U.S. Hollywood International Film Festival - A Night At The Movies
A shy movie fan must overcome his confidence issues when he and his crush, the theater concession stand girl, are pulled into a 1930s adventure film.
Interview: Writer/Director Erik Carlson and Producer Lily Marroquin Scheib
Watch A Night At The Movies here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I wanted to do something fun and nostalgic of the adventure films I grew up with like Indiana Jones, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and The Rocketeer. At the same time, I was fascinated with the idea/s of real people going into the fantasy of movies and the characters of a movie coming out into the real world and wanted to put my own spin on that concept.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It's fun old fashioned entertainment and has something for everyone: adventure, romance, comedy, and drama.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The two themes at work together in A Night at the Movies are the importance communication and confidence. With communication, it's shown that the main character, Mike’s lack there-of is the source of his many troubles during the story and it is not until he gets himself and Anna into a dangerous scrape is he able to overcome his trouble of miscommunicating. The theme of confidence has a similar arc with Mike being nervous and uncomfortable in his own skin but when he immerses himself in a fantasy world that is filled with danger and adventure, his confidence grows and he is able overcome his fears, even more so when he finally reveals to Anna how he feels.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The script started out rather differently with the character of Anna being a minor bookend character with the main focus of the story being focused on Mike’s relationship with the movie character, Jenna Hathaway, when she comes out of the screen and decides to stay in the real world. Also included was a villainous gangster character and his henchmen who battle with Mike and Panama in the tomb at the film’s climax. This version of the story did not progress beyond the first draft or so, with the main character’s relationship with Anna coming off as the strongest element.
Giving the script a major overhaul through the following drafts, I made the Mike and Anna relationship the main focus with their adventures in the movie world, the journey, taking out the characters of the gangster and his men as well as adding the character of Mr. Martinez, the manager, to deepen Anna’s character and add to Mike’s emotional growth.
Mike and Anna’s journey through the tomb and the rooms within changed several times with their inclusion originally being meant as a way to explore the adventure film world I created. For budget and time, I decided to narrow it down so Mike and Anna were only seen in one room of the temple but when my producers came aboard, they eagerly encouraged me that multiple rooms could be done so they were kept in.
Ironically, the scenes featuring the rooms and their placement within the story received the most editing in post-production with the scenes being switched back and forth between before the climatic sarcophagus room to after, with the final result being all the rooms being before the climax with one room being removed for time and story context.
Finally, certain details explaining the world of the story as well as the location of one of the final scenes had to be changed on set during filming due to lack of time to shoot them.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Quite positive for the most part, with particular praise being focused on the writing and the ambitious scope of the project.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Considering this was my first large scale project and the number of mistakes and obstacles I encountered during its making, I had no idea how it would turn out. To my happy surprise, the audiences we’ve shown it to has really enjoyed it, and that’s encouraged me to keep going.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
To get the film (or the awareness of it) out to as large an audience as possible and to find financiers to help produce a feature version of A Night at the Movies and other future projects.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Producers (with funding) and journalists to spread the word.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope the film has a positive reception, providing audiences with a fun, memorable entertainment and encourages them to check out the fun exciting adventure films I grew up with and inspires any new filmmakers to make their own and that it is possible to do so on a lower budget.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Can exciting, effective adventure films be made for a lower budget like effective horror and comedies are?
Would you like to add anything else?
A big shout out to the cast, crew, and all others who supported the film as everyone played an important role and helped get the film made and we the filmmakers are forever grateful for your help.
What are you developing or working on now?
I’m currently writing the feature version of A Night at the Movies as well as an medieval fantasy adventure and a science-fiction film that is a homage to the Spielberg films of the 80s.
Interview: November 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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A Night at the Movies
A shy movie fan must overcome his confidence issues when he and his crush, the theater concession stand girl, are pulled into a 1930s adventure film.
Length: 16 minutes, 9 seconds.
Director: Erik Carlson
Producer: Lily Marroquin Scheib and Robert Stronger
Writer: Erik Carlson
About the writer, director and producer:
Erik Carlson: I was born in Des Moines, Iowa and graduated from The University of Iowa and New York Film Academy. I’m currently a freelance writer and director.
Key cast: Kevin Thomas Mitchell as Mike, Samantha Stumman as Anna, Krystal O’Connor as Jenna Hathaway, Matthew Faller as George “Panama” Hamilton, and Chris Georgas as Mr. Martinez.
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Funders: Self-Funded
Made in association with: New York Film Academy and Silent Moon Productions
Where can I see it in the next month? The Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival in Buffalo, New York from November 4-13th and the U.S. Hollywood International Film Festival in Hollywood, California from December 12th-16th.