Your new movie Harvey
- in a fews words, what is it about?
Being
trapped in a life you don’t want until you break.
What were your
sources of inspiration when writing Harvey?
My
son, my writing partner Shawn Golden, said we should write a film and make
it, not letting Covid stop us. So we picked a location to make it somewhat
self-contained. We felt trapped because of Covid – and I do believe that
lent itself to the smalltown concept, can’t-get-the-hell out feeling.
We
live where we filmed. Once we knew the concept we liked, we wrote the film
in 9 days. I also lived in a town with about 1500 people growing up. The
only place to go was the bowling alley. That gave me plenty of experience
to draw on.
You have
written Harvey together
with Shawn Golden - so what can you tell us
about him, and what was your collaboration like? Shawn
is my son, he’s 21. He’s been my “muse” since after going
blind and recovering enough to drive again in 2009. We’d go on these
midnight rides through random dirt roads, back roads and cut the car
lights and tell scary stories while we drove a few feet. It grew to
full stories, and our first screenplay was Empath, about a 10-year-old
empath non-verbal who held the secrets to serial killings and got his
whole family murdered because of it. You might say that’s what led
us to Harvey. We were filming that when lockdowns happened in March
of 2020, and the investor left. So Harvey
was born out of what we
had left, and the desire to produce a feature film under a company we
started together in 2019, Marco Vision Films. To what
extent could you actually identify with Harvey's
title character, and the things he's going through? Oh,
scary to answer this one. I don’t drink, but with people out there
in my life, I can tell you sometimes I don’t know what’s real and
what’s not. The desire to live a different life than what you have
is something I think we all relate to. During Covid and the
lockdown it's been hard not to go crazy and feel responsible for everything
that’s happening.
What
can you tell us about your directorial approach to your story at hand? Normally
I approach things methodically for prepping, typical storyboards,
blocking/block charts, and table reads prior to filming. Harvey
was
a little different due to the new protocols and our budget. I am an
actors' director always, so the most important thing is that the actors get
what I am looking in their characters. A
few words about your co-director Johnny Alonso, and what was your
collaboration like? I
love working with Johnny. Once Shawn and I knew we wanted to make this
film we wrote a role for him, Keith. I sent him the script and asked
Johnny to co-produce with me. He said YES! Then I sprung
co-direct on him. It was a huge benefit, because we had a small crew
due to Covid, and I was having to handle some things not related to
directing. People not testing, nurses’ concerns, and so many
things, that without Johnny I don’t think we would have made it through
as smoothly as we did. It was really new territory for an indie film
set. Do talk about the rest of Harvey's
key cast, and why exactly these people?
Darius
Autry played Harvey, our lead. I had cast him in three other things
I’d made. He’s newer in the industry but I can see a big star
rising in him. He’s versatile and studies his character. He has an
ability to bring a character to life – that you don’t find often in indie
films of our size. He also always consults with me, as he sees what
he envisions them to be. I love working with him on set.
Erin
O’Brien [Erin O'Brien
interview - click here] plays our Karen. She is a dream on set. Someone that
Johnny brought to me when we started Empath. I adore her style,
acting and ability to create her character and all their nuances in a way
that still is true to my vision but makes it her own.
Allison Meister plays Madison. She is hard-working young actress that is going
to have a long career ahead of her. I’ve worked with her since 2019 in
four other projects, and her growth and range is tremendous. She can reach
that place where she can cry, and feel vulnerable, and I would have her
back in a heartbeat on future projects.
What can you
tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? Ambitious.
The Oviedo Bowling Alley owner was so amazing, we got to set as early as 4
am some morning. We had to be out of there most days before he
opened to the public at 11:00 or 12:00 depending on the day. So we had to
stay on target. Covid definitely made the days a little harder with
testing and all the zone protocols. We had a smaller crew than what I
would have wanted but it was required. So I will admit there were a few
tense moments trying to meet those time deadlines and still get what we
need. But overall everyone gave it their all. The
$64-question of course, where can Harvey
be seen? Harvey
was released on January 7, 2022 and can be seen on lots of platforms.
These include: Directv, Comcast, VUDU, iTunes/AppleTV,
Vimeo, Google Play, YouTube, and more.
midnightreleasing.com/filmcatalog/harvey/
Anything you can tell us about audience and
critical reception of Harvey? While
there is always someone that doesn’t get it, we have been blessed with
people that have loved the film. Honestly, I think I’m my worst
critic because I know there are things I would have loved to have done,
but Covid and budget made some of those things not possible. Each
time we get better and better, learning and growing and hopefully our
audiences will see that too in our future films.
Any
future projects you'd like to share? We
have some really exciting things in the works. But still in the
development phases with the screenplays done and EP search underway.
Best way to look out for the projects is through our website MacroVisionFilms.com What got you into
filmmaking in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on
the subject? The
story is a little strange and way too long for here. But long story
short, I had a performing arts school, went blind and had to close it, in
the process of being legally blind my daughter got me onto Facebook, and
into writers’ groups. I met a writer going through his own hell and
trying to find his place. He suggested we suffer together and write.
I had already written a book and my first script about the murder of my
mom, prior to losing my eyesight, so I said yes. Before long we
had written our first script, second script and a full TV series.
After the first script I enrolled in writers bootcamp and have taken every
class/seminar I could since. As for being a filmmaker, I fell into
that when my director didn’t show for my first film. The DP told
me to do it, no one knows it better than I do and he would help me.
He did. He taught me the importance of watching the monitor and not the
set, and of listening. I’ve now also taken workshops and seminars
and worked most positions on a film, except camera. It’s been
since 2009. I’m only as strong as my team, so I tend to surround
myself with seasoned and skilled talent on and off camera that I can learn
from. What can you tell us about your filmwork
prior to Harvey?
I’ve
been making films since 2009, both shorts and features. Originally,
I started with shorts to highlight my feature screenplays.
Eventually they were for the festival circuit, winning awards for my film
work and screenplays. I have produced over 25 films, short series,
and four feature films in 2019/2020. I’ve been hired to write for
many clients and adapt their books. I love filmmaking. I never knew
I could love anything more than I loved making music – but filmmaking is
in my blood now.
How
would you describe yourself as a director? As
a director, I am really focused on talent. They tell me I am an actors'
director. I’m available to the talent, and work with them to find
ways for them to be comfortable with the dialogue and blocking. I
feel I need to connect with them and their portrayal of the character to
get the best results. In most cases, I also work closely with my DPs
to develop the shot lists, and blocking prior to filming. Though not all
DPs are willing to be that much of a team player. The ones that are,
well, we can create true movie magic. Filmmakers,
screenwriters, writers, whoever else who inspire you? Screenplays
for my series like Hit Women have been compared to Tarantino and
Rodriguez. They are two I really like. But honestly, I respect anyone that
can put in the time and effort to truly make a film from script to screen.
It’s a beast to get done but so worth it. Your
favourite movies? Hmmm.
Good question. Actually, a hard one for me. I love films that are fantasy
and sci-fi. Like the Harry Potter films, and Lord of the Rings as
well as Star
Wars. But then I also find I like the smaller films
like Dead Again. ... and of course, films you really
deplore? There
have been a few I couldn’t get through. But because of that, I can’t
remember their names. I can honestly say I have never walked out of
a theater though. Cheers to anyone who made a film, even a bad film.
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Your/your movie's website, social media,
whatever else?
www.MacroVisionFilms.com
www.facebook.com/ranelle.golden.screenwriter
www.facebook.com/HarveyFeatureFilm
www.instagram.com/ranellegolden
twitter.com/GoldenRan
Anything else you're dying to mention and
I have merely forgotten to ask? YES
– THANK YOU FOR THIS INTERVIEW. Thank you to Team Harvey, my producer
Johnny Alonso, our co-production company Rock House
Productions, Acort International, Samera Entertainment and
of course
MidNight Releasing.
I hope we have many more together. Thanks for the
interview!
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