by cowboys and wannabes at a poker table after one of them calls him a son of a bitch. The gentleman cowboy, the Virginian, lays his gun on the table as though discarding it, as though to say he doesn't even need it, and tells the loudmouth wannabe to smile when he says that. Marty, our Virginian, took a lot of layers from there, but that was the kernel of his character. And Burton Tedesco's tough but graceful demeanor pulls it off.

I knew I wasn't ready to make a feature, so I needed to start making longer films with embedded challenges, like making a seated dialogue scene watchable -- something I failed at in my last film, TOLL ROAD -- and finding the kind of actors and department heads who could interpret the characters and the setting as a character. My experience with my HOTCAKES lead was almost spiritual, Burton connected with the character so deeply. Our one on one communication really sustained me throughout the shoot. There were even a couple of times he saved me from making stupid mistakes while in a sleep deprivation coma of sorts. An actor like that is worth his weight in gold, if you're the kind of person who places value on something pulled out of the earth that you can't eat.

The same can be said of our production designer, Cassie Giveans. She's young, just old enough to drink legally, and this was only her second time helming an art department; but she's smart, strong, capable, multi-talented, very handy with the entire range of power tools, most of which I can't even name, and cute as a button. She was my right arm, really. At some point during the shoot, I decided to stop making or taking phone calls. I stopped wearing my producer's hat while on set trying to direct and pretty much just made Cassie my personal assistant. She took it all in stride and we got through the shoot relatively unscathed. This was my first budgeted film and Cassie made it relatively painless in terms of upfront production costs also, not spending a few hundred of the $1200 I allotted for set design. Since we shot all 17 pages in one location, we had to really make it count. We didn't have total control. We had a few different set configurations because of the narrowness of the gallery in which we were shooting. But she made it work, even staying up on set nights to change the scenery despite having classes and two jobs.

And I'm pleased that we're over halfway funded on Kickstarter before we've even test screened the film or released a trailer. It's still a long haul to $2500 by February 3, but I have some hope, which is nice.

Did you always want to be a writer?

The George Carlin answer is: "Well, not in the womb, but right after that." The serious answer is: I couldn't stop if I tried and I know deep down that writing and directing are my universal calling. That's when I'm fully myself.

What inspired you to become writer?

Overcoming illiteracy. I didn't learn to read by the first grade with the other girls and boys. I was diagnosed with a learning disability and it was suggested that I was, to use the language of the day, mentally retarded.

People who know me think that's hilarious in its discrepancy. I'm not sure I agree.

One teacher used to rip up my illegible homework in front of the class. My mother, who has my undying devotion for this, told the public school officials to go fuck themselves and co-founded a private school across the street at a church. I can't say with complete certainty that my staunchly anti-establishment mother didn't become a Christian just for me. We're still sort of marveling at how that all went down. Nixon didn't tear gas my mum for praying.

But the long and short of it is, Mom got me these books on tape and I sat and listened to them for about six weeks, and that was pretty much how I learned to read, after I learned the alphabet and phonetics within a few weeks or so at the new private school. Appears I sleepwalked through that part of kindergarten, too.

Turned out I had mild dyslexia, which was correctable with the audio books and some simple tracing exercises.

Then one day we had a "Sunday school is..." essay contest and I just knew I was meant to be a writer. Winning reinforced that belief. It won in the church, then the region, then the state. Then it went to nationals and was never heard from again, but it was an interesting ride while it lasted.

Something just clicked. This was what I was supposed to do.

What is the best thing about being one?

The worldview you get from it, I think, is like no other. It can be kind of lonely, but in that loneliness, you find a confidence; you learn that the only thing that matters is what we do and say. That's actually a pretty easy place to be coming from. And then you spend all your downtime, on the receiving end, listening to what others do and say. That's an extremely pleasing and peaceful form of existence, to me, constantly processing life as it happens.

What is the worst thing about being one?

It's amazing how many people think I'm stupid or insignificant because I'm motivated far, far more by beauty and a sense of order than money. My running joke is that God herself couldn't get me a date. Only, it's not a joke.

Also, I get tired of non-writers pestering me with ideas. At this point, I've been writing for 30 years. That's 30 plus years' worth of ideas I already don't have time enough in the day to write and they're what inspire me most. Other people's ideas typically don't inspire me. It's so rare that I hear a good one and even when I do, it's just like, Well if you love the idea so much, why don't you go write it yourself? I never really know what non-writers want from me.

I'm not going to write your book or screenplay for you. There are other people who do that. Find them instead. I'm not into bloodless writing. That's not why I put myself through this torture. And if I were, I'd write for television.

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

Film? I think around ten with a direct role -- writer/director/producer or writer/AD. Add another ten for crew, I think. But most of this has been really small, often disorganized stuff -- a lot of student work -- and a lot of it in the last year and a half. I'm an old writer, perhaps, but I'm a young director. Progress in that arena has really only started happening lately. That's why I moved to New Orleans, in fact. Making films in Pittsburgh was too damn hard.

Who is is your favorite writer?

My favorites tend to vary with my mood. In the last year, the mood's included Miranda July, Guy de Maupassant and Martin Amis, three very different writers. On days when I'm feeling glib, I say Salman Rushdie. I adore Rushdie and I've read a lot of his nonfiction, but not a lick of fiction, not yet. Any day now.

How has your life changed since you became a writer?

I think I can honestly say that it has saved my life in a way, though I don't know that I could honestly say how. I'm very sensitive, that's a certainty. Writing -- and facing criticism and failure as a writer -- has helped me develop a thicker skin in some ways while retaining all of the sensitivity that makes me who I am when I'm at my best. At least, that's the hope. It's a constant sifting, deciding what emotions you're going to let yourself be vulnerable to and for what reason. I'm at my best when I'm hip deep in a story with no time to look backward, only forward.

And maybe it's in part a function of the learning disability I was diagnosed with as a kid, but I am constantly trying to make sense of the world. Constantly. And it often just doesn't make sense. So if you want to get on my bad side or be ignored, just throw some confusion my way. I won't come calling, that's for damn sure. I've got work to do.

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

Don't believe anything that will force you to make a major life decision without checking with your inner child first.

What do you like to do besides writing?

If I had my druthers, I'd be horseback riding and picnicking with someone I love. Also, I love swimming. Anywhere but still water. I'm not an attention whore, which makes me question whether I should be in independent filmmaking sometimes. I like to be alone. I enjoy privacy and safeguard it, probably a little too much. But I'm okay with that.

Now that I have two dogs to take care of (not mine, but I love them), I've returned to long walks too. I love to just go outside and commune with nature, wherever I am. Places have such histories. You can feel them palpably.

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

Well, writing came first for me, obviously. Although my grandmother did put a camera in my hand when I was five and declared that I had "the eye" after she developed the prints. But that really came from her. I love photography, but it's not my first love. I tried to publish when I was nine. I sent a limerick to Cricket magazine: Rejected. I think that was my first clue that my calling is a real job and hard. I didn't try to submit anything again until I was a sophomore in college. Sent a story to The New Yorker: Rejected. You learn to scale back your ambitions rather than try and be something you're not. Despite over a hundred odd jobs, I've never been anything less than a writer.

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

I'm pretty much addicted to all things Pedro Almodovar, Sam Ball, and Czech New Wave. Also, The Wire completely reset my rating system. Now, if it's not True Blood, I don't even want to watch TV. Which is good, I guess. Frees up time, especially since I don't get HBO. Or, at least I don't think I have cable. I moved and didn't even bother to check, which should tell you something. [Update: Turns out, I get HBO. And Game of Thrones.]

How would you describe your film education?

Ongoing. All the classroom work was really just a springboard into handling equipment and networking with the film community. It's my communications degree and the time I spent simply blogging about film that's keeping me on a clear course I can plot strategically, not to mention that private school my mother co-founded. You set your own pace and corrected your own work against a scoring key and really, in many ways, were self-taught and self-disciplined. I definitely think a good independent director is a good self-teacher. Like with anything you want to improve at, you set your challenges and rise to meet them. If I succeed, I learn to set greater challenges. If I fail, I gain confidence from correctly identifying my weaknesses and blind spots and apply more energy in that direction.

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

One of the things I love about NOLA is that there isn't really a "scene," per se. There are students who all pretty much run together and there are these meetup groups that try to get a sense of community and fresh-flowing blood, but this town attracts so many individuals and a lot of actors, especially, who come for all the films that are just now starting to hire more principal roles outside of L.A. I think a good way to put it might be that in other cities, you might feel like an outsider looking in at first as a filmmaker. But in NOLA, that's sort of the realm of the old money, and they aren't in film. The rest of us are all pretty much equals, even if competitive cliques still do exist.

That said, this isn't much of an online town. Most people in film here are on Facebook, but not so much on Twitter or anything else. If you see that as an unforgivable negative, then I'll say this to you about NOLA: If you're an artist and you haven't at least visited here, your education's incomplete on several levels.

How has social media changed the independent industry?

I think that question would better be answered by Henry Jenkins and Ed Burns. They should get together and write a new book. I'd read that book, as long as it contained hard data and analysis and wasn't padded with fluff.

What's your opinion on crowdfunding?

I've seen the pie chart depicting the divisions of wealth in this country, so I'm not as happy about it as I could be. Does it help a lot of people? Yes. Are they for the most part people who need and deserve it? That's up to their networks. It's actually kind of nice because I don't have to evaluate and judge each and every crowdfunding opportunity that comes along. The networks for these projects take care of that. I've only contributed to two projects in my life, and only one of them used an online platform. When I see something I dearly wish I had money to contribute toward, I do what I can to give it a little exposure. In the future, I'm hoping to be able to change my giving to sharing ratio. I think too many people outside of indie film get bombarded with fundraising messages with no good context in which to place them. Hopefully that's not happening on mine. I'm contacting people directly. But that's just a starting point. How it takes shape and rolls beyond those I already know is rather mysterious.

But to get back to the division of wealth, one of the strangest things I've observed is this vein of dissonance running through the indie film community over famous people crowdfunding. The argument seems to be that it should be saved for those who need it. Now, that's not laissez-faire, nor is it kind; more importantly, it's not practical. For one thing, famous doesn't automatically connote rich and even if it did, trying to limit someone else's creative potential over a quality based solely on perception, a quality which can dissipate at any moment, is absurd and, to reiterate, unkind. To get to the practical matter of the issue is that pie chart I mentioned. If famous people can help to redistribute that wealth even a little, then that's a good thing. But I would caution people not to have stars in their eyes. If you want to complain about something, complain about campaigns that keep trying to raise funds after they've made their goals. It's classless and an indication you set the wrong goal in the first place.

For that matter, while we're on the subject of greed, please make sure you fundraise what you need. Not "how much you can get." I worry that people think we're all socialists, when it's only socialism to an extent. Just because a filmmaker gives to others' campaigns doesn't mean that filmmaker can expect reciprocity; the same goes with audience for those films. That's capitalism. I worry about people being misled and exploited, thinking that they're buying into a system that's eventually going to pay off for everybody when obviously that has not been and will continue to not necessarily be the case. It pains me to say it, but most of the people I've met in independent film are pretty thickly mired in middle class values. So I guess I also worry about disillusionment.

An online friend of mine stunned me last summer, to give you an example of mild disillusionment. He hadn't really been using Twitter, just Facebook, and it was clear he hadn't done any real research on crowdfunding before he jumped into it to raise money for a production studio. In fact, he pretty much just asked a random question on Facebook about it and I came out far and away in favor of Kickstarter, with good arguments to back that up, and then he used IndieGoGo instead. Like, a couple days later. His campaign was not going well and hadn't ended before he started a second IndieGoGo campaign to raise money for the production studio's first film. Then that started to founder. I emailed him about it and he said that he was surprised that none of his industry contacts were supportive of his venture. This is the part where I should add that he lives in L.A. I tried my best to break it to him gently that I wasn't surprised. I'm a research hound, though, so I was pretty speechless beyond that.

What is the casting process like?

In this crazy, old city, it's a doozy. TOLL ROAD was the first film I'd ever had a formal casting for, and I have to say that it was worth the rigor I put myself through, to do it in a way that I felt would benefit everyone. I diverged from the norm in that I formed relationships with people online during the course of the process. Not so much before the actual audition night; actors are both understandably skittish of saying too much before an audition and busy. But with all the truly good ones who showed up, I was firm friends by the time I had the film cast. I was making solid foundations and inroads for future filmmaking: The 48 Hour Film Project, HOTCAKES, the next one...

Of course, we still had a few absolute loons show up and put on a show. One of them even got my cell number somehow and left me a half dozen messages about us doing lunch. Like we were going to The Palms or something, like I was Dean Martin and she was going to be the newest member of the Rat Pack. And this was after she turned in an audition that left everyone in the room uncomfortable with its craziness -- craziness, mind you, that included playing with my cookies while she was "in character." There were no cookies in the script, not even any food in the script (it's not that kind of film), and she was moving around my cookies right in front of me during the reading. It also seemed vaguely sexual, in a way I can't really put my finger on. We didn't do lunch.

Since then, I've developed a system of getting to know and then writing for specific people. With HOTCAKES, it backfired in two small ways. First, I wrote a waitress role for someone who had never been a waitress. In retrospect, I should have asked if she had; the physicality of it made her feel awkward. Second, the woman I wrote the fortune teller role for moved the week of rehearsals. I had to find a replacement right quick. But you have to be a dedicated actor for me to write you a role. If you're a stand-in, you're not an actor. If you're looking to make a big break in background work, you're deluding yourself and you're probably not an actor. Try an indie film like Kat Loyacano did and get dirty.

How does independent film differ from the mainstream?

The mainstream ones almost always give me a headache. Or worse, an eye ache. The independent ones often do too, but I guess I prefer better odds of seeing something innovative, or possibly even inventive, and definitely less stuffy. I like it when filmmakers put the real back in realism and that usually comes from the indie camp.

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

Probably 2001: A Space Odyssey. But only if Kubrick promised not to be cruel to me like he was to Shelley Duvall.

What's your favorite movie quote and why?

Honestly, I don't have one. It's about character, not lines.

What is your opinion on movie remakes?

My initial reaction is always to say that I don't watch them, but I've noticed a trend. If I'm not aware of or haven't seen the original and it looks decent, I watch (3:10 to Yuma). If I've seen the original, and especially if I loved it, chances are no power on this earth could get me to see a remake. The studios put them out to make money in "lean" times, and I try to avoid giving money to studios whenever I can.

What is your opinion on book to movie adaptions?

Wish we saw more of it, but I also think it could use more diversity. Brit lit has had kind of a choke hold on the industry for a while now. If you look at the Oscar contenders and what films really impacted people over the last couple of decades, you'll find British authors quite a bit. I love Atonement, but it would be nice to see a film of that caliber come out of the independent sphere, only from a new point of view. We need subversion, we need to have our taboos and norms pushed at and questioned and challenged to a proper verbal duel. And we need that from the entire world. Which is all part and parcel of being in independent film and not caring much about Hollywood.

Who is the best vaudeville performer of all time?

I don't honestly know; I can only say that my favorite is Charlie Chaplin. I suspect that I would have loved Vaudeville, though. If I had lived in that era, I might have opted to be a classic stage actress. After work, I would've skipped over to the follies to get my turn.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I'd like to invite you and your readers to the online HOTCAKES test screening, going live privately on YouTube on January 28. All you have to do is subscribe to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/filmielady

For the online portion, we may rely on comment fields and analytics, but we do reserve the right to track down your email address so that we can send you a questionnaire, should you be so inclined. It's optional, of course. Also --

Thank you very much for electing to maintain a blog like this that opens up artists' worlds to others. And don't forget what I said about how a hobby can turn into a career. Those words may haunt you yet, John Hoff.

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Thank you for doing the interview Jo. I wish you all the best with your Kickstarter campaign.  I was also diagnosed with a learning disability as both a child and recently as an adult.   I agree I think having an obstacle to overcome can be very inspiring and push a person to do their very best work.

SIDENOTE: I heard that Charlie Chaplin once came in 3rd in a Charlie Chaplin look-a-like contest.

Filmmaker Arthur Luhn

 

Arthur Luhn was born in Aspen, Colorado and moved to Vermont with his mother when he was 3. In Vermont, he began attending the Austine School for the Deaf. It was at this time he discovered making movies at the age of 7 or 8 through being exposed to a 8mm film camera his stepfather had. It was not long before he was wreaking havoc on the family household, making short movies ranging from horror (which left a front screen door destroyed and his mother furious) to comedy (which took up an entire garage, locking out the cars for a long time).  The introduction of a VHS movie camera into the household only made things worse.

 

With his transfer to the Brattleboro Union High School, the household became a lot more sane, as Arthur’s passion in filmmaking waned. From high school he went on to attend Boston University where he intended to major in Archaeology. He found the mathematic and ethical aspect of the field very tedious and boring. That, along with the death of a close family member, inspired him to change his major to religion and philosophy where he studied extensively and read voraciously in the fields of philosophy, mythology, religion, and psychology, earning a degree in comparative religions study.

 

It was not until a few years after graduating that his interest in filmmaking suddenly surged with the purchase of a drastically marked down video camera at a department store. It was not long before he was making movies at a furious pace, starting with his first short film, “Destination Eyeth” which was featured on PBS’s “History Through Deaf Eyes” that aired nationwide.  He went on to write and direct his first full length feature, “The Golden Legacy” a year later and finished the film in two years. This was followed by “Conned” his biggest and most audacious project to date, taking three years to make.  Arthur now resides on the south shore in the Greater Boston area and is on work on his third feature film, a psychological thriller that takes place in a quiet sleepy town.

What is the current project you are working on?

We just finished “Conned” an action-comedy indie film that’s been making the rounds on the festival circuit with tremendous success. It’s won a few awards- best film, best director, best DP, an audience award for best film, and it’s been nominated for best original screenplay. Right now I’m working on a webisode series called “Lil Miss Repo” and working on the next feature, a psychological thriller that I hope to get going this winter.

How do you define success?

Doing what you love to do and getting paid to do it.

How do you handle rejection?

I just let it roll off my back. I don’t keep count or hold grudges. Getting rejected isn’t a bad thing in my mind, anyway, because it means you’re trying to get somewhere. I think it’s worse to not get rejected because that means you’re not even trying.

Did you always want to be involved with the film industry?

I don’t think I see it that way- I just want to make movies, whether or not that stipulates that one be involved with an “industry.”

What inspired you to become involved with the film industry?

My inspirations are driven by movies and making them.

What are some of the best things about the industry?

I don’t know- I haven’t been involved to the extent to be able to give a satisfactory answer.

What are some of the worst things about it?

I guess I can’t really remark on this either. I’m not really qualified.

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

I’ve done two features, working on my third now. I’ve done almost 10 short films I think- lost count there.

Who is is your favorite filmmaker?

I especially admire those filmmakers who I believe represent the next generation and are always pushing the envelope: Christopher Nolan, Guy Ritchie, to name a few.

How has your life changed since you became involved with the film industry?

I’ve become more broke.

What is one piece of advice you can give to someone who also wants to start a career in the entertainment field?

Make sure it’s something you absolutely love doing and wouldn’t rather be doing something else, because you’re going to pay for it with your life.

What do you to do when you're not on set?

What anyone else would do with their free time, I guess.

How would you describe your film education?

Never-ending. I’m always learning, trying new things, studying other filmmakers, or continually reading up on it.

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

I don’t have a favorite film- it’s like asking me what’s my favorite snowflake.. there’s just so many movies out there that I admire and wouldn’t want to leave out if I had to pick one or even a top ten. I don’t watch TV so I’m extremely incompetent there, I’m afraid.

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

A long stretch of white beach giving way to clear blue seas, somewhere in the Carribean. Two leaning palm trees with the requisite hammock and also a surfboard nearby.

How has social media changed the independent film industry?

It’s given indie films a fighting chance for recognition. Levels out the playing field, it seems.

What's your opinion on crowdfunding?

I think it’s good- it’s a good tool, but like any other method of raising funds, you have to put in the work.

How does independent film differ from the mainstream?

Well the subject matter is of course far more electic, but I don’t see any particular advantage one has over the other. It all comes down to how good your story is.

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

Star Wars. I know by now it’s beyond cliché, but at the time it was a very ground-breaking film. To paraphrase Monty Python’s saying: “And now for something completely different.” I think that just captures it so well. I’d like to have been there to see how the creative process was coming together and how various people were reacting to it. I know a lot of people were shaking their heads at it at the time, and only Alan Ladd jr. was nodding his head at this spectacular other-worldly vision.

Do you believe in life on other planets?

I believe in Planet Eyeth!

What's your favorite movie quote and why?

I don’t really have one. Too many of them in my head.

What is your opinion on movie remakes and sequels?

Never really been a fan of them except in rare cases where sequels are justified and well-done, and even sometimes better, as in the case of the “Empire Strikes Back.”

What is your opinion on book to movie adaptions?

If it’s done well, then those are fine by me but you rarely if ever see that. The creative space that a book gives you is much more time-friendly and more flexible than a film which is far more constricting because you’ve got a certain time limit, so there’s a lot of compression involved. Sometimes it’s done well, sometimes it’s not. “No Country for Old Men” was done pretty well.

AUTHOR STEPHEN B. PEARL

BIO OF STEPHEN B. PEARL

Gandalf taught me how to be a spirit wrapped in flesh. Aragorn taught me how to be a man. Frodo taught me of perseverance, and Samwise of loyalty. Along the way I learned of the power of the written word, the gift it could give by slipping past our defences to show us the best and the worst in ourselves. So who is Stephen B. Pearl? He is a lifeguard, husband, mystic, science enthusiast, home handyman, backyard mechanic, and writer. Like most of us the face he wears changes with the company and the season. His three cats know him as pride alpha, I like to think so, though servant might be more accurate. Who am I kidding? My wife runs the pride; I just try and stay out of her way.
At any rate, I am a man of middle years who lives in a house in Ontario, Canada with three cats, a wife and a sincere hope that you will enjoy my books. My presently available works are.

Tinker’s Plague: A post-apocalyptic, science fiction, medical and political thriller, ISBN 978-1-933157-30-6 available in paperback and e-book formats from Draumr Publishing: http://www.draumrpublishing.com/store/cart.php?target=main 

Slaves of Love: e-book: A futuristic detective story of love and madness. 

The Hollow Curse: e-book: A centuries spanning tale of love and obsession available from Club Lighthouse Publishing: www.clublighthousepublishing.com

Nukekubi: A paranormal, detective novel, ISBN 978-0-9867633-6-6 - eISBN. 978-0-9867633-7-3 available in paperback and e-book formats from Dark Dragon Publishing: www.darkdragonpublishing.com

For more information about Stephen B. Pearl or his works please visit: www.stephenpearl.com

What is the current project you are working on?

There are several. The central one is the rough draft of Tinker’s Sea the second book in the Tinker series of post-apocalyptic novels. I also have a space opera that I’m editing Smugglers’ War and a series of interrelated stories in the Sabbath series of the Pagan Writers Press then there’s promotional work. What am I forgetting? Oh yes, breathing. Must make time to breath. OK that’s enough, back to work. 

How do you define success?

Being happy and living with a degree of honor and dignity. For that you need to do something you like and you feel makes a difference.

How do you handle rejection?

Badly. The truth is being an author you will get loads of rejection. Editors are looking for reasons to get your work off their desks not reasons to publish you. You can’t blame them when you consider the number of manuscripts they see. One trick I use is I save all my paper rejection letters. Pile them up and every once in a while go out in the backyard and burn them. It’s very cathartic. I also have a file on my computer labeled “Their Loss” that is a black hole that I dump my rejections into. A stock rejection from a editor means only one thing. Don’t send that story to that editor again. A personal rejection with advice means that a very busy person saw enough in your work that they took the time to offer advice. It may be good or bad advice, but it is a minor win.

Did you always want to be a writer?

Since I was twenty three. Before that it was Astronaut, Professional SCUBA diver or Ambulance Attendant.

 What inspired you to become a writer?

Writers taught me how to be, how to live, how to think. They made me look at myself and see the good and the bad in the mirror of their words. I want to pay some of that back.

What is the best thing about being one?

When your book comes out in print and you hold it for the first time knowing that people will read your words. That you will touch them and if you’ve done your job they will gain pleasure and maybe, just maybe a new perspective from your work. That is a feeling that makes the months of blood sweat and tears worthwhile.

What is the worst thing about being one?

Poverty, It’s like acting, until and unless you make it reasonably big it costs more than it yields. This trend seems to be getting worse.

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

Oh gods. Books maybe 20, books that have a chance of seeing print, ten short stories, blogs other things I wouldn’t hazard a guess. Lots.

Who is your favorite author?

J.R Tolkien, of living authors Jim Butcher, who is also a really nice guy. His wife Shannon, also a writer, is a sweet heart. One of the nicest couples I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.

How has your life changed since you became writer?

I’ve been writing for 26 years I’ve been published, in any significant way, for 3. So not much. I still love my wife and cats. I still eat too much and have to force myself to go to the gym. I attend a lot more Science Fiction Conventions than I use to.

What is one piece of advice you can give to someone who also wants to be a writer?

Get out before the addiction becomes to strong. Really, if you think it is going to be easy, if you think you’ll self-publish your masterpiece and suddenly have fame and fortune think again. There are thousands of people at the same level you are all competing for the book Buyer’s dollar. If it’s too late for you to save yourself, if you just have to write, if your characters keep you up at night then live. Experience everything you can, without being stupid of course. If you want to write fantasy join a group that recreates the middle ages. If you want to write about magic, crack some books and find some public circles of local mystical religions to attend. Be respectful, these are religious ceremonies and the faith of the people attending deserves respect, but learn from the experience and bring that to your writing. All great fiction is based on a network of facts.

What do you like to do besides writing?

Walk in the woods. Cross country ski in the woods, swim, skin and or SCUBA dive, play with my cats, attend sf conventions.

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

Before after and during. Lifeguard has been the most persistent. I’ve also been a laborer on a loading bay, a shipping and receiving clerk, worked for a short time in a balloon factory, that came in handy when I wrote Nukekubi, among other things.

How would you describe your education?

Collage graduate with some university. Up here in Canada Collages offer practical hands on programs with diplomas. Universities offer the BA, Masters, Doctorate stream and tend to be more theoretical. I am also very well read and at least marginally knowledgeable in a verity of fields. A man should not have an opinion unless he can back it up with at least a basic understand of what he has an opinion on.

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

Films, The three original Star Wars, The American Pie movies, Alyson Hannigan be still my heart.

TV, Forever Knight, Farscape, Sanctuary, Babylon 5, How I Met Your Mother, so what it’s a harmless crush were both married and met once for about two minutes and I’m sure she doesn’t even recall the incident. I’ll say this for Alyson, she was a class act all the way when I did meet her. She made up for the horrible week I’d had in less than a minute.

How has social media changed the publishing industry?

It’s given everyone a platform to promote their books. The competition has skyrocketed and the quality control has all but vanished. Frankly, things are a transitory mess and I’m not sure what’s going to happen. I suspect that a few reviewers will develop reputations for doing a good analyses and they will become the king makers in a new literary landscape. It has also shifted the responsibility for promotion away from the publisher and onto the writer. I feel this is a less than ideal situation since the personality that often makes for a great writer tends to be exclusive from the one that makes a great promoter. I know many authors that hate doing readings, cringe at having to “plug” their work but these things are now essentials.

How does independent film differ from the mainstream?

Budgets, desperation, risk taking, pay.

 You could have any first edition book. Which book would it be and why?

A Gutenberg Bible because I could sell it and buy a place in the country. For practical purposes what added value does being a first edition give. The words are still the same and the story doesn’t change.

What's your favorite movie quote and why?

Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather: Death, “Humans need fantasy to be human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.”

This speaks to the core of what it is to be human, to strive for that which is worthy and unreal and by that striving to make it real. To become a creator in the universe shaping it into something more grand than it could ever be without us. It is about will, desire, striving, and our ultimate evolution. In a sense it is a way of restating a quote from the Book of Coming Forth by Day. “I am not a man perfected, I am a man perfecting.”

What is your opinion on movie remakes and sequels?

It varies with the movie. The first four Alien movies were a rare example where the sequels lived up to the original. The Jurassic Park franchise on the other hand tanked after the first movie, aside from the CGI. So it’s a case by case basses.

What is your opinion on book to movie adaptions?

Much the same as above. I will say this, usually if the movie is better than the book it means the book needed a good compression edit to start with.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Just a thank you for having me and a list of some sights where people can learn more about me and my work.

My personal website: www.stephenpearl.com

Blog: www.draumrpublishing.com/forums/blog/stephen_b__pearl.
Website:  http://www.stephenpearl.com/
YouTube Readings: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlMDmlb-Los

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Stephen-B-Pearl-writer/172076419488163
PolkaDot Banner: http://polkadotbanner.com/index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=userProfile&user=528
Author’sDen: http://www.authorsden.com/stephenbpearl
Good Reads: http://bing.search.sympatico.ca/?q=Good%20Reads&mkt=en-ca&setLang=en-CA

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Thank you Stephen for doing the interview. I think that's really awesome that you met Jim Butcher and his wife. You've got a lot going on. I wish you all the best with your projects.

Actor Todd Johnson

Todd got bit by the acting and show biz bug at a very early age, pre-pubescent, actually. His most memorable performance was his first. “I was in 2nd grade, and I was a Noun. In fact, I was going to be an Adjective, but the kid who was the Noun originally couldn’t say the word “plural”… so since I already knew his lines, I took it and was the star of the show!” That got him hooked and he has been an actor ever since.

The most fun Todd had in a performance was a sketch comedy show that he acted in, directed and produced in a small theater called “The Black Box” on the Westside of Los Angeles. “On opening night, we had 17 people in the audience. The second night, we were half-full and by the time the show closed, we were turning people away because we were going to violate the fire laws!” Todd stopped acting from age 23 through 34 to raise his kids. He also used to own a high-tech business. Currently, he balances being an Engineering Fellow at an aerospace giant where he builds weather satellites with taking on important acting roles while spending time and money to make movies which make a difference.

Johnson was a graduate from Colorado State University with a dual major. He received a Bachelor of Science in Physics and a Bachelor of Arts in Theater. He went on to receive his Masters of Science in Optics from the University of Rochester. He has trained with some of the most world renowned acting coaches and schools today including Stephen Book, Ivana Chubbuck, Margie Haber and The Groundlings.

For more information about Todd and his work please visit http://www.toddjohnson.tv/

What is the current project you are working on? 

I am producing, directing and have co-written a horror feature film called “The Rental” (http://www.facebook.com/therentalmovie) The story is about four girls who move into their first off- campus house only to find that the owner of the house is a soul eater. It stars Katherine Browning, Mike Campbell, Leah Verrill, Ashley Love, Tiffany Walker and Bianca Lopez. Our Director of Photography is Rick Greenwood who I have worked with recently on “Hinnon Valley”-another horror film. Amazingly,  I’m not acting in this project because the energy I have had to devote to the behind-the-camera work. It has been fairly intense!

How do you define success? 

I truly believe that success is what you make it. You can be successful at anything as long as it satisfies what you feel you have contributed to society. When I first got my driver’s license, I pulled it out of the mailbox and opened right in front of the mailman. I hooted, hollered and screamed because I had gotten my driver’s license at the ripe age of 16! But the success was the mailman’s. He looked at me with a really big smile and said “That’s what I like about my job.” Then he drove off and high-fived the air. THAT was success for him. For me, if I can contribute knowledge, or enjoyment or any small thing to make the world better, I have been successful. And I have.

How do you handle rejection? 

Just let it go. That’s easy to say and not always easy to do. If you get rejected by your girlfriend of several years, that’s different than getting rejected by a casting director or a producer. I let it go externally, but those rejections usually put me in that state of mind to ask: “What could I have done better?” The beauty of that question is that 99% of the time, you couldn’t have done anything better. That helps me really let it go. But that 1% usually makes me change my tactics. If that producer, director, etc. doesn’t want me for his next feature, then maybe my best route is to go into competition with him. THAT changes your life.

Did you always want to be an actor? 

My first acting experience was when I was a Noun when I was in second grade in my first play. I was originally cast as an Adverb, but the kid they cast as the Noun couldn’t say the word “plural”. So I took over. Since then, I was hooked. It was not without its starts and stops though. I got married in my mid- 20s and had two kids, then got divorced and, well, let’s just say that “Todd was on a nine year acting hiatus.” Unfortunately those were some of my prime years for roles, so it has been an uphill battle to get where I am now. And the hard work has paid off. I have two great kids!

What inspired you to become an actor? 

What is funny to me is that I never really needed the inspiration that everyone talks about. Acting is all about collaborating, creating, changing and making little pieces of magic happen. Just entertaining is entertaining to me! If I make someone laugh, cry, scream-that’s my inspiration.

What is the best thing about being an actor? 

When people tell me that a piece that I have worked on has moved them in some way, in public, you have to keep your cool and politely say “thank you”. But sometimes I go home and cry because I’m so happy that they were so moved. I did a stage play in West Los Angeles about five years ago and when it was over, a woman came up to me in tears to tell me how much she loved my performance. She said it reminded her of her husband (who had passed away not more than a year prior). I stood with her for almost 20 minutes pretty much ignoring everything else going on around us. That’s the kind of thing I live for: To affect people (hopefully) in a positive way.

What’s the worst thing about being an actor? 

It is funny how acting mimics real life and vice versa. The stories that you hear about studios, power grabs, etc. are all unfortunately true. If the waiter job in that upscale restaurant is between you and the owner’s son, who do you think is going to get the job? If the two line role in that next big screen film production is between you and the Producer’s daughter’s husband, who do you think is going to get the job? Most folks do try to be fair and there are some phenomenal casting directors out there who insist on new talent all the time (look at Criminal Minds!). The politics can be daunting. It’s just something you have to deal with.

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

Somewhere in my files I actually have a list of every role that I have ever done including radio, commercials, voice overs, not to mention stage, film and television. I know it is over 200 roles-probably over 300, but I haven’t checked in a couple of years.

Who is your favorite actor? 

I had hired a PR guy once who asked me this question and I said, without hesitation, Kevin Spacey. Here’s the thing: Have you seen Kevin Spacey in a flashy role or in some Tabloid recently? No, but he is definitely still working. He is the actor’s actor. I don’t usually get star struck, but he would be one person who I might get star struck with if I had to play across from him. He doesn’t have to say anything to get his point across. He doesn’t have to rub his success in your face. He just does it.

How has life changed since you became an actor? 

Oh, you mean aside from the marriage, divorce, two kids, etc.? Hahahaha! SOOOO many things have changed. When I was a little kid, there was nothing called a PC, much less a cell phone, or and iPAD. Over the years, I have definitely mellowed. If you had met me 20 years ago, I was a bouncing superball of energy. Most of my newer friends still think that I am, but people who have known me for a long time say that I’ve become more relaxed and at-ease with everything. I tend to let things bounce off of me.

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

Give up now! So if you get past that line, be ready to work and network. You may not be pretty (and goodness knows I’m not), but if you walk into a casting director’s office with 7 pages of dialog that you got last night and you blow them away with a full performance that is fully off book, do you think you have a shot at booking that role? You have a much better shot than if you don’t have any training, and you haven’t even read the lines before you walk in. Who have you contacted in the industry recently? When is the last time you sent out a post card to every casting director and agent in town? When is the last time you did a follow up call with your agent or a new agent? What kind of industry parties do you go to? Is there anyone at those parties that you go to that can REALLY help you make your career happen or do they just want your clothes off? If it’s the clothes, you are going to the wrong parties.

What do you like besides filmmaking? 

Ha ha! Okay that is funny to me because I have a dual degree in Physics and Theater. I build weather satellites for a day job. If there’s a hurricane on its way to you, and you have been told to evacuate, I can tell you that my weather satellite is probably why they are telling you to evacuate. Of course, I actually LIKE skiing and playing in the snow whenever I can. Scuba diving is fun too. I have found that doing nothing can be inspiring too, but not for too long.

Have you had any other jobs before you decided to become an actor? 

I have had so many jobs in my life, but I have to tell you that acting is the one I have stayed with. If I were to get hit by a Mack Truck tomorrow (don’t get any ideas, folks) I would be okay because I have made a difference. I am very content with what I have done so far. That said, there is no way I’m stopping any time soon. The laundry list goes something like this: Full time Mom-Dad, engineer, owner of my own high tech company, salesman, dishwasher, cook, carpenter, ditch digger, chief technologist, film maker, script writer, and film editor. I’m sure I left something out, but that’s a good start.

How would you describe your film education? 

I double majored as an undergrad in theater and physics. The beauty (and curse) of that theater degree is that it was the first year they offered it when I was in college. So I got a lot of lead roles in their plays. I have continued training to this day having trained with some of today’s greatest acting coached like Ivana Chubbuck, Stephen Book and Margie Haber. On the film production side, I have learned from the school of hard knocks. I edit films because ten years ago I decided that I would rather pay $1,000 for a fancy film editing program to do my own demo reels than pay someone else $500 to do it for me. I have produced about 25 different films because I’m just good at it. I know how to fill out paperwork (it’s that science background). I direct films because if I wanted to hire a director, I would have to pay them. I write scripts because I want people to buy them (and I’m one dissertation away from an MFA in writing), but I have come to realize that NO ONE buys feature scripts off the street. They DO buy spec scripts for TV shows, so I’m working on that next.

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

American Beauty; Lord of the Rings Trilogy (I actually liked them all); Drive; Star Trek (the latest one). No foreign films that are commercially famous come to mind, but I have to say that I’ve seen a couple in film festivals that have really rocked my world. TV shows: Crime dramas like CSI:, NCIS, and well written/well made Sci-Fi shows like Firefly, Star Trek, etc.  Sci-fi in plain English folks-if it’s too wrapped up, I don’t get it.

How would you describe the film “scene” where you live? 

I live in Los Angeles, and the scene is scary. Doors are closing fast. Film and TV production is moving out of town to places like Wilmington, NC, Atlanta, GA, and Toronto. Why do this stuff in LA where they make it so hard to make a film or a TV show? And for the stuff that stays here: Let’s just say that I was not invited to dinner recently by Mr. Spielberg.

How has social media changed the film industry? 

Oh, huge changes. In fact, our initial marketing plan for “The Rental” is all based on social media. Did you know that Blair Witch was also based totally on social media? And that social media can make a film happen? Let’s put it this way, if I have a quarter million people liking my www.facebook.com/therentalmovie page, I can get theatrical release. If I have a half a million followers on my @TheRentalMovie Twitter page, I can get theatrical release. That’s only 250,000-500,000 people who have to hit one button and it’s a complete theatrical success! Talk about a difference! Distributors beg for it. Big films use it everywhere. Does it actually get you more ticket sales or DVD rentals? I don’t know. But us indie film guys want people to “Like” our pages and follow us on Twitter because, believe me, it helps!

What’s your opinion on crowdfunding? 

If you can get money to fund your project on Kickstarter or some other internet based funding method, you are smarter than I am! I did try to do this for “The Rental” and got nowhere fast. Then I started doing things the old fashioned way: I called people I knew. I had much better results there than I did on the web. I probably just don’t have the right intro line. Or people just don’t like to fund horror flicks when there is no return.

How does independent film differ from the mainstream? 

Money, time, star power, time, money, money, money. I love indie films because everyone knows it has to be done cheap and fast. And if they don’t know that then why are they there? Still, it is always good to have time, stars (who don’t act like them off camera) and, of course, money...

If you could go back in time and see a film being made, which film would it be and why? 

I don’t want to go back in time. I want to go forward in time! I want to see what the future holds. I want to know the lottery numbers so I can go back to normal time so I can fund that big budget picture that I want to star in.

Do you believe in life on other planets? 

Yes, there is at least slime mold on other planets. Intelligent life? I’m waiting on phone call from NASA before I make that decision, but it certainly can’t be ruled out because the odds are in favor of it!

What’s your favorite movie quote and why? 

“WASSSSUUUUUUP!” One word. Stupid. Silly. Perfectly played.

Would you ever consider owning a pet monkey? 

I have a cat and that’s too much for me to take care of these days.  Now a robot sounds pretty good to me.  ;-)

What is your opinion on remakes and sequels? 

With very few exceptions, I think sequels are great for the guys making money and horrible for the folks spending money. I make it a rule to never ever go see a sequel. I made that rule after Transformers II came out and I’m much better for it. If the feature film I am making is a success, do you think I’m going to make a sequel? You bet! For once the little guy wins!

What is your opinion on book to movie adaptations? 

Again, with a few notable exceptions, this is not my favorite way to make a film. Here’s the thing: You have a book that’s popular and that means that the film will be popular even if the film is not that good. A lot of money changes hands to do that adaptation because everyone knows it is a born success. More power to the little folks making money. Wait, they aren’t little folks anymore because they already have a successful book. But, if the film is actually good and we can all understand what is going if we don’t want to read the book, I give complete kudos to the Screenwriter and the Director!

Is there anything else you want to add? 

What? 6 pages isn’t enough?  ;-)  Thanks folks!

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Thanks Todd for doing the interview. I'm a fan of all the cast and crew who worked on "Hinnon Valley" I think it's a  great flick. I'll  will be checking our "The Rental" Facebook page.