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Yoiur new movie Penelope
is a Problem - in a few words, what's it about?
On the day of their ten-year high-school reunion, a group of friends get
together as part of a "where are they now" shoot the school is
doing. Things get uncomfortable when their memories don't jive,
particularly as they relate to their mutual friend, Penelope.
For Penelope is a
Problem you bring back a character from your earlier film 48
Hours in Purgatory, documentary filmmaker Brody
Hawkins - so why him, and how are these two movies connected? And
being a filmmaker yourself, do you at all see yourself in the character? Right now we're heavily focused on
world-building, a webbing that touches everything we're working on now and
connections stretching back through our whole filmography. Brody is
resurfacing here in part because he is the perfect ambassador for the
thinning between worlds that's underway. His curiosity/fear of what or who
Penelope is is much more intense than it might be for someone without his
history. And by the way, this is the 15th anniversary of the very first
screening of 48
Hours in Purgatory. We're re-releasing it this summer,
which times nicely with the re-emergence of Mr.
Hawkins. For me, I don't see myself in Brody, but we certainly share an interest in digging around
for the unsettling beyond the populist nonsense. (Other)
sources of inspiration when writing Penelope
is a Problem? And are any of the anecdotes told based on your
personal high school experiences?
High school experiences certainly informed the piece a bit. I've just lately spent a
lot of time with friends of mine from those days, and it's been a lot of
fun to not just reminisce, but see all the awesome things they're up to.
Those bonds are unique in life. I'm also keenly interested in how memory
works. Maybe we all have these figures in our past we don't quite remember
correctly, but we've never had the chance to compare notes. Penelope
is a Problem's ending is very open for interpretation - so
why is that, and do you yourself have a clear idea how Penelope actually
fits into the whole puzzle? When crafting this film, it very much needed to be stuck in the
world of Ambrosia. It needed to feel just as it claimed to be: segments of
filmed interviews for a run-of-the-mill reunion event - as compiled by a
haunted man living in a haunted town. I wasn't interested in putting a
fine point on things here as that would break the illusion. We are aiming
to build a whole world here (beginning with Waveshaper back in January)
where each project can be its own little entity, but also where dedicated
viewers can experience a larger, deeper landscape of mythology. So yes, we
are aware of how Penelope fits and anticipate you'll see her again very soon.
Penelope
is a Problem's a movie that's pretty much people talking in one
single room - so what were some of your directorial techniques to keep
things interesting throughout? Every actor had detailed beat sheets for
each story. These contained their bio, a core element of each story they
would all agree on and personal additional facts that would add to the
memory and maybe even contradict - or expose - the others. For example:
Haley, Jordan, and Marcus were not forewarned that the swimming story
would expose the skinny-dipping aspect or the fact that Jordan and Haley
hooked up. The actors did not compare notes. From there, they were guided
through the stories with prompts and encouraged to elaborate and play with
the stories as long as they each stayed true to their beat sheets. It was
a bit risky, but the actors killed it and it paid off with a lot of really
great moments. Do talk about Penelope
is a Problem's cast, and why exactly these people? Well, we put out a casting call and saw a lot of auditions.
After narrowing it down and navigating some scheduling challenges, I would
say we arrived at the perfect cast. Part of the challenge was knowing we
will be seeing some or all of these guys back in more traditional
narrative structures. We had to be sure they were up for it. Cayley Panov,
Michael Lake, Braelynn Bryan, Geriel Kent, Tara Kennedy and Deanna
Dresselknocked it out of the park.
What can you tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
It was a lot of fun. The small crew and simple setup kept stress levels
down and it was such a great group of personalities. Everyone had a great
sense of humor and I would hang out with any of them, any time. The
$64-question of course, where can Penelope
is a Problem be seen? YouTube.
This year, it's all going right to the viewers with the least friction
possible. https://youtu.be/E1oseoqyhlo?si=EJhGRLGKaA2x5y7K
Anything you can tell us about audience and critical reception of your movie? People who enjoy this sort of thing, that is panel discussions by
strangers, seem to like it quite a bit. I expect it will spin up in
importance to viewers as our project year unfolds.
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Penelope
is a Problem was produced under your new production banner The
10125 - so what's the philosophy behind that one, and what can you
tell us about other films produced under the banner and future projects? The
10125 is a paradigm shift. We're focused on stories that build an overall narrative while
retaining what SKG has always been about creatively:
Stories that stay with you after the lights come up. The
10125 takes that ethos to another
level, but with a punk-rock approach that wants to cut the bloat so many
film companies are drowning in and drill down the important things: Making
good art that encourages curiosity.
Your/your movie's website, social media, whatever else?
www.the10125.com
@the10125 on socials. Anything
else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Anyone that decides to join us for this ride will
be rewarded with a level of immersion and cross-pollination that I suspect
will bring out the sleuth, philosopher, and Kleenex-destroying sap in all
of them J Thanks
for the interview!
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