Do you prefer Comedy or Drama?
Drama, preferably with comedic moments to give the audience a breath or break from the seriousness of the plot. Especially important currently when so much of the programming including films streamed, featured on cable and/or in the theater is about either mass killing, individual revenge and/or justice killings, serial killings, and violence in the streets. As for comedy as a form of entertainment, I’m more of a standup comedy person than funny films per say with a few exceptions.
Life imitates Art or Art imitates Life?
Art imitates life. It’s not possible for ‘Life’ to imitate something that doesn’t exist yet and while the work of all artists regardless of medium is informed by their experience and/or interpretation of various aspects of life, our creations are each unique just like our fingerprints. In my case, I feel a strong connection to the Creator/God when I write almost as if I’m writing in-between my conscious and unconscious, from a uniquely spiritual loving space.
Which is the best Moment on set?
Socks is the first time I’ve executive produced a film of one of my plays. I worked with Ashley Aquilla, a Black woman director who has directed several of my plays (including her first directing gig) over the years and Lonnie El of Angel Touch Films as my Cinematographer, Editor and Sound Tech. Once we located space in a friend’s huge house that felt right to Ashley, I met and hired the actor she selected, watched one rehearsal in the space, gave Ashley my notes, and left the three of them to do what they do. So glad I did. They were able to go right from my play script to rehearsal to filming.
Did anyone ever tell you weren't good enough?
I grew up with low self-esteem, being teased about my hair, large feet, being tall, and love of reading, but not when it comes to my writing including my ability to make up a story in the moment. When I was in k-12 ‘all’ of my teachers acknowledged that I was a good writer and while pursuing my B.A., M.A. with an emphasis on Creative Writing and Ph.D. in the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education, this was repeatedly reinforced. Writing is and has been my passion since I was thirteen years-old, always coupled with reading and later teaching and performing. I had occasions during my M.A. journey when professors would tell me a poem or essay I’d written was not-good, but while I always listened to and applied useful feedback, when I knew it wasn’t true, I didn’t believe them.
How can you stay focused on your goal?
Writing is my passion, the majority of my work including Socks is created about social issues (in this case Human Trafficking), and my goal is to educate while entertaining in hope of sharing something about the issue which will prompt people to think more critically and ultimately to act. My desire to positively affect the world helps me stay focused.
Have you ever had a breakdown because of your Job?
Never. And I’ve had a few jobs, including twelve years and eleven months in a car manufacturer’s Zone Sales Office as a secretary then clerk, professor positions in the academy, working for a private Black law practice and the local Air Show—my favorite jobs being the brief years I spent as a Page in my local library from 16 to 18 and my first full time job in another branch as a Desk Clerk. In all cases though I’ve always worked to live, never lived to work. I started my own business “Bringing Words to Life,” right after I earned my Masters’ Degree.
Talent is a blessing or a curse?
Talent is always a blessing. The distinction being whether the person with it recognizes it as talent and decides to do something productive and positive with it. I’ve lived long enough to understand that it takes more than talent to use it—you have to put in the work, be open to help and critique ‘and’ be lucky.
What would you like to improve about yourself as an
actor/director/screenwriter?
While I am a performer and have been for years, I have no interest in earning my acting chops, I dislike directing because I have no patience for all of things that tend to come up during every production, I’ve ever been part of or heard about. I’d like to and plan to learn how to use Final Draft so I can begin writing new work as screenplays rather than adapting plays I’ve created for the stage.
What's the worst critic you have received?
I sent MEAT, the play I was ultimately Awarded a Cleveland Arts Prize for, to the Artistic Director of a major theater in town at the recommendation of the nationally recognized choreographer who choreographed my play Closure at Karamu, the previous year. He called and asked me to meet him on the first floor of the building the theater was located in to tell me it was a piece of crap and to ask me why I “wasted my time, writing it.” I immediately felt as if he was trying to take me down a peg or two, that he was wrong, told him I didn’t agree and left. But, make no mistake--it hurt.
If you weren't an actor/director/screenplayer what would you like to be?
I am blessed to be everything I would like to be. A poet, playwright, artist-scholar, performer, educator, author—lover of people.
If Cinema was a color what would it be?
Red! For Passion, fire, the red of living and what it means to be human.
A day without a movie is...
A day without an addition to my visual creative library.
If someone offered you to play/direct/write in/a movie that you despise
but that for sure will make you rich and famous...would you accept the job?
No. Not for any amount of money. My character and integrity mean a lot to me and it’s not and never has been for sale. I’ve always worked to have enough and sought and cherished spiritual wealth, and I have that.
What's your greatest ambition?
For my creative work to be remembered long after I’m dead and to see former students exceed my degree of success, to see them become even better writers, etc.
What's your biggest fear?
Not seeing and being with my daughter (Michelle E. Weems, 3-4-83 to 1-3-2017) after I die.
Does music helps you to play/direct, write?
Absolutely. Specifically, I’ve written more work listening to Miles Davis’s “My Funny Valentine,” than any other song.
You have the chance to make a Silent movie, what's your message to the
audience?
STOP hurting and hating and killing each other. Like James Brown once sang Please, Please, Please give peace, respect and love a chance and help each other when you can.
Share your speech if you should win an Oscar.....
Would somebody please come up here and wake me up?!
Do you prefer Comedy or Drama?
Comedy
Life imitates Art or Art imitates Life?
Life is the thing we all experience differently, with some commonalities - if we’re lucky - we experience deep but occasional emotional, spiritual and intellectual commonalities around our perception of the world, other people and what’s true and not true. We can only really temper our subjective experience of life with evidence, experience, and our senses, influenced and informed by the experience and senses of other people… I would say art imitates what we can make sense of in our subjective experience of life… I think art imitates our fragile understanding of what life is, but the way we experience and perceive life is a kind of art.
Which is the best Moment on set?
Flow!
Did anyone ever tell you weren't good enough?
Yes - frequently and for many years. It was confusing because at the same time, other influential people in my life were overblowing my accomplishments. It helped me to realise that all that noise is pretty meaningless, but I do still have to challenge the inner ‘what’s the point’ voice every day.
How can you stay focused on your goal?
I’m quite dogged around my ideas. I can be a bit obsessive. I don’t have trouble focusing on a goal, but I’ve had to work very hard to organise a rational and consistent path towards the goal. I get extremely frustrated by not having the required skills to do exactly what I want at any point in the process towards fulfilling a goal. I do think it’s important to stay enthusiastic about what you’re doing, and to be humble and not precious about your ideas & methods. Using new information & skills to reframe a goal when needed is just as important as focusing on it.
Have you ever had a breakdown because of your Job?
Like most artists and writers, I have a day job. My job took up most of my time up until recently when I decided to make a change. I have been extremely unhappy at work, but managed to be pretty successful despite that. Being successful actually made me feel very trapped and there were definitely times I felt like I might break down. I was envious of those artists who said they were crap at everything else so had no choice! Part of my obsessive nature kept me going, and I did always ensure I could spend at least some of my time focusing on my creative work. When I was younger, and working alone as an artist, I was very stressed and lonely. Nobody really supported my decision to be an artist at the time, and I was too impatient with myself, having to learn and having to do uninspiring artwork for commission. Honestly I think I’ve needed all this time to develop my voice. I’m actually glad I’ve avoided being stuck in commission-land as I’ve had more time to be playful and weird without having to worry about profiting from it.
Talent is a blessing or a curse?
It’s a big curse when you’re young to be called talented, because you’re taught that knowledge and skills just happened to you. Whereas, any skill I’ve gained has been through being enthusiastic about it. Developing a talent requires practice, that if it’s fun you won’t see as work. A lot of super talented people I know feel like a failure if they have to try at a task, or if they make a mistake. That’s death to real development of a practice. Having said that, I have always been very imaginative, which could be called a kind of talent. I can imagine pretty much anything, and see it in my mind’s eye quite clearly. When I was a young child, my imagination was a curse. I was terrified of the supernatural. Now I find it a huge asset in everything I do. My work has involved using my imagination to run various scenarios to see what different outcomes might occur. That’s useful!
What would you like to improve about yourself as a director/screenplayer?
I wish I was more disciplined. I start with such good intentions - timetables, mini-goals, rewards for reaching a certain point at a certain time, but sometimes I just need to plant my face into the floor and stop. It feels awful to have a wasted day, but it’s not wasted. You have to recharge your batteries, and take care of your needs as a living organism!
I would like to have the ability to rest my mind instantaneously, and sleep really well. I wish I didn’t need to spend so much time thinking rather than doing, but it is important.
What's the worst critic you have received?
‘Why bother?’ A handwritten note on my visitor’s book for my MA degree show.
If you weren't an actor/director/screenplayer what would you like to be?
A stand-up comedian
If Cinema was a color what would it be?
Cyan
A day without a movie is...
Harshing my vibe
If someone offered you to play/direct/write in/a movie that you despise but that for sure will make you rich and famous...would you accept the job?
No, because I cannot hide my feelings at all… I wouldn’t be able to get anything done for it!
What's your greatest ambition?
To be relaxed
What's your biggest fear?
Bad people who are certain they are good.
Does music helps you to play/direct, write?
The right kind of ambient or classical music. I use ambient music to get me started and less distracted sometimes, then work best in silence after I’ve warmed up.
You have the chance to make a Silent movie, what's your message to the audience?
What the hell? You’re alive! But purely in facial expressions.
Share your speech if you should win an Oscar.....
I’m so blown away that people like my crazy work! And I am so grateful that so many people in my life have shown me patience, and unconditional love and support, without which I would never have been able to make space to play, make mistakes, take risks, do things I’m proud of and very often, fail miserably.
To succeed at anything - and for me that’s meant different things at different points in my life - I’ve had to allow myself to be supported and loved, fight my comfort zone, challenge my perceptions, and habits, be painfully honest with myself about my inadequacies, failures and limitations as well as assets, be grateful for what I do have rather than upset at what I don’t have, be super brave, sit with enormous frustration and self-doubt, and keep sticking my neck out anyway. Just putting pen to paper, and just making art for me. let alone sharing it with people, has felt very very brave.
PMA: What motivates you to write?
Leslie: In my religion I write the screenplays that right the wrong. Naked on a chaise and armed only with a computer, I am single handedly victorious against injustice.
PMA: Does your writing reflect you personally?
Leslie: Always. Alone in my backyard, relentlessly God X-rays my mind for humanity’s challenge.
PMA: So you feel your writing is divinely inspired?
Leslie: Amen.
PMA: Do you always hear the Word?
Leslie: If I struggle to submit to the Word I wear jewels to channel my inner priestess. Draped in Walmart sapphires and primed with a Mojito I can write anything, anywhere, anytime. I create what wasn’t, what is, and what will be.
PMA: Just like the bible?
Leslie: Exactly.
PMA: Are you a Prophet too?
Leslie: Of course. I’m practically a magical writing Genie. Rub my lamp the way I like and I will write for you.
PMA: So you’re saying you’re one of the greats?
Leslie: Most days. There’s Mathew, Mark, Luke, John…. And now we have The Seven Feature Gospels of Leslie. It was prophesied to me that a person of greatness would come from across the land to tell my gospel in theaters so that my brethren might become less stupid, less greedy, and more like dogs.
When did you decide you wanted to be an actor/director/ screenwriter?
My journey to becoming a screenwriter began with my desire to be a great American novelist. For about two years I explained to my sister, Debbie Walker, that I was a writer. And finally, she explained, gently, “writer’s write.” So, my journey from pen to paper began then. For many years that followed my writing was abbreviated creative shorts, ideas that just didn’t become fully fleshed out. I decided to take a college creative writing course, which led to a journalism pursuit and where I began pursuing other writing genres, from creative writing to journalistic pursuits to poetry and journals, movie reviews, and now screenplays.
For me, the pandemic provided the missing element needed to concentrate fully on screenwriting. The lockdown allowed me to devote 100% of my time to developing an idea that had been simmering for about for a decade. I took an online class and it helped clarify the specifics of what I felt were areas of weakness.
My screenplays imitate life with cinematic value added. Obviously, there is not an exactness to what I write, however, I did live and work in Manhattan, and experienced victimization and severe repercussions for seeking justice which became a source of inspiration. The screenplays are my way of exposing the individuals for the heinous criminal actions and the system for its coverup.
I often joke that my first screenplay, “The Six Sides of Truth,” took 10 years and three months to complete. After that, as I felt like anyone can write one screenplay, I felt personally challenged to write a second screenplay, which is “The Wednesday Killer,” and then felt more secure in my writing, so I wrote “The Manhattan Project.” Q.
How did your family react?
The arts aren’t practical and, even with my NYU education, I majored in Journalism, as a writer first, my family, I don’t think, saw the pursuit of artistic expression as practical. I don’t blame them, I come from a small town in Ohio, and while my family was clearly dramatic, they had no professional creative pursuits that they spoke of. We’re practical people. So, the practical application of a craft allows the imaginative application to be realized and whether by coincidence or design, the ability to earn a practical living in other industries as a writer was withheld which postponed the imaginative expression. They weren’t happy that the heavy investment I made in my future didn’t deliver. It’s been challenging to explain that attending NYU wasn’t a waste of time and resource when nothing came out of it.
Do you have a Muse or a Role Model?
When I’m writing screenplays, I often think of characters I’ve seen in films that are close to the character I’m creating and say to myself what would this character say, or how far would this character go, at this moment? I’m informed by what I see, experience, study so, as far as a muse I would say writers and screenwriters are my role models.
Who's your biggest fan?
Myself. I don’t think I have a biggest fan (at least I hope not, in our current society a biggest fan can be dangerous).
What brings you inspiration the most?
Nature. And I have religious beliefs so when I am awed by nature, I think of God, so the handiwork of God through nature.
Which actor or director would you like to work with?
The talent pool available is so vast, with many, many talented actors, and directors, so narrowing it to one would be a challenge.
Have you ever seen a film that was better than the book?
Yes. I want to say every film has the potential to be better.
What's the movie that taught you the most?
The Godfather trilogy, Goodfellows, Scarface that genre.
About your artistic career, have you ever had the desire to quit everything?
Yes, honestly every day. I am compelled to write; I write as I breathe and unfortunately, I have been victimized by those who are unable to creatively develop anything. So, the suddenly creative seem to benefit more from my work, than I have, which creates more obstacles and increases the desire to quit.
On set what excites you the most?
The process.
And what scares you the most?
On the set?
Nothing. In life, being caught up in a mass shooting or terror attack. Trust me, I’ve already confronted mankind’s worst behaviors so the depth of humanity’s evil does not surprise me, it’s just the randomness, and unpredictability of evil.
What's your next project?
Well, besides working on moving the screenplays into production. I’m writing another screenplay.
You can steal the career of an artist you really admire, who do you choose?
I would want to create a super talent so someone like Betty White or Norman Lear because of their longevity and Robert DeNiro and Meryl Streep because of their depth – it’s like a recipe, take a little of this and a little of that and create a super talent.
An actor/director/screenwriter is made of....
Determination, grit, depth, vision. Q. For you Cinema is....
A learning platform.
Do you think Black and white movies have a powerful impact?
Yes.
Have you ever dreamed of winning an Oscar?
Yes. Having been to the Academy Awards as media many times, and having studio access, the idea of winning an Oscar isn’t foreign. It’s an attainable goal, I believe, and so I visualize it. Some days my confidence is higher than other days.
Do you think you're going to win it?
Yes.
When did you decide you wanted to be a screenplayer\filmmaker?
Since when I was in the third year, if not a little bit earlier, in college, I began to love cinema over drama which I had embraced and wanted to be a part of it after graduation thanks to a Canadian professor teaching a very good class. After having watched some numbers of films, I began to try my guts in writing about them. I have always excelled in writing, so my pieces began to be published in major newspapers and that accomplishment at such a young age strengthened me up even further so as to entering New York University to major in Cinema Studies.
Then I began to continue writing films and got published sort of all over the place. Meanwhile, I got invited to give speeches on cinema art, to give interviews by magazines and newspapers, join film awards jury panel, appear on TV shows, translate cinema-related books and articles, and enter universities and colleges as a lecturer, and so on. I became known as a film criticism young star in Taiwan, but I always knew that I wasn’t imagining of my cinema career as that, and I aimed in being a director or a writer/director. I thought, as a director who would be more authoritative, I could, in my own way or power, change the Taiwan film culture which had long been dominated by “commercially minded and sociable” filmmakers. I was totally unlike any one of them. I was and have been an introvert, but even though my road to directing was pretty tough, I eventually made it and the industry saw me as fresh air and an honest director.
How did your family react?
When I decided to pursue cinema, my parents were supportive despite being a little concerned about my future and the general “not that respectable” perspective towards the Taiwan movie industry. Some relatives of my parents and friends of my father would even say why I don’t choose the computer rather than the cinema. In Chinese, computer, and cinema both start with a word that means electricity; so, computer is “electrical brain”, while cinema is “electrical shadows”. The concept behind those comments which were out of care was understandable even back then where studying computer science would pay off and later help you make money while studying cinema would not guarantee a future well paid job. You know, the ever-upholding reality: being an artist can easily put you into a less fortunate social and economic hierarchy.
Do you have a Muse or a Role Model?
My muses are poetry, music, cinema, and my dreams. I dream of movies in my dreams a lot. Not any movie that has ever existed. They are my original film-in-dream. The characters are always played by people whom I know, family members, friends although some are unknown. They play out a long duration of episodes, unlike fragments in a typical dream. I am drawn into my own lengthy dream which is so much of a film I would make in reality. My role model is hard to find if I can be a little blunt but straightforward. I admire certain film directors’ work, and allow myself to aspire to them; works not the person per se. For me, the role model is their work.
Who's your biggest fan?
I am my own biggest fan. All the time I have this acknowledgement that I am the only one who gets me throughout my entire universe of mind, which is not a fully true statement, of course, because sometimes we simply realize that we don’t understand ourselves as we have thought all the time. It’s a reaction of mine to the outside world’s perception of me and my work.
I have some weird or uncommon streaks in my creativity, and they are usually going away from the mainstream standards. So, I am more appreciated by fewer audience. It’s much like myself as being a person who’s not appealing to everyone, rather, a group of bosom friends.
What brings you inspiration the most?
When I close tight my eyes (not in sleep) and place myself in a meditative state (not meditation in the sense of Chan), I incur some best inspirations in my head. This psychodelia not only relaxes my body so that it can float, but also anchors my boat of ideas so that I can settle down where I am supposed to be to exceed cliché or whatever would be anti-creative.
In terms of “the most”, it’s hard for me to provide an immediate answer, but generally speaking, I can get powerful inspirations by a flower by the roadside, a sad or sentimental song, or an underprivileged immigrant facing language barriers. More of matters or persons in that vein. I am inclined to side with the lesser-fortunate whether it be of societal, economic, political, or even artistic status. For example, I have been enjoying YouTubers uploading so many unknown to lesser-known albums by so many unheard of or lesser-known musicians who certainly deserve better status.
Which actor or director would you like to work with?
First of all, I would like to work with myself as a director for a screenplay I write. Once a big studio in Taiwan offered to buy my screenplay for a director, whom they did not let me know, or perhaps they had not hired anyone yet, nevertheless, it was a good temptation for me as an establishing director, but I ended up not selling my screenplay without me directing it. Not surprisingly, the deal wasn’t made. I think I am the type of writer/director, all the more so now after four decades in the profession.
Actor-wise, I have been working with many of the top talents who were celebrities in Taiwan or Hong Kong, so I have this background to work with heavy-weights. As for “Signed, Baba”, I plan to use more non-actors or lesser-known ones, not excluding one or two international stars as long as my budget allows.
Have you ever seen a film that was better than the book?
I can hardly think of any. In fact, in recent decades, I am a strong critic of the “book to film” concept and practice which has lasted as long as people can remember. I think that cinema should no longer rely on literature since it has existed for over one hundred years. Having said that, the real problem lies with the content creators who, for whatever reason, adopt adaptations as a taking-it-for-granted tool. Lots of well-known, successful, and imitable directors take this path repetitively as it seems an obsession, or even worse, they are not as original, creative as they present themselves. I do not need to name them because their names and their list of work can easily tell anyone concerning that what I say is proved. I don’t mind an emerging director using an adapted screenplay, or even an established one using adaptation once or twice; however, if one established director keeps using the same formula without being able to write their own scripts, or without a mind to write the script which later they will direct, and then having other screenwriters’ work in place as the solution for their creativity, I must deny their glorious titles such as master director, auteur director, or even award-winning director. I truly doubt that this taken-for-granted practice will continue to benefit cinema art at large to become truly an independent art form.
What's the movie that taught you the most?
It's a question, and its variations, you get asked a lot being a director. I honestly don’t have a convenient answer to “the most”. I can say that I have learned a lot from a lot of excellent movies, even bad ones, produced by lots of different cultures. I like international, or foreign films, not just Chinese-speaking or English-speaking counterparts.
Recently, a Facebook friend inquired of my interest in making a film in his country, India. His passion was obvious, and his rationale was that it’s much more affordable to make films there today. He got so far as to telling me to meet and talk with Aamir Khan, one of the biggest movie star in today’s India movie scene, with whom he had a direct connection, about a film project. I almost wanted to give it a try because I thought that would be an opportunity to craft my directorial skills through working with Indian filmmakers in India. By telling this tale, I mean to say that even though there’s no “the most” for me, I can learn and absorb lessons from more than “the most”.
About your artistic career, have you ever had the desire to quit everything?
A few times. The most significant one was during the period before and after my permanent departure from Taiwan. While I still had some days there, I told my respectful senior director, Hsing Lee, of “Execution in Autumn” fame, that I had to resign from his then several active projects in which I was on the production team for the sake of the soon-to-be-due USA immigration visa. From that point on, I knew I was not going to filmmaking anymore since I had chosen a new direction for my later life. After my settlement in my adopted country thanks to my older sister and her family, I kept reminding myself of no need to rekindle the cinema love because things all had changed around me. So I quit cinema for good, and somehow, I felt content, or even relieved (you know how filmmaking can be a pain), and I started finding a way for my future. Not long after, I started a non-profit organization, Memory Community, (being non-profit was my brother-in-law’s great advice) to film seniors for their memorable life story.
So you see, I turned around some roundabouts only to return to filmmaking. But this time is different, I do the filmmaking independently. That makes me feel free and gives me joy.
On set what excites you the most?
It could be anything on set. What would not excite me at all on set is that I lose focus on how to make a scene or a demand work as I originally visualized. That can be triggered also by anything on set, such as an actor is running late, a crew member is not cooperating, or the cameraman assumes the “Camera!” and “Cut!” calls without consulting me.
Usually you would get excited when the shoot has been complete after a long time of hard work and the fatigue it brings to you. Not really for me, however. I get excited on set the most when all the responsible cast and crew go far and beyond to register anything crucial in my script into the camera, rather than asking me or my assistant director if they can change my plan.
And what scares you the most ?
So, like I said in the last segment, I do not enjoy it at all when people on set bump their heads to want to change my demands. A little improvisation is what I like, but if it stems from the lack of confidence in executing the original calls from me, it simply will scare me and lose trust in the possibility of making a great work accomplished by all of us on the team.
I have had crew members on set chatting and laughing so loud as I was trying to shoot a shot that we had to raise our voice to tell them to shut up or leave the set right away. That is what I am scared about on set too because it’s a demonstration of unprofessionalism.
I am scared about the most on set when being told that I am behind schedule, which means the producer is losing money every minute I insist on making a shot, a scene to my fullest satisfaction.
What's your next project?
“Garden Court Guardians”. The concept stems from where I live now in this first incorporated town of Washington State of USA, called Steilacoom, and from my almost thirteen years’ experience with Memory Community and its movie memoir project. The story is an extension of what I have been doing with Memory Community in those years; namely, making movie memoirs for older adults. Today, those who are older, and more frail are still a rarity in fully fledged film narratives, or narrative films, however you want to put it. “Garden Court Guardians” will shed a different light on this unignorable age group. I can’t wait to finish the screenplay.
You can steal the career of an artist you really admire, who do you choose?
Again, this is an uneasy question. Or it’s not; on the contrary, it is easy to give my answer: probably no one. That means I have my own career as an artist no matter how it goes or what it is like. I might have given out a name or two to this question when I was a young director or a young poet. Now I am older, and I have tasted lots of sweet and sour or bitter fruits that only I can own up, so I won’t be able to choose a certain one or two artists. I see that my long-stretched career in cinema and my other identity in poetry (I write English poems under Zhou Doubt) as a mix bag of this and that, so I have difficulty to single out anyone.
An actor/director/screenplayer is made of....
They are made of perception, pretension, perseverance, powerfulness, pettiness, playfulness, and perfectionism.
For you Cinema is....
Cinema for me is where I can shine for a long time, even in my own comfortable zone. Cinema for me is a place I can hang out in for a long time, even with myself. Cinema for me is an aroma in sight and sound that can be pungent or subtle, so you can smell it even though you can’t – at least at this stage.
Do you think Black and white movies have a powerful impact?
It depends. But in general, I think so. “Signed, Baba”, the screenplay, will be made into a B/W film because I want the film to have more impact on the audience and also on the characters in it.
Have you ever dreamed of winning an Oscar?
Not really. I mean, I haven’t taken the Oscars seriously enough to dream about my work winning one of them.
Do you think you're going to win it?
If the Oscars favor art films in the highest form, and do that consistently, “Signed, Baba” might have a great chance to be appreciated and stand out.
When did you decide you wanted to be an actor/director/ screenplayer?
This film was the result of my wanting to create a multimedia exhibit to accompany my 40 oil paintings Art exhibit entitled MusArt. It also was due to Covid; as I knew few people would physically attend the exhibit! I accidentally met my filmmaker Kevin Hanzlik at the Oregon School of Art where I teach in Portland. A film was the perfect solution for the 'Black Box' in the Portland ArtReach Gallery; curated by Dr. Sheldon Hurst. The reaction to the film among the paintings was over-whelming for
most of the viewers.
How did your family react?
I had been a musician and artist; they couldn't believe I produced a successful film! In reality, it wasn't me; it was my team that deserves the credit. Film is the ultimate collaborative venture in the Arts.
Do you have a Muse or a Role Model?
I would guess it would have to be Euterpe: the Greek Muse of Music! My mother put a violin in my hands as a kid, and it changed the course of my life. Music eventually led to Painting, and then to this crazy adventure of producing a film about it all.
Who's your biggest fan?
Hopefully those who watch the film MusArt; and see the magical connection between Music and Art. In addition to the music and the paintings, as one critic describes; they might even experience 'a gentle nudge in the feels'!
What brings you inspiration the most?
For me a live symphony orchestra concert with a hall full of people. Experiencing good music to a film in a darkened movie theater is a close 2nd!
Which actor or director would you like to work with?
Being from the classical music world, the Director who appreciates great film composers like John Barry, Hans Zimmer, or Ennio Morricone; to name just a few.
Have you ever seen a film that was better than the book?
Not really; as they are two completely different mediums. That being said, sometimes a novel is too long, and a film is too short!
What's the movie that taught you the most?
The first movies I saw were probably musicals; Sound of Music, Carousel, Music Man etc. Though musicals can become dated, the talent of actors who act but at the same time sing and dance is extraordinary! When it works, it's magical. Sadly few film musicals are being produced today; likely because it's hard!
About your artistic career, have you ever had the desire to quit everything?
Never, but I was FORCED to give up my professional career in classical music due to a disability. This is the core story of the biopic MusArt, and this no dialogue film explores how I overcame this tragedy.
On set what excites you the most?
My film was made during the pandemic, so the 'set' was discussing ideas virtually via email/text. Once the concept was derived, countless correspondences allowed the film to take shape organically. This is unusual for me, as I usually plan everything out to the T. Fortunately a lot of the content had already been created, as this project is a no-dialogue film with high quality images, oil paintings, and original film music.
And what scares you the most?
Mediocrity promulgated on social media, since everyone has a camera and microphone on their phones! As people increasingly don't see films on large screens and Dolby stereo in theaters, the standards are lowered. It's the same thing in classical music, and some will never experience the magic of authentic theater and music.
What's your next project?
I have never 'searched' for a project, whether it be in Music, Art, or in this case Film. Whatever I do next however is likely to be multimedia; as traditional presentation of the Arts seems lacking in some way.
Where can we find you online?
When did I become a filmmaker?
2010, I was bored with my life and wanted to combine my passions.
Do I remember my first movie?
No, but I watched movies from a young age, immersing myself in another world to escape reality.
If I should change countries, where would I like to work?
France specifically. Europe in general.
Two films that have marked my life, for better or worse?
My father in the Australian films: Mad Max 2, and Gallipoli. (Marked me for the batter!).
What do I think of film making schools?
They serve a great purpose to help focus people in a craft, and give them condensed knowledge in a short space of time. And the prestige of the school's name help pave the way.
Have I ever hated ambition?
No.
Francois Truffaut: "Film lovers are sick people"...
No. his story is one of many in the world, not unlike mine. A troubled family life. Film making/writing/acting allows a person to escape reality. And, to watch reactions from people viewing your work-too be accepted in life.
Close my eyes, and say cinema?
Colour/movement, expression, power.
The writer that taught me the most?
Michael Garret. (He edited Stepehen King's first novel)
Acting?
Richard Sarell. (Australian Director & teacher). And. Myself-on stage.
Film?
Watching MANY filmmakers make films, I have been an extra, character, or lead actor in.
Your Biggest dream?
To make a living as an artist in France.
Your Worst nightmare?
Making mistakes wearing all the hats as an independent filmmaker. Many mistakes are made dealing with so many variables-people, and myself.
How important is good cinematic culture?
It is what people see-your audience. Images can make you gasp with unexpected surprise, or make you cringe with bad results.
What would I improve as a filmmaker?
My dependence on mundane work to support one's passion-FILM/WRITING> And. To produce exceptional work in the future.
Which remake of a black & white film would I like to be involved as a director/actor?
'The Godson'
Who keeps me motivated?
Me.
Alfred Hitchcock said: "To make a good film you need 3 things: The script, the script and the script". Do you agree with him?
Hitchcocks answer to good film making is correct. A crap script is useless.
What’s your most ambitious project for the future?
To improve my writing. To make a feature I wrote with an investor/producer.
Do you think that sadness or at least melancholy let be more creative?
Sadness or melancholy can add creativity, but it is also dangerously bad to over do it.
What do you wish to yourself as a Filmmaker\Actor \Writer?
To be given an investment to make a feature from my writing.
As an actor, to act in Europe.
As a writer, to write for Europe.