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Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
(INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY RYAN PILLARSY, Sound editor on Usher.)
Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself first - and what was it that motivated you to do Usher?
A: I've been working in movie theatres for a number of years, and you know, there's always someone who says, "They should make a movie about this place. It's crazy." I guess every place has that idea brought up, but when you're in a movie theatre, you think there's some extra inherent drama. Maybe that's not really a very good idea, because a workplace is sort of a day-by-day boring situation. But then, one of my co-workers, Adam Aicher, came up with a unique angle - what if a hitman got a job in a movie theatre? From that idea, we began to riff on how he would handle typical situations in a theatre - and what would be funny, and what wouldn't work at all. And from there, we had an interesting take on "let's make a movie about this place."
Q: How long did it take to make? From writing the script, to post production.
A: The script took a couple of months to write. We actually had a reading with some semi-professional actors to hone the dialogue. One thing we learned from that was to cut the dialogue to a minimum. We really wanted the story to tell itself. And the less talking, the more visual it is.
Q: How did you structure it?
A: Simply. It's chronological. I've always wanted to make a film, but never really knew how to break into the big time, so an independent film was the obvious choice. While I was talking with my producer, we talked about what the "perfect" indie film would be. It would have "instant" production value - be shot someplace or in a way that didn't cost much but still be unique. And since I worked at a theatre, I got a great $1 million location. It would be a controlled environment, which the theatre is, all indoors, so I wouldn't have to worry about permits or blocking off streets. And you would cast your acquaintences to "play themselves." Don't try to get a difficult acting performance out of someone who simply can't deliver. We ended up having some great professional actors in the film, but the initial design was to, for example, cast the goofy guy as a goofy guy, or the quiet cute girl as a cute girl who's quiet, you know? Make it easy on ourselves. Nothing kills an indie film faster than bad acting.
Q: The film isn't very "talky." A lot of other low-budget indies are very dialogue-oriented.
A: I wanted it to be cinematic. For christ's sake, it's about a movie theatre. We shot on film.
Q: It really gives it a professional look.
A: I can't tell you how many times someone told us if we shot on HD it would be cheaper. Yes, I know. But HD gives you a different aesthetic. It gives you a different philosophy, a different cutting strategy, a different everything. Maybe if I came up with a "reality-style" expose, I'd have embraced HD.
Q: The film also has a pretty "arty" look to it. It shows the theatre a lot, the beautiful architecture and the design. It seems to be another character in the film.
A: Exactly. The film very much is interested in how people act in certain environments, and when they're taken out of their comfort zone...or maybe their comfortable environment, what they think they know no longer works. Of course a hitman in a movie theatre is an example of that.
Q: How was it shooting in the place you work?
A: It was perfect. Of course, I knew the location inside and out. And it allowed me to go to work, then when the night was over - around midnight - we'd break out the cameras and start shooting. My actors would show up and we'd go all night. Even though it can be
described as a "one-set" movie, the theatre has a lot of varied locations. The auditorium, the office, the basement, the storage rooms, so it never felt claustrophobic. We have a certain amount of outside shots as well.
Q: Like the scene in the bar.
A: Right. I wanted the ushers to have a chance to talk outside the workplace. An important part of working in a movie theatre - this has been true ever since I've started working in them - is a unique bonding that goes on with the employees. There's a real "us vs. them" mentality when things are busy, or hectic, or movies are breaking or kids are running around. We've always needed to cool off and depressurize after work, and what better place than the bar next door.
Q: The ushers have a pretty jaded view of the customers that come in. It's almost philosophical how they talk about art and movies.
A: That's the world of theatres. Movie theatres are museums, really. Art is displayed. You don't sell someone a shovel, like in a hardware store. We sell them a seat and they look at something for 2 hours. And if it's good, I mean if the art does what it's supposed to do, it can change their life in two hours. Make them look at the world completely differently.
Amazing.
Q: That's not happening in "Usher."
A: No. "Usher" takes place in an old theatre, a low-grossing and run-down, but beautiful old art deco theatre with bad customers who Ash - the lead character - has to "take care of." He's a hitman, so how's he gonna do it? I hope that's the fun of the film.
Q: It's not a comedy.
A: But it gets a lot of laughs.
Q: It does?
A: I've always been surprised how much people laugh at things during screenings. Hopefully with the film, not at it. Maybe people recognize their own work frustrations in it.
Q: Was it easy to shoot?
A: As easy as anything is at 4 in the morning, after a full day of work, and before a day at school or watching the kids.
Q: How long did it take?
A: About 12 weeks. We would shoot 4 days, and take 3 days off. Some of the weeks were "day" shoots, of course.
Q: And how about post?
A: That's where things got long. Of course, when you're shooting a film, everyone's running around with their heads cut off because everything costs money, everything's rented, and you're always not where you want to be.
So eventually the money runs out, and you're not done yet. So we took about a year break, slowly putting the takes into a computer, transferring them onto betaSP, and cutting the film on an Imac.
Q: Did you have a professional editor?
A: No, it was basically me. But I had a year to mess with it.
Q: The film has a unique but personality.
A: The music helps to pull it all together. Do you like the music? Desciple is the group.
Q: Where did you find them?
A: He's actually an acquaintance, Jeff Lunzaga. He's a real musician, and he'd done some other stuff for indie films in the area. He added an organic flavor the music. I temp-tracked the film with Tangerine Dream, sorta lush and dreamy. He took that and ran with it.
Q: Ash is a pretty lost character. He starts out in control, but he kinda loses his way as ends up in a daze.
A: He lacks direction. He latches on the girl as a way to find something to do. He decides he's going to protect her. But I don't really believe she needs protecting, you know? She's the candy girl, who has this perpetual seductive smile on her face. And the guy next door, the hot dog guy, Alvin - he comes in and hits on her. But perhaps she can handle herself.
But Ash doesn't know that. He sees that as an invasion of his turf. A threat to him perserving order.
Q: Ash doesn't ever fit in the theatre.
A: Ultimately, no. He doesn't understand the environment. He knows that movies show, that tickets are sold and ripped, but not the social sphere. I spend a lot of time in the film hinting at everyone else's personal life. Everyone there has loves and hates, and lives, and they intersect there at the theatre. Everyone has their own movie. We're jus seeing a little bit of it. On a Friday night. Date night. Ash can't really negotiate it.
Q: Ash's home life is pretty sparse.
Q: You play a small part in the film. As the theatre manager.
A: Type-casting I guess.
Q: How was that? Have you always fancied yourself an actor?
A: No. It's hard to be outside the film, thinking everything you need to to keep the big picture, then be an actor, and only be in that moment. In order to be a good actor, I think you really have to be vulnerable. To be absolutely open to what you feel, and what the other guy on the other side of the table says to you, so your response is real and human, instead of just words on the page. It's the complete antithesis of directing. I had to pass the reigns of directing my scenes to Jason Houston, my Unit Production Manager. He's great with actors, and the crew trusted him.
Q: Did you like acting?
A: I think other people liked it more than me. Directing's more like managing a movie theatre.
Q: How so?
A: You're managing resources; you're working about people eating, and schedules. The show must go on, and everyone's asking you questions. Good thing I'm only in the film for a short time. Practically a cameo.
Q: Other famous directors are in their films.
A: Yes. Of course. And I gave myself some of the best lines.
Q: What worked for you while shooting? What things do you think went wrong?
A: Went wrong? We never had a schedule that was close to realistic. The last 2 weeks I basically threw some difficult scenes out and focused on capturing inserts or reverses so we could have a coherent and complete cut when we were done. We were thinking on our feet
constantly.
Q: Would you do it again?
A: Absolutely. Being on a set, when you love films is like having died and gone to heaven. There wasn't really any problems I at least didn't have an idea how to tackle. I was never conmpletely hopelessly lost. I always had some idea - however hair-brained - to move forward.
Q: What things went amazingly right?
A: I was constantly pleased by the acting. I found the actors doing things that were more interesting than I ever thought the script suggested. And in editing, things cut together in ways you never thought they would, and wonderful moments suddenly occurred I had no idea were going to happen. It makes you look a lot smarter than you are. Of course, there are as many times when things simply aren't working out, no matter what you try to do. That seems to be half the time you're putting your initial cut together. Fixing problems. Or burying them.
Q: Or just cutting them out all together.
A: Yeah. Hopefully the more interesting stuff will be seen again on a dvd.
Q: One question. What's in the suitcase?
A: (Laughs.) Funny you should ask that.
Q: Do you get that questions a lot?
A: Not really. I think audiences have come to expect that there will be a "suitcase" with something in it we don't ever see. It is a nod in ways to the one in "Pulp Fiction", or "Kiss Me Deadly." Intentional references don't bother me, obviously. Except we don't make a big deal out it. It's not Elvis's suit in there. Is a gun? No. It's what he put away, and opened right before the phone rang. And we never saw it again.
Q: It's just the "thing he puts away."
A: Yes.
8:24 AM
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