TINA:  Where are you a student?

ALEX: Currently, I am a senior at Stafford High School.

TINA:  Since winning the audience choice award for One Time Me and My Friend
Robbed a Store, where has the film shown?

ALEX: My film has been shown in my house and that’s it. I don’t think I’m brave enough to show it at any other film festivals just yet. It was a good idea and there are some good scenes but I don’t think my style is perfected. My new short films will probably be sent all over the place. I’m definitely looking at the DC Short Film Festival.

TINA:  What made you/inspired you to direct?

ALEX: Since I was a kid, I always wanted to be a writer. I used to write little books and such. I really liked Jules Verne, Tolkien, H.G. Wells, and all the other fantasy writers that kids go for.  A friend of mine had a camera and we used to make little movies. Eventually I got a camera and started going crazy. I made movies of anything I could think of. We made ghost movies, field trip movies, adventure, comedy, etc. Somewhere around that time I got Netflix, which, for me, is less of a website and more of a religion. I think around then I started discovering movies that really inspired me.

I think the one movie that made me want to make “good” movies was Michael Mann’s Collateral. It’s such a professionally made film that takes a standard idea and pumps it up. I really liked that aspect. Other inspirational films I’d like to include are The Third Man, The Big Lebowski, The Truman Show and In Bruges. I also discovered the films of Akira Kurosawa, The Coen Brothers, Stanley Kubrick, Werner Herzog, John Cassavetes and all the other great filmmakers.

TINA:   I assume you are involved with theatre at you school. How long have you been
involved and what productions have you been in?

ALEX: I’m not as involved as some other people, but I love to act. I was in ‘Dentity Crisis at my school, which was taken to a competition. Our play won third best in the state. I was very proud of that one. I’ve been working with the Improv Team there as well and really enjoy that. This year our school is putting on The Good Woman of Setzuan for competition. That should be fun.

TINA:   How did you pick this year’s topic, the no necktie crusade?

ALEX: I didn’t pick it. A friend of mine, Muhamad Khalid, wrote a hilarious speech in class and I decided to make a movie of it. It was about the uselessness of ties and I fell in love with it. I dressed Muhamad up and we went out and shot the film. We shot in three locations, my backyard, a tunnel, and in front of the United States Capitol.

TINA:  What do you planned for your next project?

ALEX: I have a few short films I’ll be making this year. A lot of them are just short funny scenes that will take a lot of work. I’m very excited for all of them.

TINA:  Were you excited/surprised with the audience reaction to this year’s film?
Please share your thoughts about how you think this viewing went.

ALEX: I thought the audience reaction was wonderful. I had a lot of people tell me how much they enjoyed it. One lady said she thought it was the best at the film festival.  I don’t think that’s true but it was really flattering.

Alex’s latest film, A Knotty Accessory, can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnhO3wdn1eY

~Peace,

Tina

Tina.morris @ rifilmfestival (dot) com

TINA:  Fans seemed very pleased as they left the Awards Ceremony last night. There was a lot of positive feedback on the festival. You must be proud as RIFF is a brainchild of the Athenaeum, one of many in fact, but is now in its third year. Tell us how it began and the progression you have seen.

PAUL: I guess it began with a love for film and independent film in particular. When the Athenaeum was looking to invest in a new cultural event downtown, we discussed a film festival idea with Ryan and Ian who had long wanted to do the same thing. Then we all jumped in, feet first. Three years later, here we are.

TINA: What is the best part of the festival for you?

PAUL:  Finally watching the community come through the doors, sit in their seats, and give themselves over to the experience. From that point on it’s the stories and the films that matter.

TINA: If folks want to become more involved – what should they do?

PAUL: Speak up! When they see or hear about this festival or if they like what they are experiencing and want it to continue, say so, and join us. There are many ways to help, from giving money, to volunteering to participating in the event itself. Let us know what we can do better and help us get there.

~Peace,

Tina

Tina.morris @ rifilmfestival (dot) com

 TINA: How did you come to produce this film?

BRAD: I am a screenwriter by trade. Right now I live in Washington D.C. but originally I am from Virginia. Producing is a passion and something I do for friends. Mostly I write comedy and that’s what I do for a living.

TINA: Don’t you pretty much need to live in LA to be a screenwriter?

BRAD: Well, I did my time in LA and now I live closer to home. I have an agent and a manager and the move has worked out.

TINA:  How did you find RIFF?

BRAD: This film was made in California and was shown in Santa Barbara. We wanted to find film festivals that were relevant to us so I searched for festivals in Virginia and found RIFF. It was close to home and being from Virginia, showing the film here means a lot to me.

TINA:  That was quite an impressive entourage you came in with. Who is here with you tonight?

BRAD: There are nine people.  That is my family and some of them came all the way from Russia. It’s wonderful to have  them with me.

TINA:  I know you are very excited about the showing tonight. Tell us more about the film and the making of it. How was this shot?

BRAD: It was shot in 16 mm. Very low budget.

TINA: Ah, low budget… the independent filmmaker’s mantra. What about the talent? How did you find your actors?

BRAD: We recruited talent from LA casting and held auditions. You probably would not realize this but if you have ever seen pictures of Einstein as a child the actor that we found bore a striking resemblance.

TINA: Coincidentally, I study German was impressed with the dialog. The pronunciation rang true in my ears but it was textbook German. Who helped with the language?

BRAD: We put an ad on Craigslist and the person who responded was from out of state. She sent CDs and that is how we worked. You had LA actors tackling German so it was a challenge. 

TINA: Producer as a title can mean a lot of things. Sometime producers just put up the money, whereas others are more involved. Can you tell us more about your role with this project?

BRAD:  My involvement was definitely hands-on. I shepherded it through the entire process providing feedback on the script, hiring the talent, obtaining film permits, finding insurance etc.

TINA: Thank you, Brad. I appreciate your time. Break a leg.

 ~Peace,

 Tina

Tina.morris @ rifilmfestival (dot) com