Please tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘1-800-BOD-ARMY’. How did you start, and how did you learn to make films?
I was a film student that studied Filmmaking (naturally), but toward the end of my two years at Columbia College I had to hop into my own projects and act in them (Student Actors can be very unreliable). The acting received a warm response and without hesitation I went in that direction and studied acting. Since then I became a member of the SAG-AFTRA Union and have been in various works around Chicago.
Last year was a very hard year for me and one of the things that had me down was the SAG-AFTRA strike that took place. I had written a lot and was preparing to make a short film called, “Private Eyes”. The strike completely shelved that. Instead of sitting around I decided to take on a Music Project with my friend Cody O’Grady, called “Brothers Of Destruction” and we made a hand full of songs over the summer until the strike came to a resolution. When the strike ended I viewed that as a green light to make a video for every song that we had made.
Tell us about ‘1-800-BOD-ARMY’. How do you describe it?
1-800-BOD-ARMY is the second installment of the video series that I have made for Brothers Of Destruction (B.O.D). On the surface I am sure there are many people who will view this as some sort of political commentary on the military, it’s not. These are really ideas about idol worship, a country so divided that people would rather start their own militias or extremist group, and cheap commercialism. The “Army Men” buy up advertisement space to recruit their fanbase (The BOD Army). As goofy as this seems it is commenting on the rabid fanbase that will do anything for their favorite pop star, athlete, or actor. 1-800-BOD-ARMY is simply asking, can people of pop culture influence start a war? Can they convince their following to do anything they want?
Please tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
I like to keep my influences low-key, but I can tell you filmmakers I had the pleasure of knowing and helping guide me. That would be Steven Conrad (Patriot, Pursuit of Happiness, The Weatherman), John McNaughton (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Mad Dog and Glory, Wild Things), Andrew Davis (The Fugitive, Holes) and the late great Jonathan Demme (Silence Of The Lambs, Stop Making Sense). These are my Mount Rushmore of filmmakers that I had the pleasure of talking to and studying under. I cannot tell you how much they gave me through gigs, advice and great stories. To me they are some of the most important filmmakers. More important than any “favorite” I could give you.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
I would love a nice multi-million (10-20 million) dollar budget to make my first feature called, “Thieves” that takes place in Chicago.
Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps would you take?
Locking down the essentials. Cast, Crew and Location. Lock everyone in on a certain set of dates you plan to shoot. Getting through the shoot is a lot easier when you and your DP know your script and shot list very well. Trust your DP to find good shots but do not hesitate to go with YOUR instincts. Communicate with cast and crew respectfully and keep the vibe interesting or exciting. Once the shoot is over, back every file up on multiple hard drives. Hand off a drive to your editor, or keep them all handy for yourself if you edit your own work (in this case I would). While editing the work do not take days off, that is when you get bored of your project and begin to neglect and eventually get self conscious about it. Editing can be a tedious process that can lead to doubt, so keep pushing and get it to the finish line. Once it is finished I would put the film through the festival circuit and eventually release it to the public, whether that be through a distribution deal or at the very least uploading it on YouTube. If my work cannot be seen then there is no point in making it to me.
What was the hardest part of making ‘1-800-BOD-ARMY’.
Getting my DP (Donovan Strong-O’Donnell) and co-creator of the music (Cody O’Grady) to trust the project. Also knowing that people would willingly misinterpret it as some sort of political statement. Some folks unfollowed me via social media right after I released the video. The price you pay to make your work.
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work?
I have a few more music videos in the works and I am hoping to eventually get back on track to make the short film that had been sidetracked by the SAG-AFTRA strike a year ago. It will either be “Private Eyes” or a short I just wrote called “The Sad Driver”. I am excited to make either. I am also starring in and co-editing a Chicago Feature called, “Be Funny” written and directed by Donovan Strong-O’Donnell (the DP for 1-800-BOD-ARMY). We shot it this past Spring and we plan on getting it out to festivals by the Fall.
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