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Your new film Moose on the Loose - in a few words, what is it
about?
Johnny,
a filmmaker and actor, has recently returned to Los Angeles from an
adventure up in Canada. His friends are eagerly awaiting his return and
are excited to learn about the details of the journey. A journey that has
been wildly adventurous, and informative, while exploring moose on the
loose in the most North easterly point of North America. Moose on the Loose
captures the story of a majestic beast as a force to be
reckoned with, while comedic overtures of one man’s journey in life are
intermittently dispersed throughout the story. In Moose on the Loose, you combine
documentary and comedy - to ask quite bluntly, why, and how do these two
genres gel? Why not? Rather
than a one tone documentary, Moose on the Loose
is a documentary comprised
of comedic and dramatic elements within the story. It was an approach used
to stimulate interest and communicate awareness by creating a uniqueness
about the delivery within the movie and subject matter – MOOSE ON THE
LOOSE. Moose on the Loose
is designed to entertain, engage, inform and
enlighten the audience.
Shooting a documentary vs directing a comedy
- which do you actually prefer, and why? Researching
the issues and shooting the actual interviewees were most informative and
fun. However, directing a project such as Moose on the Loose
with actors
for scenes (comedic and dramatic) within the documentary project was hard
work, stimulating, challenging and fun! Shooting and directing is
challenging, rewarding and fun at the least. I have learned and had fun by
directing various projects.
What were your
initial inspirations when writing Moose on the Loose, and
what got the project off the ground? My father inspired me to write
Moose on the Loose. Courage, creativity, focus
and determination ignited the project. Why a moose? Is
that an animal you have a particular connection to? Why
not? It’s an animal that has been part of my life to one degree on
another since I was a young boy. Would
you like about the trials and tribulations of filming the documentary parts of your movie for a bit?
There is a cast of 13 comprised of actors
playing roles and interviewees playing themselves. A lot of work is involved
from the beginning to the end.
The
adventures from inception to completion through the phases from
development, pre-production, production to post production were
magnificent, phenomenal and a cohesive effort. From the
origins of an idea, to the transformation of the idea into words, to
finalizing the script, along with casting the talent, directing, producing
and editing the project to a final deliverable were most stimulating and a
growing experience. One that was cathartic and invigorating
at the least.
The experience of my first feature, Moose on the Loose, solidified my passion for the entertainment
industry. It is a beautiful foundation to which I can leverage, grow and
learn from and bring added value to other projects. The journey to
express feelings and tell a story to an audience is a phenomenal and
paramount one. The project was a learning experience and an incredible
journey, one that I will never forget!
In
contrast, what was it like to film the comedy parts, and what can you tell
us about the on-set atmosphere? It
was hard work, stimulating, challenging and fun at the least! The on-set
atmosphere was that of hard hardworking professional actors. Call time was
really early for the crew and cast, and there was some OT. It was a lot of
hard work! For the United States Unit, we shot the scene at two locations
in Hollywood. A small scene was shot in Colorado. For the Canadian Unit,
some scenes were shot at several locations in Canada and the interviews
were conducted in Canada. You also play the lead
in Moose on the Loose - what can you tell us about your
character Johnny, how did you approach him, acting-wise, and to what extent did you base him on yourself?
I
leveraged some real word life experiences and fictionalized some of the
truth to bring my character it’s own identity. A
few words about the rest of your cast and crew? It
was a pleasure to work with the cast. They were very hard working and
professional. I had the final decision in hiring all actors and crew. The
$64-question of course: When and where will Moose on the Loose
be released onto the general public?
The Moose on the Loose-trailer is
currently available at the following link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1881015/
The
movie is currently being submitted to festivals. I plan to have the movie
available to the public by or before end of Q4 2012.
You are currently also
involved in post production of your movie The Rock, right? What can
you tell us about that one yet?
At this point, the project The Rock started back in
production at Miami Beach back in April / May 2012 and will continue in
Los Angeles for periods in June / July of 2012.
It is a new media project and is currently
back in production (webisodes 1-4 have been produced in 2010 and 2011, webisodes 5-11 are targeted for completion in 2012).
The Rock (webisode 1) storyline:
A mid-30s man is in search of his
soul mate and living the Hollywood dream. While trying to find love, he
encounters a beautiful young lady at a coffee shop and brings new
meaning to coffee grinds. He encounters a comedy of errors while trying
to find love.
The actors in this project (webisode one) are noted below. Other
actors will be uploaded onto IMDb, and we will be casting additional actors
in Los Angeles in early / mid June 2012.
Johnny J. Sullivan http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3734337/
and
Janna VanHeertum http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2436136/.
More updates to the project The Rock,
cast and scope of the storyline, will be provided at a later date and
time in 2012.
I would be happy to provide more
information on the project The Rock at a later date. Any other films of yours
you'd like to talk about, any future projects?
A teaser for you and your audience - I
am currently writing a horror movie too. I am very excited about it! I
started writing it last summer back in Canada and it is still in
development.
I have written several other scripts and
may pull a few out of my back pocket in the near future for production
purposes.
How would
you describe your approach to filmmaking, and did you receive any formal
education on the subject?
My approach is simple: First and
foremost, everyone is a professional and deserves to be paid. I focus,
plan, listen, communicate, collaborate and direct to the best of my
ability.
I put forth an effort to create
opportunities by leveraging the power of courage, determination,
friendships, relationships, opportunities, flexibility, negotiation,
business management skills, communication skills, patience and listening
skills along with leveraging my expertise and life experiences from
working in other industries and living in several countries. In
addition, lots of hard work, long hours and a desire and passion for the
project. I have formal training via three degrees and a certificate of
training from the below. (B.A. Bachelor of Arts - Economics, B.Comm.
(Co-op). Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) and MBA - Master of Business
Administration and completed film training at the Hollywood Film
Institute.)
You also have an extensive
background as a stage actor. What can you tell us about that aspect of
your career, and how does acting on stage compare to acting in front of a
camera? In my opinion, acting
on stage is more vocal and projection oriented and “live” with no
second chances, whereas in front of the camera there is more range for
adjustments of many sorts that may be made for a performance and scene
completion. In addition, there is more than one take along with film
editing and creativity. What got you into acting in the first place, and
what can you tell us about your training as an actor? There
was an interest in acting at an early age by performing in school plays,
musicals and the school band. After graduating from high school and
university, I acted on being an IT Consultant and IT Architect. After 15
years in the IT industry, I pursued a full time acting career, following
my heart and passion, and moved to Los Angeles, California in 2009. Upon
moving to Los Angeles, I had enrolled in numerous acting and improv
courses. Please see IMDb link for credited work. Links for Johnny J.
Sullivan: http://www.johnnyjsullivan.com/ http://www.johnnyjsullivan.com/resume.htm http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3734337/ Actors
(or indeed actresses) who inspire you?
I have many, but to name just a small portion of my list and in
no order...
Jack
Nicholson, Tom Cruise, John Candy, Steve Martin, Matt Damon, John J. Sullivan, Alec Baldwin, Robert De Niro,
Al Pacino, Martin Sheen, Gordon Pinsent, Charlie Sheen, Johnny Depp, Dustin Hoffman,
Jennifer Aniston, Robert Downey jr, Meryl Streep, Sissy Spacek.
Filmmakers who
have influenced you?
I have many, but to name just a small portion of my list and in
no order...
Clint Eastwood, Peter
Strauss, Jerry Bruckheimer, J.J.
Abrams, Quentin Tarantino, Dov
S-S Simens, Harvey Weinstein. Your favourite movies?
Top Gun, As Good as It Gets, Meet the Fockers, The Good, the Bad and the
Ugly, Planes, Trains & Automobiles,
Moose on the Loose, Dirty Harry, Donnie Brasco, Scarface,
Pulp Fiction, Carrie, Rich Man, Poor Man,
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Kramer vs. Kramer, A Whale for the
Killing, The Bourne Identity (and sequels),
Mission: Impossible (and sequels), The Way.
...
and of course, films you really deplore? I
always try and find something positive – a takeaway from a movie. Your website,
Facebook, whatever else?
To support our project Moose on the Loose, please see the links
below: IMDb (plus trailer): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1881015/
Official
Movie Site: http://www.mooseontheloosemovie.com/
Facebook ("like" it): https://www.facebook.com/MOOSEONTHELOOSEMOVIE
Johnny
J. Sullivan:
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Feeling lucky?
Want to
search
any of my partnershops yourself
for more, better results?
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The links below
will take you
just there!!!
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IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3734337/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnnyJSullivan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnnyJSullivan
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnyjsullivanproductions
Johnny
J. Sullivan Productions:
www.JohnnyJSullivanProductions.com
Anything else you are dying to
mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
I am originally from Canada. I hold dual
citizenship, both Canadian and American.
This
feature project, Moose on the Loose, was my directorial debut, and was
most special to me and very dear to my heart. The project had
its inception by a conversation between my father and I while driving in
Newfoundland, Canada in the summer of 2010. He had helped me
with the project on various levels. Unfortunately, my father passed on November 29, 2010, just prior to Hollywood production.
This feature documentary/comedy within a documentary was inspired
by actual events and is dedicated to the memory of my father.
Michael,
I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to do an interview with you and provide
my story to you and your audience. Thanks in advance to all of your
audience and readers for showing support for our projects.
Thanks!
Johnny : )
Thanks for
the interview!
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find Johnny J. Sullivan at adultvideouniverse.com
