Q: What is your approach to storytelling, and how do you go about creating the perfect mood board to support your vision?
A: For most films I had a story to tell and proceeded with an outline that hit the highlights then expanded upon each. No mood boards were necessary since these were my honest feelings being expressed every step of the way.
Being the Writer as well as Director Producer, I could easily alter those actual stories to fit the needs of film shoots without lengthy discussions with others. I had the vision to get us from point A to Z and to make them happen the films are simply “based on true stories.” Even with biopics, it’s a challenge to get things exactly as they were in real life anyway.
With THE WISTERIA MANOR, I was presenting Jay Scott Nixon’s original story with an adapted screenplay. It was conceived from a dream Scott had several years ago. When he approached me, asking to convert his 42 pages into a film, I couldn’t resist since Mystery Thrillers are on the rise and TWM is very intriguing.
My first career was in magazine and newspaper publishing for years so editing articles comes naturally to me. In TWM’s case it was a matter of making particular scenes more believable and making sure we had a fully-developed beginning, middle, and end suitable for screen. It’s like building a house. You have to be certain your foundation doesn’t have any cracks, the framing is solid, and the roof is completely covered.
Q: Was there any particular creative streak you applied in this project that you’d like the audience to notice or pay attention to?
A: TWM is different from other films in that it doesn’t have your typical long list of Cast & Crew. The story isn’t told with footage alone but with a combination of panned photography, still photos, artwork, illustrations, and cinematography. This mix of exceptional visual artistry by my Film Editor Jeff Vernon and outstanding camera work by Cinematographer Craig Purdum makes it unusual.
Then I also had the talent of our Composer/Sound Designer R. Kim Shultz who could bring those visuals to life with just the right audio moods.
Also, I act as a Narrator with a new character added to Scott’s story then act out all of his characters. That was challenging since I had to keep the flow yet change my tone instantly to portray numerous ages from children to elders.
Most films will be only cinematography or animation and include a variety of Actors even if in Voice Over. So, it was risky to apply all filmmaking formats at once and I mirrored that with all characters into one body — mine.
It was like making a soup with everything stirred together in one pot. Some call that being creative. I say I was being frugal and the diners, our viewers, seem to relish the taste enough to crave second helpings and dessert. Another feature film was made after TWM and that is RINGS OF THE UNPROMISED, not like TWM at all and my own story.
Q: Looking back now, is there anything you would have done differently in the making of this project?
A: Yes, I would have told Scott that TWM would have to wait until my sister feature films, FATE’S SHADOW: THE WHOLE STORY and RINGS OF THE UNPROMISED are distributed before starting his project.
The FS Feature was in the festival circuit when Scott approached me and RINGS was a script with cast ready to shoot their scenes. All of those Actors patiently waited while I stopped production on RINGS to make TWM during a couple of surgery recoveries.
RINGS is now available to be watched on its IMDb title page as is FATE’S SHADOW, a short film version to the FS Feature. Then V & F, my fifth film, is on YouTube as an animated short. We were delighted all five films became multiple internationally-judged award-winners with their festival races.
Currently, I’m in distribution talks for the FS Feature and TWM. The benefit of going into meetings with 2 feature films as I’ve been doing has outweighed the delay on a marketing front for the most part. Like WIZARD OF OZ, once released these films will live on even after all of us have passed on from the planet.
Q: Is there a character from “The Wisteria Manor” that you feel mirrors you personally in some way?
A: In TWM’s screenplay, “Evelyn” is the granddaughter of “William Byron” who owns the estate. Her mother died and father remarried. They moved from Michigan to Ohio in the United States to help take care of that property and William with his failing health. Since I’m an Indiana native, I could relate to this girl in Midwestern settings. We filmed in Indianapolis to keep a hometown vibe.
Without giving a spoiler alert, I portray “Mary” who is named after another key character and narrates in real time instead of the 1851 time period. In essence I’m playing a fictitious version of myself as well as the others. That’s a mirror flipped to the close-up side!
Q: If you could offer one word of advice to future generations of artists, what would it be?
A: Many filmmakers seek fame and fortune. Those aspects have never inspired me. If/when they come along, I will gladly accept but they don’t motivate me. The core reason I have made films is that I have a calling as a storyteller. That’s evident from my initial media career. With that I was surrounded by the entertainment business. Not only was I familiar to the field with journalism and advertising work, but I also had friends and family tying me to Hollywood. Some of that is showcased in my “Trivia” section on the IMDb website scrolling to it with this link — https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7393387/
The transition into acting and filmmaking was seamless as print has been enhanced with digital which moves words and visuals into faster-receiving platforms. Instead of flipping glossy pages, I was flipping screens and now film frames to express myself. Hollywood called and I answered regardless of its present technology.
Most in this biz don’t come from a media background. That is, most don’t carry journalism degrees. They’ve taken acting classes or studied filmmaking. I believe that is what sets me apart from the ones who follow the expected path with cookie-cutter approaches.
Therefore, my advice to future generations of artists is to stay true to yourself and that reality will be displayed with your creative endeavors. As always, people benefit from the learning lessons of those who came before.
We hope everyone finds TWM enlightening! See more about TWM with the following link — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15454148/