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Your new movie Saltville
- in a few words, what's it about?
It’s a story of want, and how far you will go to get or give up on what you want.
The Saltville
Massacre at the beginning of your movie really took place - so could
you elaborate on this for a bit, and what kind of research did you do on
the subject matter? And what inspired you to make it the kick-off point of
your film in the first place? Yes, the Saltville
massacre is a true story. We fictionalized a scene or two for
entertainment's sake of the movie. But always staying true to the original
narrative. We started with the scene as a way of informing the audience of
this piece of Civil War, history. That is Saltville, Virginia. Other sources of
inspiration when writing Saltville? A lot of online research
around rural mountain life, specifically in the early 1800s. Along
the way, Saltville
tackles racial issues and serves as social commentary - so could you
elaborate on that, and how easy or hard was it to work these into a
thriller plot? Well, after reconstruction there were a lot of attempts to
introduce former slaves into the fabric of America as free individuals. Of
course this upset a lot of people. Those individuals wanted to see the
reconstruction effort fail. Having the descendants of these newly
freed slaves deal with some of the same issues 150 years later just felt
socially right for this movie. We still had our difficult moments with the
script. A few words about your
directorial approach to your story at hand?
I let an actor act. I protect the space that an actor needs, to get in the
character. For the most part, I stay out of the way, but only to guide an
actors creativity from time to time. I don’t do rehearsals. When we
start filming we rehearse until we get it dialed in. To me it’s the most
organic approach to film making possible.
You've
written and directed Saltville
together with Gordon Price [Gordon
Price interview - click here] - so what was working with Gordon like during
all of this? Gordy and I are passionate about our work. Only
the best ideas will make it in the film. We both are committed to that,
it’s great working with him. Saltville
isn't the first time you've worked with Gordon Price - so what can you
tell us about your previous collaborations, and how did the two of you
first meet even? We met at a
neighborhood pub. And we got to talk about his previous films. I
reviewed those films and felt that I could add a bit of technical
expertise to his films. Not that he lacked that in his films, I just felt
I had something different to offer. That’s where we started. Saltville
also marks your acting debut - so how did that come about, and what can
you tell us about your character? And what did you draw upon to bring him
to life? I was satisfied with my abilities behind the camera. So I wanted
to experiment in front of the camera . My character Jayden Banks is a
community hero. The guy out front. The one that will take the fight to the
street for what he believes in. I understood this character very
intimately . He is me in a lot of ways.
What can you tell us about Saltville's
key cast, and why exactly these people?
We have been extremely lucky with casting in this film, Saltville, as well as our previous two
films. Passion and talent wins every time. A few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? I encourage every
actor in our movies to steal your scene and you may steal the movie. This is part of my on set
culture. The $64-question of course, where can Saltville
be seen? We’re working through distribution and streaming deals now. Nothing signed so
we’ll have to keep you posted on that. Anything you can tell us about audience and
critical reception of Saltville? We’re just starting to get
feedback from the reviewers. You are our audience at this moment. The
words that you say will shape how people view our film going forward.
Thank you for your support and kind words about our film Saltville.
Any future projects you'd like to share? None at the moment.
What got you into filmmaking in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on
the subject? I’ve taken courses at the New York Film Academy and
Georgia State University. My first step in learning film production was
with the Hollywood Film Institute - producer classes at Raleigh Studio in
Los Angeles. What can you tell us about your filmwork
prior to Saltville? My first film with Gordy was
Crawford Road, our second film together
was titled Ten Doors. Both are curio fiction films. I’m also a film
production consultant. How
would you describe yourself as a director?
Motivational. Filmmakers
who inspire you? The Hughes brothers, Christopher
Nolan. Your favourite movies? The Book of Eli,
The Dark Knight. ...
and of course, films you really deplore?
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Feeling lucky?
Want to
search
any of my partnershops yourself
for more, better results?
(commissions earned) |
The links below
will take you
just there!!!
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None, I think all movies even your first attempt at filmmaking has value. Your/your movie's
website, social media, whatever else? https://express.adobe.com/page/3gCyIJmoIhZEv/
https://youtu.be/wTXYrZRNErY
Anything else
you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
No Michael, this was a wonderful interview and I really enjoyed your
questions. Looking forward to the next time. Be blessed. Thanks
for the interview!
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