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Your new movie The
Ventures: Stars on Guitars - in a few words, what is it about?
Tim Wilson: It is about the musical influences the Ventures, the biggest
selling instrumental band in music history, had on some of the most
well-known musicians of all time.
What
inspired you to make a film about the musical career about your father in
the first place?
Tim Wilson: We knew the story and we're very proud of our father’s
accomplishments, and felt the story needed to be shared with the rest of
the world.
You've
got quite a star-studded line-up of interviewees in your movie - so who
have you got and why, and how did you get them even? Staci
Layne Wilson: Well, we have about 40 interviewees in the movie! But the
highlights are certainly John Fogerty, who inducted The Ventures into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Josie Cotton, who performed with The
Ventures in 1983 in one of their few vocal performances on their 35th
Anniversary. We also have younger musicians like The Surfrajettes and
long-standing legends like Jimmy Page in the movie. It’s a great
cross-section of different musicians and music historians.
Tim Wilson: The Ventures have a very large group of well-known artists that
mention the Ventures as a big part of their influences, we picked some
very special artists and tried to mix it up a bit, a lot of these artists
have been friends and worked in some capacity with The Ventures.
Do
talk about the shoots as such for a bit!
Staci
Layne Wilson: It took about three years to make the film. We did not have
a studio or set location, so we got interviews however and wherever we
could. I shot the interview of John Fogerty myself at his home; but we
also had a talented DP who did a few of the shoots, including the one with
Billy Bob Thornton which was filmed at the bar in the famous Sunset
Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood. So, there are several different looks and
locations.
Ventures lead guitarist Nokie Edwards backstage
with Slash |
The $64-question of course, where can The
Ventures: Stars on Guitars be
seen?
Staci
Layne Wilson: Starting on December 8, 2020, it can be rented on iTunes,
Prime, Fandango Now, Vimeo, YouTube, and over 200 local cable stations.
Also, it’ll be on DVD.
If you don't
mind a more personal question, what was growing up with Don Wilson as a
father like, and in what way (if at all) has he shaped your own
appreciation for music? Tim Wilson: The Ventures started in 1958 and it wasn’t long before they were
touring all over the U.S and a short time later that all over the world,
60 years later they’ve never taken a year off except this year due to
COVID-19. Their first-ever tours were canceled this year; I don’t know
of any other band in history who has toured that much, so needless to say,
our father wasn’t around a whole lot. We saw him when we could, but that
is one of the big sacrifices musicians and their kids have to make. Any
interesting The Ventures stories that didn't make it into the final
cut of The
Ventures: Stars on Guitars? Staci
Layne Wilson: There are a few! We decided not to put long, involved
stories in the film, but we did add some of the unedited memories and
thoughts to our YouTube Channel where they can be seen in their entirety:
http://www.youtube.com/c/TheVenturesMovie What can you tell us
about your directorial approach to your story at hand?
Staci
Layne Wilson: I wanted to make it not only informative, but also fun and
entertaining. That is where I got super-lucky with my editor (Nina Helene
Hirten), because she is also an animator. She created moving infographics
and cartoons to illustrate some of Dad’s stories that didn’t have
footage to go along with them.
According
to my knowledge, prior to The
Ventures: Stars on Guitars you've mostly directed fiction - so how
does making a documentary differ from doing a narrative movie? Staci
Layne Wilson: It is so different! I didn’t fully realize how different.
With a narrative film, you have a script and storyboards, and actors to
say exactly what they’re supposed to. A documentary is a much wilder
animal. Also, there are many more legalities to consider. We paid a lot
for entertainment lawyers, Fair Use attorneys, official copyright, forming
an LLC, and Errors and Omissions insurance. Since this friends-and-family
financed, that part has been tough. But we did it! Anything you
can tell us about audience and critical reception of The
Ventures: Stars on Guitars? Staci
Layne Wilson: So far, so good! It is not out in the public yet, but the
select few participants, friends, and film critics who’ve viewed it
early, are liking it. Any future projects
you'd like to share?
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Staci
Layne Wilson: Yes, thank for asking, Michael. My next project is a
narrative feature called The Second Age of Aquarius. It is a rock'n'roll,
sci-fi comedy with all original 60s inspired music by my writing partner,
Darren Gordon Smith (you know him from Repo! The Genetic Opera). Nina
edited this one too, and she created trippy, psychedelic special effects
to illustrate our hero’s flashbacks. See, Russell Aquarius (played by
Michael Ursu) is a 60s rock star who died in 1970 and has just been
brought back from the Great Beyond as an avatar by a young computer
programmer, Alberta (played by Christina Calph). Darren and I call it
“Weird Science meets Oliver Stone’s
The Doors". We are nearing the end
of post-production now, so we’re hoping to have it out by mid-2021.
Your/your movie's website, social
media, whatever else?
The
Ventures: Stars on Guitars:
http://www.TheVenturesStarsOnGuitars.com/
Staci
Layne Wilson:
http://www.StaciLayneWilson.com/
Tim
Wilson:
http://www.wilsonguitarventures.com/
Thanks for
the interview!
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