Please tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘Lemon Joe’. How did you start, and how did you learn to make films?
My start to working in film was - falling ass backwards into it right after graduating college. I was fortunate enough to begin working on large feature films - mainly studio films. (Marvel, Disney, DC, Netflix, Legendary, Zoetrope, Sony) I built sets/worked on-set in the construction/art departments. I also wrote and directed a short film before LJ called X’s & O’s. And that was a great learning experience. I think to speak on ‘how I learned to make films’ would be the wrong tense - I am ‘LEARNING’ to make films. I did not go to film school so my film school (and best learning tool) has been working on films and seeing what works and what doesn’t. As well as watching how every department operates and - reading as many books as I can find - and of course being as close to the camera and video village as they will allow.
Tell us about ‘Lemon Joe’. How do you describe it?
LJ is an ode to Westerns through the lens of my sensibility of comedy. The plot is about the most famous Cowboy in the west who has a duel with the most infamous Cowboy - or so he thinks. LJ is all about subverting the normal Western tropes in an absurdist comedic way. It is also about the larger-than-life personas that characters can embody. And the larger-than-life feeling seemingly normal events can poses. It’s lastly a callback to a Czech Western Musical from the 60’s. Which is my own little Easter egg.
Please tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
I of course have been inspired by so many great filmmakers - but I’ve really been on a big Terry Gilliam kick lately. His level of unhinged creativity and pure inventiveness has really become some of my favorite and inspirational work. All the way back to his Python days, his mind is a true treasure-trove of absurdist ideas. I also couldn’t talk about LJ without mentioning Kevin Costner - who is a filmmaker that I have not only learned so much from but also has been pivotal to inspiring me to stick to my guns (pun intended) and be an unstoppable force in making a vision come to life.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
Define ‘GOOD BUDGET’? Ha! I think that given any amount of money I would start with the smallest most grounded project that I could make feel ‘larger than life’. So, I would probably choose a project I wrote about a young artist and her journey to finding personal and artistic identity. It’s so aligned with my own journey and where I currently am at in my life – that would allow me to understand and assimilate with the character. She also is sent to work on a tree farm and that’s what I grew up doing - so it’s quite near and dear to my heart. Also, this setting of a tree farm can truly feel ‘larger than life’ - as can Art/Painting. And that’s really where my sensibilities seem to always steer me toward. But it’s a very centralized story that would be a great project for me to tackle.
Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps would you take?
Seems to be all about the PLAN, PLAN, PLAN. And someone having a CLEAR VISION. Beyond that I think there are a million ways to make a film and keep it on schedule. Some people storyboard, some don’t. Some shot list, some don’t. I feel confident having all of those resources because I’m still learning and I like to feel prepared. Also trusting the people around you. A strong First AD will help a director stay on schedule. A strong producer will ensure fires are being put out. The team you surround yourself with from department heads all the way down to PA’s are going to be your best resource to keep on schedule. Also being flexible - because things WILL GO WRONG. So adapt.
What was the hardest part of making ‘Lemon Joe’.
We (our cast and crew) were working full time on a feature film when we made LJ. All working 6 days a week out in the desert - so the HARDEST PART was fitting in the prep and shoot while also clocking in 70-80 hours a week. It was truly an insane thing to attempt. But the collaborators who were just as insane as I that teamed up to go for it really made the difference. Making any film of any size is impossible without a team. And the difficulties are exponentially diminished when you have talented creative people there to help. Also - the one off-day we had from work was our only shooting day. So that was hard - then both cameras broke an hour in to the shoot! Like I said - THINGS WILL GO WRONG! Ha!
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work?
I am quite focused on writing currently. The resources necessary to write are quite less than those needed to make a film. So, I’m working on feature scripts. Plans of future work? I’m not too certain. LJ was so beautiful because I never had a plan to go make a western short film. It all happened organically. I was working on a western feature and met a group of super hungry creatives and we hatched a plot to go make our own - and it was a terrific experience. I would love to shoot another genre short - and I’m open to allowing it to happen organically as LJ did. But everything starts with a script - so I should probably keep working on that first.
To everyone who took the time to read this and watch Lemon Joe, THANK YOU!
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