Darkly Damaged will be screening at the Straight Jacket Guerrilla Film Festival
*How did you get into making films?
If you ask my mother, she will tell you that it is all I have ever wanted to do. As a kid, movies took me places that I could never go, and I was always drawn to that magic. Aside from having aspirations of being a super hero or an astronaut, making movies and telling stories is all that I have ever wanted to do.
*What inspired you to make your movie?I'm not entirely sure. When I began writing the script, it was really just a bunch of ideas and complaints that I had with my surroundings and neighbors. I couldn't put my finger on what specifically frustrated me with the world, but I could feel it, I just knew it was there. I felt an audience could relate to that... just because they don't understand why they're angry, doesn't mean they don't have a right to be, or that something isn't really wrong.
*How has your style evolved?
I feel that I have learned to trust people more. I've learned that if you bring someone in to do a job, they have to do that job, and you have to trust them to know what they are doing and believe they will accomplish what they are there to do. Micromanaging and hovering over your cast and crew can really ruin the entire experience. As the director, you still have to be that filter, but I've learned to be open minded. If the sound recordist thinks the boom mic needs to be *here* as opposed to *there*, then you may want to listen to him, after all, that's their job.
*Tell us any strange or funny stories while making the film?
There were a lot of light hearted and fun moments considering we were telling such a dark tale. Watching Houston jump in and out of the character of Root was a little bizarre. I would call action and he would deliver this chilling dialogue and on the call of cut, would break into a joke to lighten the mood. Without that, I think a lot of those scenes would have been a tremendous burden on us during filming.
*The Misrule Film Movement & Pink8 manifesto bring what to mind?
Defiance. If you want to make movies, then make movies. Don't let anyone tell you no. Tell the story you want and forget about the rest.
*What can we expect from your next film?
Hopefully growth. I continuously made the joke that after Darkly Damaged I would make a Romantic Comedy or Family film, but that's not going to happen. I have a project in the works right now and I plan on taking the audience to a world they've never been before. We're going to explore some Sci-Fi and Horror themes with a bigger budget and higher quality than I've done before. I'm expecting production for that to start later this winter.
