Your new movie Heartbeat
- in a few words, what is it about?
Hi
Michael. The story of Heartbeat
starts off with two women employees at a
fast food restaurant that are murdered in a similar way. Then from there
the body count goes up in this crime thriller with twists and turns of
several suspects.
What were your
sources of inspiration when writing Heartbeat,
and what can you tell us about your collaboration with your co-writers? The
director and my friend, Gregory Hatanaka (CineRidge
Entertainment), was
inspired by the classic giallo film genre when he came up with the idea
for Heartbeat. Details of that genre are included in Heartbeat
from the
lighting to black gloves. Gregory and Nicole D’Angelo (lead role as
Jennifer, producer) would structure the scenes and my collaboration was
dialog. I don’t write scripts often, but for some reason I love writing
good natural dialog. Now
how did the project come into being, and how did you end up on the
production side of things as well?
Heartbeat
came into being at the same time we were filming our other feature Choke.
We had a slight downtime due to scheduling and Gregory had the idea of Heartbeat
in his mind. Gregory, Nicole, Shane Ryan (Rick, co-executive producer) [Shane
Ryan interview - click here], and I had a meeting and we all agreed to to make
Heartbeat
as
well. Mainly because we had the equipment, insurance, and a lot of “why
not?” So that’s where our pattern of shooting two movies at once came
about. Might sound crazy, but we pulled it off and our battle cry
“Making Movies” was and still is said often among us. As for my
involvement with production, in the past I’ve been an associate producer
on a couple of films and got experience there. Also in the past I’ve
been an office manager for a “day job”, and when Gregory asked me to be
a part of
CineRidge Entertainment, I (at least I think) was able to bring
some of those organizational skills to the table. With the combination of
that contribution and Gregory giving me the opportunity to do the hands-on
approach to producing by having me very involved, that has been the best
way for me to learn that side of the industry.
What were the main
challenges of bringing Heartbeat
from a producer's point of view? Since
we were shooting two movies at once, we used a lot of the same actors. The
main challenge for me was communicating to the them which movie we were
shooting that day (sometimes both movies were filmed during the same day).
There was a lot of “today you’re playing this character... sure that
wardrobe works for the other movie as well.” You also appear in
front of the camera in Heartbeat - so
what did you draw upon to bring your character to life, and have you
written Santoro with yourself in mind from the get-go? Yes,
I also appear in front of the camera, and acting is my true passion. Thanks
to Gregory for the role of Santoro. What I drew upon for this character
was simple, Santoro is by the book and in control. That’s the first
thing I brought to the character. Now that I’ve watched Heartbeat,
he’s basically Sergeant Joe Friday from Dragnet. I love that choice
because of the dynamic it creates with Jennifer and Rick. To go back to
Choke, one of the things about the structure of the story is there is a
triangle between the three main characters. That structure also holds true
in Heartbeat. Jennifer is in-between Rick and Santoro, and I really enjoy
that contrast. Rick is very unbalanced and Santoro is centered and
organized. There you go, my organizational skills is what I brought to
Santoro. Do
talk about the rest of Heartbeat's
cast, and as a writer/producer, how much of a say did you have/demand
during the casting process? Since
we used most of the actors from Choke
in Heartbeat, they came from the
casting sessions we held for Choke. I was very involved and had a lot of
say with the casting process. It was fascinating because I’ve always
been the one walking into the room to audition for a role (and as actors
we know some auditions are great and some not so much). I also read with
the actors auditioning so I was able to develop a better eye on when
they’re right for the character. We also recognized if someone wasn’t
right for the role they read for, we would put them somewhere else. As I
mentioned, the main cast of Heartbeat
had roles in Choke as well. Nicole,
Shane, and I are a good team and work well together. Nicole had the
challenge of being in all of the scenes for the most part as Jennifer, and
with the challenge of making two movies, she was still very focused on
set. Nicole also brought a very natural performance to her role. Since Heartbeat
she has become the powerhouse of the group directing/writing
Acrylic and starring in two movies (Sinful and
Quarantine Girl) all from
CineRidge Entertainment. Going into these movies I had so much respect for
Shane because he’s made so many movies on his own, and to add to that,
his performance’s in Heartbeat
and Choke
are fantastic. As I mentioned,
we used a lot of actors from both movies including (to name a few) Lisa
London [Lisa London interview -
click here], Sarah Brine [Sarah
Brine interview - click here], Joycelyne Lew, and Scott Butler
[Scott Butler interview -
click here].
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What can you tell us about Heartbeat's
director Gregory Hatanaka, and what was your collaboration like? Now
the man of the hour! Gregory is always current with the ever changing
industry. He realizes that streaming (even before the pandemic) is the
main way to get films out there. He understands that a production company
has to continue to put content out on different streaming platforms for
audiences. Another approach he has is that all the movies we’ve made
are different genres to appeal to a wide range of audiences. My
collaboration with Gregory is simple, we have the same sense of humor and
work ethic. There is a lot of laughter on and off the set, but we always
focus when the camera is rolling and we have to get several scenes done.
We also respect and listen to each other’s input. Gregory also knows
where all the best restaurants are in each town. Heartbeat
wasn't the first time you worked with Gregory Hatanaka - so what can you
tell us about your previous collaborations, and how did the first of you
first meet even? I
met Gregory a long time ago, probably in 2002 or 2003, at an industry
networking event for filmmakers and actors. I’ve always wanted to say
this, “...and the rest is history.” That being said, Choke was our
first collaboration. We did keep in touch and had lunch a couple of years
ago. That’s when he was getting back into directing and everything fell
into place last Ssummer when we were scouting locations for Choke. Through
all of it, we’ve become very good friends. Back to Heartbeat
- what can you tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? The
Heartbeat shoot was a healthy blur since we had to work fast. We were all
on adrenaline because of the combination of writing scenes on set, the actors getting off-book, and shooting that same scene. For me, the shoot
was doing producer duties and then turning the acting switch on for the
Santoro scenes. I got used to the process very quickly, especially when
there is no turning back. Both cast and crew were very driven on set and
we all got it done.
The
$64 question, where can Heartbeat
be seen? Heartbeat
can be seen on Amazon Prime Video and Tubi. Anything you can tell us about audience and
critical reception of Heartbeat? Audiences
like the twist and turns in the movie. Critics like the nod to the giallo
film style Heartbeat
has including the lighting and editing. It’s
satisfying to hear this for a movie that was written as it was shot. Any
future projects you'd like to share? We
just released Sinful on Amazon Prime Video and I just read your review
today! Quarantine Girl is coming out this month. For both movies I was a
producer and actor. We have another movie in pre-production and have
several in development. So the good news is we are not going away.
What got you into
acting in the first palce, and did you receive any formal training on the
subject?
My parents took me to a lot of movies and at an early age I developed an
interest in acting. I guess I liked the idea of people playing different
characters and going on different adventures. I was 13 when I joined a theatre
group called Stage 11 in Denver, Colorado where I grew up. That
was it, acting was in my blood. During my junior year in high school I
started taking classes and doing plays. After that I went to Chapman
University in Orange, California and was a Media Performance Major, which
was acting on film and production training. I’m very thankful to still
be in the game and be creative on both sides of the camera.
What can you tell us about your filmwork prior
to Heartbeat? In
the past prior to Heartbeat, I’ve been fortunate to book work in
commercials, film, and television. I’ve had parts on All That and
Jimmy
Kimmel Live! I’ve also done a lot of independent films, mainly small
roles before Heartbeat.
Your
career spans quite a few years now - so how has the filmworld changed over
the years? There
are some things that stick out in my mind. I mentioned streaming earlier,
well that is one major change. Where a lot of independent movies went
straight to video in the past, now we have straight to your laptop, phone,
or smart TV. Technology is amazing. That also goes for acting as well.
When I started as a professional actor, it was before the internet. Now I
can go online and submit for roles myself when only an agent or manager
could do so back then. Another change, well not to age myself, but I did
start when black & white headshots were still used and your
representation needed stacks of them to mail to casting offices.
How would you describe yourself as an actor, and some of your techniques to bring your characters to life?
As
an actor, I love immersing myself in a role. As I touched on, acting is
using your imagination and I love being another person with different
problems, upbringing, goals, career, etc. The main technique I use in my
process to bring a character to life is creating a backstory from
childhood to the point of their life in the script. Then I break down each
scene (objectives, thoughts, behavior, turning point of the scene) with
that foundation and apply it to the camera. Even on a shoot like Heartbeat, where we would get the script the same day or before a scene, I
was able to apply those techniques quickly. Actors
(and indeed actresses) who inspire you? I
have a short list that comes to mind. Tom Hanks, Edward Norton, Sigourney
Weaver, and Jodie Foster. Trust me, that list is much longer. Your favourite
movies? Once
again, short list: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Casino,
North by Northwest. ... and of course, films you really deplore? One
that sticks out: Super Mario Bros. (1993) - great cast though, look it up.
Your
website, social media, whatever else?
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You
can see my credits and current photos on IMDb. My Twitter, Instagram, and
TikTok handles are all @chrisspinelli2 where I post current projects and
fun things. Anything else
you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I
also do stand-up comedy and have a Facebook live show with a couple of
friends called Comedians at Denny’s. We have a show every Wednesday at
8:30 PST (now on ZOOM per pandemic). Just go to our Facebook page,
Comedians at Denny’s and enjoy. You can watch other previous shows as
well. We have a new website:
www.comediansatdennys.com Thanks
for the interview!
Thanks
for the interview and your support!
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