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Filmmaker Interview by Jason Knight
Would you please describe the plot of Redville?
The sudden loss of my character's wife brings my three old friends from high school to be there for me, but we haven't spoken in twenty years and they don't realize what they are walking into.
What motivated you to take part in this project?
Scott Thomson, who’s been the singer in our band, Dead-Lift, wrote a screenplay that he wanted our drummer, Sean Cranston, to direct. Scott ended up writing parts for us. None of us have acted before, but we said “Let’s do this, this is gonna be fun!”. It was a group thing that we all bought into and wanted to make happen.
How would you describe the character you portray?
Tony Rinaldo is a writer, so he pretty much is a recluse, just being happy with his wife Karen and his laptop, but he’s always been an angry person. The loss of his stability leaves him wide open for his emotions to get the best of him.
What did you find most challenging while making this picture?
This was all new to us, except for Sean who has done this before, so it was all a challenge from sitting down and trying not to argue with each other over plot or scenes to learning lines to getting everyone to set locations. The challenge still continues in trying to create a buzz about the film.
How would you describe the director and the rest of the cast? What was it like working with them?
Working with Sean was a great experience, this is his wheelhouse so I, as well as the others, took his advice and followed his lead. He was very upbeat, professional and encouraged us when some of the scenes were getting demanding. We’ve all known each other for 15+ years so our chemistry was definitely there, sometimes too much, especially when some of the more humorous parts of the movie needed to be filmed.
You delivered a very strong performance in this movie. What are your thoughts on acting?
Thank you so much for the compliment, acting is another form of expression and creativity so I’ve always felt that I had it in me, just like with music. It’s fascinating when you can take an idea, work on it and get a final product, whether a film or album. It’s a great sense of accomplishment. I have to give the professional actors more credit because the emotional parts in scenes are them finding something in them to bring it out. Some scenes I did in Redville, I had to go places that I didn’t want to go to get what Sean and Scott wanted. It was an emotional rollercoaster for sure.
What are your plans for the future?
Sean’s mind doesn’t stop, so he’s got another film in the works. He asked me if I would be interested in being in it and I jumped at the opportunity. Hope to start shooting in late spring of this year. There’s also some other things that Dead-Lift Productions is working on, a possible series and another feature length movie. Personally, I’m looking to get better at this acting thing and start broadening my scope. At the end of the day, I’m just looking to have fun and meet new people.
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