Your new movie The
Runaround Club - in a few words, what is it about?
To summarize it short and sweet, The
Runaround Club is
about two thieves questioning their own morality that pertains to their
current heist. How
did the project come into being in the first place? I had
the fortunate opportunity to direct my undergrad student thesis film. My
crew of friends had different scripts on the table, which we ultimately
decided on The
Runaround Club for its ambition and comfortably
feeling that now is the best time to make this film. What
can you tell us about The
Runaround Club's writer Andrew Gleeson, and what was your
collaboration like? For being a young writer, I find his
writing very unique. Every line of dialogue has a purpose, which calls for
close attention. When directing one's script, I look at it as it's their
gem comes and it's my duty to bring it life. To have that trust is key. I
would often ask Gleeson if he had specific ideas he wished to see follow
through. We often agreed on these visions. I also wanted to be clear on
the delivery of his written dialogue. Do talk about your directorial
approach to your story at hand! In my own head, I have
feelings toward who is good vs evil in this story, but my direction wants
the audience to decide that for themselves. I ultimately want to ask the
audience, does the outcome of this story justify these characters'
decisions? If people walk away after viewing this film and their
conversation continues, then mission accomplished. It's a great feeling
when people debate over your film. What can you tell us
about The Runaround Club's
cast, and why exactly these people? Our team and myself
went through many auditions and watched numerous reels. I could see the
characters from this story in my head - the way they spoke, their actions,
behavior, etc. There's just something you see in an audition where an
actor/actress does exactly what you imagined, or perhaps they're in the
vain and I say to myself, "I can/want to work with this". I also
love it when I see something I hadn't thought of before and I run with
that. I chose these 5 cast members because they simply fit the
descriptions. Yet, each of them brought to set passion for their
respective roles, which resulted in positive work. Majority of the cast I
had never worked with before which was exciting. After casting Asta
Paredes as Linda, finding Ariel Zuckerman as Lucas was gold since the two
had such a remarkable on-screen presence together. Since
The Runaround Club
is mostly tied to one location, you also have to
talk about that one for a bit, and what were the advantages and also
challenges shooting there? When pulled off right, I enjoy
films that take place in one location; this is sometimes referred to as a
'bottle episode'. It's a risk because you need to continue interesting
visuals for a location, or else the film can get dull pretty quick. A
story taking place in one location can create tension too, which was an
advantage to this already intense script. We filmed The Runaround Club on
a country-side landscape in western Massachusetts. Since the story takes
place in one location, all in one evening, it was easier for continuity.
There's not much changes with the physicality of each character except for
some spilled blood. Logistically speaking, we were able to house all cast
and crew on location in this one home. We were having day and night shoots
for a script that takes place 90% at night, so we had to black-out many
windows in this home. Ultimately, for such a quick shoot, it was the right
call to film in one location. What can you tell us about
the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? We shot the
film in 5 days and it was the most ambition filmed I had made yet.
There were quite a few new challenges I'd never worked with before
such as a fight sequence, filming in a moving vehicle at night, as well as
filming on the side of the road at night in the pitch black. These
challenges did slow down the shoot, but we made up for it with due time.
When you're sleeping 3-5 hours a night, you need to make sure you're on
top of your game. Ever so often when we had down time, I would just need
to take a walk with my producer to clear my head and be ready for the next
scene. As stressful as it was, it was an absolute blast on set. Everyone
worked well with each other and had fun during on/off hours of filming.
The
$64-question of course, where can The
Runaround Club be seen? Well here's your
$64-answer: YouTube! -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJpfEVPGIJQ
Anything you can tell us
about audience and critical reception of your movie yet? When
I asked earlier, "does the outcome of this story justify these
characters' decisions?", it's been interesting what people say.
*SPOILER ALERT* I feel it's been a 50/50 response on if leaving Frank for
dead was the moral decision. It's a great debate that even in early
pre-production stages we talked as a crew about the film's ending. We went
back and forth, but obviously chose the outcome which you see.
Unfortunately, the film hasn't had the best luck with film festivals. It
made it into 2 festivals, however I'm not certain if it was ever screened.
On the contrary, we've had mostly positive reviews from critics. I'm
honored that my directing and Gleeson's screenwriting receives much
praise. Nevertheless, I'm ecstatic when I see such positive reception for
the film's acting. The acting is such a strong suit for the short and this
great ensemble should be very proud of themselves. Any
future projects you'd like to share?
I could go on all day, but to make it short: My fellow colleagues and I at
Fitch Fort Films
are constantly working on
something. We have a wide variety of ideas, mostly short sketches to
produce and throw up on YouTube. However, when it comes to long term
projects (i.e. short films, documentary works, features, etc.) we have a
game plan. Every now and then, we're shooting a documentary which will
continue over the next few years. It's a slow process due to the time,
money, and the delicate subject material. That is as much as I can say
about that project.
We are scheduled to film our next short in
2017. The working title is Geneva. I don't want to go into too much
detail, because things change day-to-day. Lastly, Fitch Fort Films
is
planning on a feature before we leave our 20's. You can stay up to date by
following Fitch Fort Films
on Facebook and YouTube.
What got you into
filmmaking in the first place, and did you receive any formal education on
the subject? In the most non-philosophical way, ever since
I was a little kid I feel I've always had a calling to make movies.
Growing up I would watch and later help my father edit our home movies. I
made those silly YouTube sketches every teenage filmmaker goes through,
and then eventually enrolled in film school. It was at Fitchburg State
University where I met my still current peers and honed in on the art of
filmmaking, but really to be an artist in general. I look at the
importance of my time in school, and it's not so much about my degree as
it is who I met and continue to make films with. That brings much more
clarity and happiness toward my passion for the craft. What can you tell us about your filmwork
prior to The Runaround
Club?
In film school, I understood the seriousness
involved in filmmaking. Sure it brings much fun, but I learned more about
myself and developed a voice which led me to direct, produce, and act in
countless amounts of material. One of my proudest moments prior to The Runaround
Club is my early directing of a short horror film
called The Juniper Tree. It had the honor of screening at
the 2013 Cannes Film Festival: Short Film Corner. Another moment was as an
actor. My role in the short film Ticker was a vast
challenge since it brought me to a place I had never been before.
You can see both films here:
The Juniper Tree -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AU0p8JPDd0
Ticker -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tn-IbMDJOM
How would you describe yourself as a
director? I add my personal taste on each project, but
always want those I'm working with to contribute ideas. I seek a
collaborative outcome. I'm fairly easy going, very relaxed, and I know how
to keep calm. I have fun with directing films, but in the end it's all
about the work. In addition, with everyday life I'm constantly absorbing
what's around me and try to convert it into my work. I've learned to
accept anything and everything intellectually, physically, emotionally,
and spiritually. Filmmakers who inspire you? Martin
Scorsese is my numero uno. Falling right after him are Quentin Tarantino,
David Fincher, Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, Christopher Nolan, P.T.
Anderson, Darren Aronofsky, and Alejandro González Iñárritu.
There's never enough time in the day; I wish I had more time to visit even
older works of great filmmakers, especially internationally. Being
involved in this new, online generation of filmmaking, I've been heavily
influenced on those who are mostly still making films today. On a personal
experience level, my mentor from film school Kelly Morgan has influenced
me so much. With every form art I create, I cherish all that he's taught
me. Your
favourite movies? My all-time favorite film is Taxi
Driver (directed by Martin Scorsese). Falling right behind: GoodFellas,
The Social Network, Pulp Fiction, The Godfather Part 1 &
2, Boogie Nights,
Zodiac, Vertigo, Cinema Paradiso, The Seventh
Seal, Into the Wild, Birdman...etc., I'll
go on forever... ... and of course, films you really
deplore? There really aren't movies I hate, at least on's
don't come to mind instantly. Okay maybe the Adam Sandler film Going
Overboard (that was hard to watch). I don't think about bad
movies too often, because I've learned if you want to make good movies,
watch good movies. However, yes the bad ones can be very entertaining. Yet
so bad, I find Tommy Wiseau's The Room having great entertainment
value. Additionally, I will say this: The film Juno is not a film I
hate, I'm just not much of a fan. It really is a good movie, great script,
and I do appreciate it; it just moved me in a negative way. It's scary,
it's truly a "real-life horror" film if you think about it. I
believe that you can have negative feelings toward a film, but take a step
back and you can still be aware that it's a good film. Your/your movie's website, Facebook, whatever
else?
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Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned) |
The links below will take you just there!!!
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My personal website - http://www.matthewrindini.com
The Runaround Club IMDb page -
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4027272
The Runaround Club Facebook -
https://www.facebook.com/therunaroundclub
Fitch Fort Films Facebook -
https://www.facebook.com/FitchFortFilms
Fitch Fort Films
YouTube -
https://www.youtube.com/user/FitchFortFilms
Anything else you're dying to mention and I have
merely forgotten to ask? If it hasn't been clear enough,
I'll
mention that The Runaround Club was the most challenging film I
made to date at the time. As I move further with my work, I face new
challenges on new films. I feel as with every filmmaker, each film they
make should be more of a challenge than the last. By always raising your
goals higher you push yourself to do better, which will make you a better
filmmaker. Thanks for the interview!
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