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Your new movie A
Prayer for the Damned - in a few words, what is it about?
It
revolves around a mysterious cache of Confederate gold that had been
heisted from Richmond, Virginia at the end of the American Civil War.
Originally stolen by a Southern Secessionist League to finance a second
American Confederacy, the fortune is then pursued by a bounty hunter as
well as a demented preacher. After several encounters with the
“characters” in a strange New Mexico town, these two clash in an
ending with more than one wild twist.
With
A Prayer for the
Damned being a western, is that a genre you're especially fond of?
And some of your genre favourites? And what can you tell us about your
movie's approach to the genre as such? I
have been fond of westerns my whole life. The stories are often rooted in
history and I am a historian. Some of my favorites are Red River, Pat
Garrett and Billy the Kid and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. I feel that
A Prayer for the
Damned combines and mashes up the various film styles. I
love in a new perspective. (Other) sources
of inspiration when writing A
Prayer for the Damned? Certainly,
history. The basis of the story is rooted in a real event. What can you tell us
about your overall directorial approach to your story at hand?
I
prefer an epic style with all my shots composed for widescreen.
Where
was A Prayer for the
Damned filmed, and what was it like shooting there? And how did
you find your location even?
It
was mostly filmed at Whitehorse Ranch near Landers, CA. It is a marvelous
western movie town, completely set dressed inside and out and historically
accurate. They also have a vast wardrobe available. The owners, Peter and
Maureen Menyhart, are well versed in the lore of the old west.
You also play one of the
leads in A Prayer
for the Damned - so what can you tell us about your character,
what did you draw upon to bring him to life, and have you written Cole
with yourself in mind from the get-go? Certainly,
there are a few aspects of me in the character and yes, I wrote him for
me. He is quite a bit more tortured and stoic than I am! I tried to
approach him as a tough, measured man who is deep down very good while
trying to live down some not so good things he may have done. Do talk about the
rest of your cast, and why exactly these people? The
cast are all wonderful actors. I was in an acting class (taught by the
great Clu Gulager) with several of them over the years so when I started
casting, I knew exactly who I wanted for each role. Pay particular
attention to the performance by Curt Lambert as The Preacher. A few
words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? It
was a good set experience, full of camaraderie. Many days were extremely
hot on location so that kind of informed the whole look of the film!
Anything
you can tell us about audience and critical reception of A
Prayer for the Damned? Regular
audience screenings were well received. It has been in several film
festivals, including one in London, and has won awards in all of them. Any future projects you'd
like to share? Yes.
I am just now delivering our second western Incident at Guilt Ridge. It is
an action tale (with a good deal of humor) about a payroll heist gone
wrong. I am also putting the final touches on a third western called Promise. It is an epic tale of redemption, loyalty and love. It also stars
the great Don Murray! All three of our films are being released through
Random Media. What got you into the filmworld to begin
with, and did you receive any formal training on the subject? I
have had a lifelong passion for film and film history. I set out to be a
filmmaker when I was in my late teens, but life took me on another turn
for a number years. About seven years ago, I started looking at some
little film projects I did in my late teens and early twenties. A friend
suggested I give it a shot again. So, I began studying digital film and
editing (I was self-taught as a film guy and not really into digital when
it first appeared) and I took some writing and acting courses. I always
viewed my “formal training” as watching film as well as reading some
of the great books of film theory. What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to A
Prayer for the Damned? Mostly
self-produced shorts and a few acting gigs here and there.
How would you describe
yourself as an actor, and how as a director? As
an actor, I like to immerse myself in the role. Get into the backstory and
the motivations of the character. As a director, I like to give the actors
I hire a lot of latitude to make decisions and take chances. That is why I
hire the actors I do because I trust them. Filmmakers,
actors, writers, whoever else who inspire you?
The
list is endless, so I’ll just wing it: Alfred
Hitchcock, Sergio Leone, John Ford, Howard Hawks, John Frankenheimer,
Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole, Clint Eastwood (as a director as well!),
James Stewart, Dennis Hopper (also as a director!), Michael Caine, F.
Scott Fitzgerald, John LeCarré and Ian Fleming!
Your
favourite movies? Again,
endless but here goes: Lawrence of Arabia, Once Upon A Time in the
West, The Searchers, True Grit,
Beckett, Dr. Strangelove, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Goldfinger,
The Manchurian Candidate. It goes on!!!
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... and of course, films you really
deplore? I
really don’t bother with anything I deplore! Your/your movie's website, Facebook, whatever
else?
Facebook:
A Prayer For The Damned (which is also our page for all San Rafael
Productions releases)
Instagram:
@aprayerforthedamned
Anything else you're dying to mention and I have
merely forgotten to ask? I
think that covers it for now. Thanks! Thanks for the interview!
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