Here are two more of my answers from this Thursday’s interview by Heather Matthews in the Manchester Mirror:

Can you tell me a little about your next feature?
I’m working on the script for Death & Glory. It’s a black comedy and I’m pretty sure we’ll ruffle some feathers with this one – so far it’s turning out unlike anything content-wise that I’ve ever attempted. Some of the script’s written in traditional screenplay format while a number of subplots have evolved into a secondary story, sort of a counterfeit documentary within the same film.

What advise can you offer to people who are interested in becoming filmmakers?
The biggest challenge a filmmaker faces is to remain true to one’s ideals at every step of the way. It’s an unending battle to produce and get your film out there, especially in New Hampshire which has no film community to speak of. Stick to your guns and be prepared to have plenty of folks, from movie reviewers to other filmmakers, throwing darts at you along the way. That’s the harsh reality, whether you’ve just produced the next Citizen Kane or Porky’s 9, it doesn’t matter, you’ll encounter a great deal of jealousy and resentment directed towards you because you did something – you didn’t procrastinate like so many so-called artists do – you did it while they talked about doing it. Don’t network, don’t play politics, don’t rely on grants or others to do the work for you, be independent and if you truly are, that’ll always be reflected in the work you produce.

Here are excerpts from an interview I did this past weekend with Heather Matthews of the Manchester Mirror regarding the upcoming filmmaking workshop I’m doing with Marc Vadeboncoeur of Goodheart Media Services:

How did this class come about?
Marc and I had always thought about doing something along these lines – we felt that there was a need to share and teach much of “behind the scenes” techniques and strategies which we had learned first-hand with our features. Much of the knowledge dates back to 1997 when we first screened Old Man Dogs in various theatres in the area. That film was pretty much the first independent feature to be exclusively produced and screened in New Hampshire – there was absolutely no road map to follow with that film.

Regarding the upcoming workshop, I think Marc and I complement each other well. As anyone who knows him can attest, you can’t beat Marc when it comes to the many technical issues related to filmmaking. So, for this workshop, he’ll be handling the technical and equipment side while I’ll be emphasizing in all aspects of writing, producing and distribution.

What will it be like/ what can people expect from it?
It’ll be an intense learning experience and very hands-on. Many of the larger workshops tend to be more of a ‘lecture’ than an actual workshop but with our workshop students will be diving right into the equipment. We’ll even be re-staging and shooting a scene from Dangerous Crosswinds which should be fun. Marc and I are confident that, by the time the second day wraps, everyone who attended will have all the necessary tools and knowledge to immediately start shooting their own film.

How, if at all, has digital filmmaking changed the face of the film industry?
Digital filmmaking has changed the industry in numerous ways, most for the better. Comparing the production costs of our first film Old Man Dogs, which we shot on 16mm film, and Dangerous Crosswinds, which was an all-digital production, is night and day. There are some things I miss about film but having the means to do a full edit with color-correction and sound mixing on your own computer, rather than having to sub it out to outside venders is a huge advantage, both financially and for retaining quality control.