Your new movie Live Health
- in a few words, what is it about?
The
film is about a therapist who, due to the pandemic, has to conduct
sessions with his patients online. Throughout the film, we learn that
all may not be well with the therapist himself, that perhaps he may be
suffering, as his patients are suffering.
How did you come up with the story for Live
Health, and is any of it based on personal experience? I
suffered an anxiety attack in May of 2020 and I considered
consulting a therapist myself and wondered how a therapist would
assist people during a global pandemic. The idea for a short film
addressing that started to form in my mind. For
Live Health you've
let your actors improvise their own scenes - so what were the guidelines
you've given them to make their scenes work? I
gave the cast free reign as far as what they wished to talk
about. I did give each patient specific information about our
relationship to guide them, and everyone in the cast delivered
beautifully. According
to my information, Live
Health was your directorial debut - so what made you choose
exactly this movie to branch out into new territory? I’ve
never had a strong desire to be a director. This project was an
excuse to make something with my amazing wife Jamie. I wanted to
see if we could pull it together as I’ve always wanted to work with
Jamie as she is a great cinematographer and editor. Plus, she’s
wonderful company. A few words about your
overall directorial approach to your story at hand? I
wanted it all to be very low key, very subtle. This is a very simple story that
I hope a lot of people can relate to, and I didn’t want to do anything
fancy, just tell the story simply. And it’s here where I must
acknowledge the contribution of my good friend Matthew Mahler, whose
music score really added to the film, creating the right amount of
tension. Matt is the best.
You
also play the lead in Live
Health - so what did you draw upon to bring him to life, and have
you written him with yourself in mind from the get-go?
I
drew on my own experiences with anxiety and my own experiences with
low self-confidence. I think that’s something one battles for life.
And while these kinds of battles can really wear you down, I
decided to take those experiences and make something from it. It was
very cathartic for me. Do
talk about the rest of your cast, and why exactly these people?
I
chose these actors specifically because -
One, they’re
wonderful actors, and
Two, I loved the variety of their voices: Nancy Kellogg Gray’s voice is very soft, very soothing; Matt
Harris’ voice is very boisterous and energetic; Becca
Robinson’s voice is very bubbly; and Bob Rutan’s voice is
just very direct and commanding. Very powerful. And Heidi Swarthout exudes
warmth and compassion.
All
of them, they are just so honest and true. They were not afraid
to go to dark places, show their vulnerability. They brought such
humanity. They really are wonderful.
What
can you tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? In
April, the cast started submitting their videos to me, and I
think I filmed my sequences in June or July. After that, it was all
about finding time to sit down and edit the film with Jamie and put
it all together.
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The
$64-question of course, where can Live
Health be seen? It
can be seen on YouTube at
https://youtu.be/wz9Sw-s4ONs Anything you can tell us about
audience and critical reception of Live
Health yet?
So
far, reaction to the film has been exceptional, thanks to critics like
yourself. The film has been warmly embraced and I couldn’t be happier. Here
is a link to all of the reviews for the film so far:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13989978/externalreviews
With Live
Health being your directorial debut, could you ever be tempted to
step behind the camera again? And/or any other future projects you'd like
to share? I
do have another project in mind, another short that I’d like to
make with Jamie. I’m still working it out in my head at this stage.
Your/your movie's website, social media,
whatever else?
Film’s
IMDb page: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13989978/reference
Personal IMDb: www.imdb.me/timothyjcox
Facebook: www.facebook.com/officialtimothyjcox/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimothyJCoxAct
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timothyjcox/
Anything else you're dying to mention and
I have merely forgotten to ask? Thank
you as always for your support, Michael. Thanks for the
interview!
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