Your new movie Salvation
- in a few words, what is it about?
Salvation
is a buddy movie with a twist. I always tell people it’s about
friendship, betrayal, and revenge. But there’s more to it than that.
It’s also about karma and facing death with dignity.
Salvation
is actually based on an original script called "Fink" by your
lead actor Kris Salvi [Kris Salvi
interview - click here] - so how did you happen upon the script,
and how much creative license did you take/were you granted rewriting it? Kris had reached out to me after seeing a
trailer for my film Get Up
Eight. He approached me as an actor, but I
quickly learned he was a brilliant storyteller. I fell in love with his
face right away and knew I was going to cast him in my next film, but I
was having trouble finding the time to write it. Maybe he just got
impatient, or maybe he trusted me enough to show me his work, but
eventually he presented me with a couple of scripts—one of which was Fink. It’s funny but, the truth is, I didn’t like it at first. It
wasn’t until two days later when I couldn’t get the story out of my
head that I said I have to make this movie—but I want to do it my
way—and that meant placing the story in one of my favorite eras, the
1950s, and re-writing the dialogue.
With
Salvation in its
essence being a gangster movie, is that a genre dear to you, and some of
your genre favourites? I’m a new filmmaker, so I haven’t been associated with any
one type of genre—yet. My goal right now is just to explore them all if
I can. The common thread in my work is human behavior. I’m fascinated by
human emotions and relationships, and this film really allowed me to
explore them. Gangsters behave one way on the surface, but they’re very
complex people underneath. With Salvation
I had two characters, so very
different from one another. And even though they had committed the same
crimes, lived the same life, they processed their experiences in their own
way—and I just love that.
With Salvation
being a period piece, how easy or difficult as it to find the right
locations and props and those beautiful vintage cars? Period pieces are not for the faint of heart. I
typically do all my own location scouting, costuming, set design, props,
etc—so this film was really challenging in that respect. It was just a
lot to manage. But I’m lucky to live and work on Cape Cod where there
are so many talented filmmakers and creatives; it was through word of
mouth that I found the historic Mills Pond Diner, and the cars I located
through my local car club. I’ve had really good luck bringing my visions
to life—but a big part of that is I don’t shy away from rejection.
What’s the worst anyone can say: no? My mother was a saleswoman and she
always told me every “no” brings you closer to a “yes”. So I
always tell people, set your production goals high—because you’d be
amazed what you can pull together with a little effort.
What
can you tell us about your overall directorial approach to your story at
hand? I learn
more about directing every time I do it. One of the most challenging
aspects for me has always been getting what I see in my mind to match the
image in the monitor. But with this film I had very clear shots I wanted
to execute, and I feel like I got them. Still, even though I had a plan
for almost every scene, some of my favorite shots were the ones we
improvised. And my directorial approach is really to focus on the acting.
The actors do their work at home, and then I do mine, by reinforcing what
I believe are their characters’ motivations on set. Usually what they have
in mind and what I have in mind is very close—and we meet somewhere in
the middle. But it’s a real skill to direct an actor, because you have
to communicate what you want from them without throwing them off or making
them feel like you don’t trust their choices. As someone who has acted,
I redirect rather than criticize, because I know how hard it can be to
perform well under pressure. Do talk about your cast, and why exactly these
people? Kris Salvi (Salvatore) [Kris Salvi
interview - click here] is an amazing actor, and I’m not
just saying that because he’s my boyfriend—I really really admire him.
He knows exactly how to play a movie villain, but it’s never two-dimensional. I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as he does to develop a
character. Justin Thibault (Santo) has been in numerous films with Kris
and is, honestly, one of the most amazing actors I’ve ever had the
privilege to work with. He can literally do any character he’s presented
with, and he takes risks. He knew full well he had a drowning scene in
this film, but he didn’t let the fact that he doesn’t know how to swim
stop him from taking the part. Paul Kandarian (Ciro) is an incredible
actor, and I’ve worked with him before, but I had no idea he could do
what he did with his voice. He far superseded my expectations for that
character. Sarah Morse (Bambi) and Juliette Tittel (Waitress), made their
acting debuts in this film, and were both cast for their exceptional
beauty. Sarah was a natural with her classic pin up figure, and Juliette
just embodies wholesomeness. Neither one of them had any lines, so it was
really important that I cast women who could speak to the audience without
ever saying a word.
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A few words about the shoot as such, and the
on-set atmosphere?
I truly believe I work with the best people around! The Cape
Cod crew is a force to be reckoned with and our shoots are always a blast.
I just want to shout out everyone who worked on this film, especially Manx
Taiki Magyar (DP), Isabelle Caplan (AD), Emily Tullock (sound), Chris
Ledda (gaffer), Mike Hansen (assistant camera), Jay Sheehan (sound editor), Ian Rashkin
(score), and Geoff Bassett (colorist). The $64-question of course, where can
your movie be seen? Salvation
has been
submitted to the film festival circuit for 2020, so as of right now there
is no way to see it online. But you can watch our trailer and check out
awesome movie stills and behind the scenes videos on Facebook or Instagram
at @salvationtheshortfilm Any
future projects you'd like to share?
There
are future projects in the works, but they’re all on hold right now due
to COVID-19. I’ve seen a lot of filmmakers speculate that this disease
will destroy the indie film scene, but I beg to differ. Indie filmmakers
are a special breed—and our spirit, drive, and passion for art will far
outlast this epidemic. In fact, I fully expect all of us to have some
incredible stories to share when this is all over. Anything else you're
dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I feel like I’ve
probably rambled enough haha, so I’ll simply add that I’m grateful for
the opportunity to discuss Salvation, and that I truly appreciate every
single person who helped bring this story to life (you know who you are). Thanks
for the interview!
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