22 North Shore Towers Courier n September 2015 (continued from page 14) SHOWING NIGHT 2 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 7:30PM TOWERS CINEMA THE BOY AND THE BUS Soon after the death of his mom, ten year-old Joe and his elderly father move to the remote village where his mother wanted to live. When the local bus driver won’t wait for him, Joe stamps out his grief and begins to run. Directed by Simon Pitts Screenplay by Rod Arthur Produced by Simon Pitts, Richard Edes, Rocio Cano, Shan Bertelli Interview with Simon Pitts What was the hardest part about making this film? Standing for hours, kneedeep in cow dung, in the English countryside close to the Scottish border, soaking wet and in continuous driving rain, was not the very hardest thing. Though shooting can be draining, much harder is the prep: not just the attempt to tell the story the best way possible, but getting people together on a tiny budget. The goodwill needed to make a film like this is phenomenal and it takes a village. Luckily we had one— beautiful, rugged Rothbury in Northumberland—and they backed the film all the way. What inspired you to tackle this subject? “The Boy and The Bus” Mighty Nice Man is about a young boy who deals with moving to a new town in the aftermath of the death of his mum—it’s where she had wanted to relocate. The original script was written by the great veteran British character actor Rod Arthur and I loved it for its honesty. I could relate to it from my own experience too. What did you find most rewarding about the experience? Life is about other people. Making this film the rewards came from working with people whose work I admire and who supported us: the kind locals who provided specialty cheese and jam from the region for crew meals, the local Rector who both put us up and showed us an amazing hidden location, the brilliant and generous cast and crew, including Christopher Doyle, acclaimed as one of the greatest cinematographers of our generation. Making a film is about putting the energy of people into a hard drive. What do you hope to achieve with this film? “The Boy and The Bus” has won eight prizes at festivals across the US and we’re happy that festivals and audiences want to see the film. No film is for everyone but this is always the ambition: that people want to see our work, and that some of them like it. The main thing is to make something that people can enjoy, to make sure that we don’t waste people’s time, and to find something that is truthful. What’s next for you? I’m looking for producing and finance partners for my debut feature, which has a similar feel to “The Boy and The Bus.” MIGHTY NICE MAN The haunting story of a day in a young girl’s life when a kind stranger comes to town. Directed and co-written by Jonathan Dee Co-written by Patricia Highsmith Produced by Daniella Kahane ON A TECHNICALITY Five lifelong friends enter an unusual bet that tests their friendship. Directed by Andrew Gorrell Written, Co-Produced and starring Jeff Grover Co-producer/ cinematographer Steve Hacker Interview WITH Jef Grover What inspired you to tackle this subject? The subject matter of the film really took off when a good friend of mine’s father-in-law took quite ill and was accidentally dropped on his head at a nursing home. At this point in our lives (50’s/60’s), our parent’s generation is passing away and suddenly we find ourselves “next.” While the film uses the conceit of a “secret bet,” which provides its comedic element I think, the film really explores how friends support each other as they face the inevitable loss/sadness associated with living (and dying). As the script evolved however, we began to ask the question of what would happen if something happened to one of us. The story took interesting twists at that point! What did you find most rewarding about the experience? The most rewarding thing about the experience was working with a number of friends and colleagues who were really committed to the subject matter. The actors in the film are all professionals with whom I’ve worked, particularly on stage. We were able to meet frequently to improv on the script. Add to that the opportunity to work with the DP, Steven Hacker, whom I have known for a number of years doing commercials and industrials. He and I had spoken for some time about the opportunity to work on a film, something narrative and a nice complement to the more typical work he and I do for other clients. Add to this our director, Andrew Gorell. He had just completed a stint in the Broadway national tour of “Lion King,” and was very interested in getting on the front side of the camera. Imagine bringing all of these people together filming in the deli just four months after the idea for the film started from a phone conversation I had with my friend, whose father in law had been accidentally dropped on his head at his nursing home. What’s next for you? We worked so well together that we decided to keep our team intact. However in our current short film (we are in production for a new SAGAFTRA short titled “Between the Lines”), we reversed roles a bit. In this case, Andrew Gorell (director for “On a Technicality”) is playing one of the two fathers, and I’m behind the camera, this time as the film’s director. I wrote this film, too, based on an experience I had several years ago having to do with the juxtaposition of the excitement of going to a professional baseball game and encountering a homeless family outside a shelter on my way back to my car. “Between the Lines” began shooting on July 23rd, and we expect to have the film completed in time for festival submissions by the end of October. Steven Hacker, once again, is co-producing and our Director of Photography. The team works well together! Interview with Steve Hacker What was the hardest part about making this film? A couple of thoughts come to mind. First, we were shooting in an actual deli. In one sense, that made it easier since the location got us all into a groove. But the majority of filming took place between midnight and 5am. The challenge was to make it feel like morning. Our crew brought out the big guns and voilà, it was morning! We filmed the reverse angles first showing the rest of the restaurant and our extras so they could be released at a reasonable hour. Second, we gave our actors the opportunity to adlib to some degree. This created great spontaneity while simultaneously posing challenges in camera coverage. What do you hope to achieve with this film? We are already enjoying a nice reception for the film. It premiered at the Cleveland International Film “The Filmmakers are sorry that they were unable to make the deadline for the interview.” On a Technicality Boy and the Bus
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