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Your new movie Toga
- in a few words, what is it about?
Ellis
Martin returns to
his hometown several years after the events of Upstate Story.
What were your
sources of inspiration when writing Toga,
and is any of it based on personal experiences?
Just like Upstate Story, both
films are largely based upon different places that I've found myself in
life. Things I've experienced and dealt with. I've always been influenced
by comics through the years. What we think in our minds is always more
dark than what we typically say out loud. Toga
is a sequel to an earlier film of yours, Upstate
Story - so how closely are the two films connected, and did you
always intend to follow up the earlier movie eventually? It's
a direct continuation. Keeping at it with adult growth. While 1st filming Upstate Story
I had no intention of doing another film within
the series. Later on in production it became a more genuine idea to keep
at it because it's something that I could continue even with no budget. What
can you tell us about your overall directorial approach to your story at
hand? Minimalist all around because there was no other option. I've
developed a largely static camera style because of those long nights of
filming/acting alone on Upstate Story. With
Toga I had Andrea Stangle around
a lot for camera operation, but kept it static for
visual consistency from film to film. I've also become more and more of a
fan of wide shots to give a sense of perspective from scene to scene.
You also play the lead in
Toga
- so what can you tell us about your character, and what did you draw upon
to bring him to life?
There's a lot of myself. I'm a very low key type, with a very dry sense of humor. Abnormally dark
at times, but I tone it down for the material. Physically speaking, I just
try to maintain the scene by scene voice-over process in mind as I
physically act it out. What can you tell us about the
rest of Toga's small cast,
and why exactly these people? My children Adrianna and Keenan were
there from the start of filming Upstate Story. Their growth
has become important to Toga and the sake of continuity within
the film. They had no issues with reprising and actually jumped at the
chance. With Andrea, she played a voice-over role in the last film. With
this she played even more. She has a versatile vocal range which made it
all the more acceptable. The rest of the cast consisted of an old coworker
of mine, Damian Caldwell, along with my nieces and nephews in footage I
captured on home video. Do talk about the shoot as
such, and the on-set atmosphere!
It was always interesting. I had some moments with Andrea here
and there over numerous takes, but the heat at times even in Upstate New
York was pretty tough at times at the time we were shooting. I think that
played a factor with our tempers. With later filming it became just as
strange due to the cold. We needed to get it done asap. The $64-question, where
can Toga be seen? YouTube and for free. Just search "Toga by
Shaun Rose" or click the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h64_fy-bB-M
Anything
you can tell us about audience and critical recption of Toga? It's been
very warm so far. We've received good reviews by those that have seen it
so far in the public and published realm.
After Upstate Story and Toga,
will there ever be another movie revolving around Ellis
Martin? And/or any other future projects you'd like to share? Yes. I have a plan for what a
sequel will be, but I have some work to do physically beforehand. Other
than that, I have the documentary Not Saratoga which I hope
will be out before the end of 2023. It'll tackle a lot of the controversy
I dealt with over a simple title choice for the project. Harassment and
such. What
got you into filmmaking in the first place, and did you receive any formal
training on the subject? I've always been a huge movie fan even
going back to being a kid. Re-enacting them and such. Before turning a
teenager I saw Psycho for the 1st time, and that really
triggered a fanatical interest in cinema. I rented a lot of VHS tapes at
the local video store. I eventually did online classes through the Academy
of Art University. I learned a lot of good things through them. What can you tell us about your
filmwork prior to Toga?
It's been a progressive
experience. Going back to my 1st 2 features, although I'll never make them
publicly available, I learned so much from making them. I'll always love
them for what they are. A few of my college shorts are available on my
Youtbue channel. They're rough, but I'm happy with them as well. With Upstate Story, I'm very content with that. I feel the same
with its companion documentary Making and
Unmaking. How
would you describe yourself as a director, and how as an actor? Very low key. I
try to keep things simple with all things considered. As an actor, I feel
the same mentality remains. Filmmakers,
actors, whoever else who inspire you? Filmmakers like Hayao Miyazaki, Alfred Hitchock, Martin Scorsese,
Andrei Tarkovsky, Akira Kurosawa, Orson Welles, Federico Fellini, David
Lynch, Sofia Coppola, Spike Lee, Jim Jarmusch and Dee Wills. Comic writers
like Charles M. Schulz, Harvey Pekar, Robert Crumb, Bob Kane. Actors like
Groucho Marx, Chaplin, Buster Keaton [Buster
Keaton bio - click here], Giulietta Masina, Bill Murray, DDL,
Kate Winslet, Ellen Burstyn, De Niro, Pacino, Marcello. Stand up
comedians include Carlin, Pryor, Louis CK and Chappelle. Your favourite
movies?
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Spirited
Away, Psycho, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind, Mulholland Drive, Duck
Soup, City Lights, Amarcord, Lost in
Translation, Citizen Kane, Seven Samurai, Taxi
Driver, Solaris, Do the Right Thing.
... and of course, films you really deplore? The countless remakes and
reboots. Your/your
movie's website, social media, whatever else? I don't
have a website, but you can find the new project at
https://www.facebook.com/Togafilm
Anything
else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Yes.
Please support another no budget filmmaker that I consider to be highly
influential upon me. Her name is Dee Wills, and nobody talks about her in
the no-budget/avante garde realm of filmmaking. She did a film called Jane's Paradise that can be found at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hllCC5wKT4g
Thanks
for the interview!
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