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their collaboration for the film "Undefined".
Bryant, tell me what set you off on your journey to want to be a
filmmaker? What Influenced you to get into the film business?
I have always been into visual arts. When I was younger I did a
lot of drawing. When I started college I was studying mass
communications. I wanted to work in radio or TV as a technical
director. One semester I had the opportunity to take an elective
so I took a film theory course. After taking that course I began to
look at film more as art, then I took all the other film courses
available. I was at Virginia Tech, and there wasn't really a film
program, that is why I decided to go to graduate school right
away.
Jacob, tell me what set you off on your journey to want to be a
filmmaker? What Influenced you to get into the film business?
Filmmaking is what I've been doing and what I was drawn to
since I was ten. When I saw both Jurassic Park and Schindler's
How did the both of you end up joining forces, what brought you together?
Bryant and I both attend Virginia Commonwealth University's graduate
program in photography and film, and that is where we met, in the fall of
2005. Bryant had helped me out on my film "Canticle," a 16mm black and
white film based on the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Bryant's passion for
film and his ability to learn quickly and contribute so many great ideas to
"Canticle" made that collaboration so enjoyable that after that fall
semester, we both knew that if we truly teamed up and collaborated all the
way that we could achieve a film of greater scope. That project became
"Undefined."
How did the idea for your film Undefined come about, who's idea was it?
Undefined was a real collaboration all the way through. Jake had an idea
for a Hero, but no villain. I had the idea for a villain type, but no hero.
After we realized this, the rest of the story came together really easy.
What is the film about?
follows ideas like faith, addiction, guilt, self-help, and control.
I know some things are meant to be interpreted individually, can you share
your thoughts on who was the character that was haunting/following Dr
Calhoun? Was that a younger version of himself?
The character antagonizing Dr. Calhoon could be read like that. Mainly
we saw him as Calhoon's conscience. For someone who is supposed to
be a doctor and an authority figure, Calhoon has some pretty serious
problems himself. His paranoia and guilt led him to make bad decisions in
his diagnosis of previous patients. Calhoon thinks that a ghost of one of
his patients who committed suicide is chasing him.
I think it's the multi-dimensional relationships of the characters that make
"Undefined" interesting to watch more than once.
Lets discuss the characters in the film. Who was your favorite character to
write and why? Tell me a little bit more about "the Hero" character.
Dr. Calhoon was my favorite character. I think he is one who really tied all
the other characters together. Calhoon spirals further out of control as the
film develops, and as we expect him to turn into more of a bad guy, he
quickly transforms into the victim. Reverend Calhoon was fun to write, the
power dynamic between father and son / pastor and worshipper was
interesting to work with, and it helped us to really shape his character
uniquely.
For me, I would have to say my favorite character to write was "the Hero,"
because he overtly in an over the top way represented the other
characters attempts to change. You could take "the Hero" anywhere no
matter how strange, so there was a lot of freedom in the writing. Also, it
was fun to watch this character that I created long ago come into his own.
Rev. Bob was exciting to write as well because of his dark past. It was
interesting to write the subtle gestures to express Rev. Bob's hidden
motivations. The best example of this is when he rubs the pregnant
woman's belly. The gesture is both strange and silly.
Taking a story from script to screen brings out some nuances and
expected flavors brought on by the actors who portray the characters. Tell
me about the casting and what traits did you see in the actors that helped
you decide who was right for their respective roles?
When talking about
casting on the
independent level, I
always come back to
casting individuals who
embody an important
trait of the character.
Essentially casting
actors who very nearly
are the character that
you're looking for - in
We got really lucky with our casting. Our fellow graduate student, Shane
played the part of Nathaniel. He had already helped us a lot in the
revising the final drafts of the script, so he was already onboard with the
character. The week that we were doing the main shooting Shane got
pretty sick, it worked really well for his character because he had to
display a lot of distant and troubled emotions so being miserable was a
real help.
Phillip Enriquez played the part of the Hero. Phillip has a great attitude
and enthusiasm that really matched his character. We improvised a lot of
the stunts on the spot and Phillip was willing to work with us to make all
the action look believable.
You decided to take a different approach when filming this film with
experimental techniques in your cinematography, was that a hard decision
to make?
I think that was one of the easiest decisions we had to make on this film.
We decided right from the start that we wanted to make a visual film, and
that we wanted to eliminate the talking heads.
When we both were drawing up our shot lists for "Undefined' we put extra
emphasis on gesture to really hand over the ideas to the visual elements.
The idea of "pure cinema" is all about imagery. Hitchcock, Kurosawa, and
Sergio Leone all ascribed to the power of the motion picture image over
dialogue. I've always felt that a film should be understood without sound.
How did you get footage in the Casinos, was that hard to pull off?
It was tricky, but not as hard as we thought. We went into the casino with
a small Panasonic GL-250 - 3 chip video camera and had Shane act while
Bryant and I posed like vacationers to capture his performance. It was a
confusing experience because some casino attendants consented to us
shooting where others didn't. Despite the permit issues, shooting in
Atlantic City was our easiest shoot. We were able to get so many little
gems such as the man hitting the cement with his cane out on the
boardwalk. We were really merging fiction and non-fiction in that entire
scene by combining the Nathaniel character with people in the casino and
out on the streets. The whole experience had an interesting dynamic.
What was the biggest
challenge in making
this film?
In general, the whole
film process is such a
huge and
unpredictable
challenge, but the
main challenges
usually come from
I think that the biggest thing was organization. We had a lot of actors, and
a ton of locations. Keeping everyone on schedule in the right place and
well-fed was really draining. Sometimes it was easy to lose sight of what
we were really doing, because we kept getting caught up in so many little
details.
You both wore many hats in the making of this film, what was your favorite
part of producing this film- Did you like writing, shooting, or directing best-
and why?
Bryant and I collaborated on this one all the way - writing, producing,
directing, photography, editing, etc. For me I get my energy from working
with others, so shooting the film is always the most exciting part of the
whole experience. I love directing and working on cinematography - it's
just magic when you get to see the scenes form into images.
My favorite part of this project was the editing, for me that is really when
everything comes together on a project. We reworked the scene order
several times and then things finally started to click. From the script to the
final film we really made some major steps just because of things that we
saw in editing that we could use to structure the film better.
What was it like to see your film on the big screen at the Byrd theatre?
Amazing. Anytime you get to see your film on the big screen in front of an
audience is just a tremendous experience. Film is meant for the large
screen to be experienced collectively by an audience. Film is to be
shared. What makes the Byrd theatre an excellent venue is that it has
held on to the greatness of cinema. The Byrd's classy cinema palace
design brings the viewer back to the days when movie going was an event
just like live theatre. Going to the cinema in the past was an active
experience for the audiences, not a passive one, and so to bring
"Undefined" to a theatre with such a rich history as the Byrd was really a
perfect marriage.
Bryant, what did Jacob bring to the table on this project, if he had not been
part of this film, what would have been missing?
Jake doesn't hold anything back in his vision for a film. Then he has the
ability to think outside of the box to come up with ways to translate his big
ideas into an independent film. Most of the grand shots, like the camera
following Nathaniel's car in the beginning, were Jake's idea. Jake also
has a unique sensibility when it comes to imagery, and story telling. He
really knows how to balance traditional, and avant garde ideas. I think
that his work really took the film to the next level.
Jacob, what did Bryant bring to the table on this project, if he had not been
part of this film, what would have been missing?
Bryant brought his
encouragement and his
instinctual sense of
experimentation.
Bryant is an amazing
editor and "Undefined"
would not be in the
state it is in had not
Bryant spent countless
sleepless nights
working through the
Has the film been submitted to any festivals yet?
Bryant and I both attend Virginia Commonwealth University's graduate
program in photography and film, and that is where we met, in the fall of
2005. Bryant had helped me out on my film "Canticle," a 16mm black and
white film based on the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Bryant's passion for
film and his ability to learn quickly and contribute so many great ideas to
"Canticle" made that collaboration so enjoyable that after that fall
semester, we both knew that if we truly teamed up and collaborated all the
way that we could achieve a film of greater scope. That project became
"Undefined."
How can people get to see this film, where is it available at?
We have DVD's available. You can buy a DVD at either
www.projectoctober.com or www.spoospictures.com using pay pal. Future
screenings will also be announced on those websites.
What piece of advice do you have for someone who wants to shoot their
first film, is their any tid bit you can pass on that you wish someone had
told you about before making a movie?
Take the time and don't make the little compromises. You don't want to
have any regrets. Write and get as much feedback as you on the project
in the writing stage. Secure your ideal locations, and ask for what you
need. More often than not someone out there is willing to help you make
your film a reality. Never hesitate to ask. Make short films - you can learn
filmmaking only by doing - so don't stop making, no matter what. If you
love film, you won't be able to stop.
You have to turn your limitations into advantages. Everyone has special
circumstances that enable them to tell a story from a unique perspective, if
you can capitalize on those circumstances then you can make something
special.
What is next for Project October and Spoos Pictures?
Well right now we are both scrambling to finish up our theses. This
summer we are planning to start production on a new project that we are
shooting with 35mm. The story takes place on a desert island.
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