Your new movie Witness
Infection - in a few words, what is it about?
2
rival mob families in the witness protection program get relocated to the
same town.
How
did the project come into being in the first place? Carlos
Alazraqui [Carlos Alazraqui
interview - click here] and I toured as stand-up comics together for years. We would ghost hunt in random cities
when touring and had a love for horror and mob movies. So one day Carlos
suggested we should write a mash-up of mobster films and horror films. I
loved it and we ran with it. What
were your sources of inspiration when writing Witness
Infection? Shaun of
the Dead, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, An
American Werewolf in London, Fright Night, Scream, Goodfellas,
Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill,
... What can you tell us about your
co-writer Carlos Alazraqui [Carlos
Alazraqui interview - click here], and what was your collaboration like? Carlos is like my brother but we get
along, lol. Our
humor is very similar and there’s a mutual respect for one another,
which is key when collaborating ideas and being creative with someone. Do
talk about Witness
Infection's brand of humour!
The humor is reflective of
our personalities. As comics, we story-tell, do oneliners, impressions,
characters… so this film is how our brain works. Comedy, horror,
suspense, romance - you get it all in Witness
Infection.
What were the
challenges of bringing Witness
Infection from a producer's point of view? The challenges were finances. If we had more money
then there’s
so much more we can do. Hopefully, this shows studios and investors that
“if we can make this indie gem with a little money, give us more and see
what we can do!” You
also appear in front of the camera in Witness
Infection - so what can you tell us about your character, what did
you draw upon to bring her to life, and have you written her with yourself
in mind from the get-go? Yes, I
wrote Gina in my voice with hopes to play her. She was written as the
stabilizer for Carlo and Vince. That’s a tough character because they
don’t get all the jokes and have to stay more grounded, but every
character got an arc whether it was large or small. If a sequel happens,
I’ll get to use more of my martial arts skills with her character
development. Do talk about the rest of Witness
Infection's cast, and as a producer, how deeply involved were you
with the casting process? When Carlos and I wrote
it we had our friends in mind. Thank goodness our director Andy Palmer
trusted us and we got the whole cast from our contacts on our phones. What can you tell us about Witness
Infection's director Andy Palmer, and what was your collaboration
like?
He was a fantastic choice because he brought
his horror knowledge to our vision and was able to wrangle a bunch of
comedic actors to a grounded level to combine the two genres in a
fantastic way!
The
$64-question of course, where can Witness
Infection be seen?
AT&T
U-Verse
DirecTV
Dish
Network and Sling TV
iN
DEMAND (70% of cable market – Spectrum, Comcast)
Vubiquity
(Verizon Fios)
Allin
Media (hotels)
Hoopla
(libraries)
Amazon
iTunes
Vudu
Xbox
Google
Play
YouTube
Movies
FandangoNOW
The
DVD will be available via
Amazon.com,
Bestbuy.com,
Walmart.com, and
Barnesandnoble.com.
Anything you can tell us
about audience and critical reception of Witness
Infection yet? So far, 90% are loving it! They say “what a ride”, and that’s
exactly what I wanted. I wanted the audience to feel like they are in line
for a haunted house. Excited, nervous, scared, giggly… Any future projects you'd like to
share? Carlos [Carlos
Alazraqui interview - click here] and I have written a
family/comedy that we'll be putting together soon. Also, I have a thriller
that’s in the hands of a few key people. And a comedy pilot I wrote that
Emmy award-winning production partners have acquired.
What got you into acting in the first place, and
did you recieve and formal training on the subject? Yes, lots of education in this craft since a kid.
BFA program in college, toured with multiple stage plays and sketch comedy
troupes. Even
before Witness
Infection, you've taken on extra behind-the-camera duties every
now and again - so in a nutshell, why is that?
I got tired and
frustrated of waiting to be “cast” in something. I love
television/filmmaking so much. Being on set is where I feel like I’m at
my best. Grateful to continue learning and creating projects that I’m
proud of. What can
you tell us about your filmwork prior to Witness
Infection, in whatever position? Been making movies since a kid, just didn’t have a
YouTube back them to showcase them on. Started making short films about
ten years ago, and now it’s grown to indie feature films. My dream is to
eventually do studio films! Besides acting,
you also have a successful career as a stand-up comedian - want to talk
about that aspect of your life, and how does it influence your film and TV
work, and vice versa? Stand-up keeps me in the loop of what
audiences think is funny and what they want. Traveling to cities where
one might normally not vacation to helps a lot with character development
and ideas. Filmmaking takes a long time for audiences to see, and you have
to wait for reviews and messages to know if it’s well received. Stand-up
is immediate gratification. Two completely different worlds but both
needed in my life.
|
|
|
Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned) |
The links below will take you just there!!!
|
|
|
|
How would you describe yourself as
an actress, and some of your techniques to bring your characters to life? First, I take on their physicality,
then I
create a back story and future wants before I start to write their voice. Actresses,
comedians, writers, filmmakers, whoever else who inspire you?
Tracy
Ullman, Carol Burnett, George Lucas, Duplass Brothers, Jordan Peele, Patty
Jenkins, Jodie Foster, Nora Ephron, just naming a few… Your
favourite movies? Amadeus, Dumb and Dumber, Christmas
Vacation, any John
Hughes movie, Bonnie and Clyde, oh there’s so many movies that I love! I
just love film!!!! Your/your movie's website, social media,
whatever else? Follow me on Instagram: @jillyonline Thanks for the
interview!
|