1. What do you hope to express though your films?
As I don’t have any children, I hope to achieve some degree of immortality from them. And to also produce marketable, unique, ethnically diverse, thought-provoking intelligent products. Products that will last in time – reaching new audiences over and over again, and that can touch peoples’ minds and heart.
2.What do you look for in an actor?
Heart. Most of my favorite actors are character actors that may not be very well known. One’s that have that chameleon ability to slip themselves into someone else’s life… to make you believe it.
3. What do you like about Hollywood?
The weather. LOL
Seriously… it helps a bit to be based here, however with technology like internet and telephones it is probably not entirely necessary. When it comes to funding, well that can be anywhere in the world. As most Producers probably already know, there’s no $$$ in Hollywood. Even the 5 big Studios are getting funding elsewhere.
4. What don’t you like about it?
I don’t like how slow things are here. In Hollywood, the thought seems to be “we can do this next week or the week after”. In NY, the thought is “let’s get this done now so we can be at happy hour by 4 o’clock.”
Another thing I dislike is all the flakiness. Only here do people not return phone calls. I prefer a NO rather than being blown off. Have some balls. I also don’t like how people don’t seem to say goodbye anymore – they just hang up while the person on the other line is still talking.
The worst thing is theft. There are 2 types of people in Hollywood: the Creators and the Leeches. If you’re not making things happen, you’re probably stealing someone else’s thunder.
5. What is your favorite film and why?
David Lean’s 1962 epic “Lawrence of Arabia”
This is one of the most stunning and beautiful motion pictures ever caught on film – even though the Director went way over budget. It took 2 years to shoot.
6. What films have influenced you the most and why?
“Lawrence of Arabia” – a slow tension, beautiful, magnificent epic.
“Highlander” – I think this is the greatest story ever told – ‘immortals taking each other’s head to gain their power’. It just gives me the chills thinking about it. The writer/creator, Gregory Widen, has been one of the biggest inspirations of myself being a writer. The movie has an amazing script, awesome cinematography, impressive performances and you walk away with a felling that lasts a lifetime.
“The Prophecy” – this one was both written & directed by Greg Widen. After 16 years of its release, my friends and I continue to watch/analyze it. The dialog and performances (especially Christopher Walken) continue to astound. A pure masterpiece.
Dario Argento’s “Susperia” – This is Argento’s masterpiece. a horror movie without excessive gore. He brilliantly keeps the violence short, as implied – which lasts with you. I quickly forget a film if it’s too violent. The colors, the reds, the blues, are rich even to this day – and that was made over 30 years ago.
“The Ten Commandments” – another beautiful epic with great casting. Definitely Cecil B DeMille’s best work, in my opinion. What else can you say about a movie ‘with a cast of thousands’.
7. If you were a famous film character which one would you be and why?
I would have to say Batman. He is by far my favorite comic book character and I think Michael Keaton nailed both Batman/Bruce Wayne. The performance was the closest to the original comic book. There is definitely distinction between the characters in the worlds of DC and Marvel. The DC universe is filled with dark, brooding, flawed characters and something horrible always happens to turn someone into a Superhero or SuperVillian.
8. What is your process for writing a screenplay?
It starts with an emotion. From there, a topic seems to surface or I am exposed to it. Next comes weeks of research. For “Fire People” I needed to learn the religion Zoroastrianism (all of my stories contain some element of spirituality). I then write a 5 – 8 page outline with a beginning and an end. Once I open the Final Draft program, I let the story take shape to create Act II – that character arc that pulls it all together. I screenplay is a window into a point in time of someone’s life. There has to be a REASON why this story is written and ultimately produced. That protagonist needs to grow and change. There has to be a revelation. You’d be surprised how many films lack that.
I also utilize a female protagonist, so I find myself writing from a woman’s perspective. This creates quite a challenge and I believe makes me a more disciplined writer.
9. What has been your most “interesting” Los Angeles experience to date?
WOW… great question. This one took the most thought. I think it was the day I worked for makeup artist, John Blake. John is the personal makeup artist for Robert Downey Jr and created Robert’s makeup on “Tropic Thunder”. He is an amazingly talented and humble person. John created a new line of men’s fake hair products, wigs & facial hair that are the best on market right now. I had to completely shave my head to model these products for his website.
10.What would you say to someone who says Hollywood is racist, sexist and lookist?
I would say to some degree they are correct. Hollywood (and by Hollywood I assume you mean the major Studios) is a money making machine and probably doesn’t realize or doesn’t care. This is why I’m an independent. I try to achieve this middle ground of having exciting, dynamic stories that are not dumbed down or offensive. But at the same time, I need to mitigate risks as much as possible to my Investors. I have no interest in really low budget projects but at the same time I’m not spending $200M.
In closing, I’d like to say that the people I work with are sector and geographically agnostic. We wish to work and shoot all over the world. As an Entrepreneur, it’s all about creating jobs and building long-term relationships / helping local communities. Isn’t that what counts?