HollyShorts - Make Like A Dog
Frustrated, angry and infertile, Stanley and Elvira will try anything to pull their relationship out of the dog house.
Interview with Director Marshall Allman
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Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
For many, many reasons. Some I am aware of and some I am sure I am not. But I think overall I wanted to achieve two things: 1) Create a short film series to better learn how to write and direct 2) Create a showpiece for Jamie Anne Allman’s physical comedic and dramatic skills. She is a goldmine of talent. Like if Jessica Lange and Gilda Radner combined powers. And of course not to be outdone is her co-star the incredible Mark Kelly. Both of them need to be more famous. Now.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It's funny. It's touching. It's short.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I love marriage. Warts and all. I am a romantic. I think too many marriages fail. Some simply because of unrealistic expectations about how a marriage should be. And that shouldn't be. In fact, though it may sound ridiculous, I think we could learn a little from dogs about how to make a marriage work.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
Well it started as a One-Act play from the 60s written by Jerome Kass. Play to Script it was 29 pages. No one wants to watch a 30 minute short. 10 minutes is the sweet spot. So that meant cuts. Lots of them. Without changing any words that got me down to 15 pages. Then I felt like it needed to be more cinematic (since it was originally a play) so for example instead of a character reading a newspaper I changed it to him watching the t.v.
At that point it was clear that I had to change more of the script to make it work on screen so yeah… I hope Jerome approves. I tried my best to honor his brilliant one act. In the end we got it down to 11.5 pages.
Once the script was trimmed and reworked it was time to find a location. That took a year. Then the house we found turned out to be haunted. So i had to have a meeting with the ghost. True story.
Then our lead actress (just having had a baby months before the shoot) was breast feeding in between takes. She is a total super hero. But it definitely didn't make it any easier that we had her in 1960s undergarments. Like I said Super. Hero.
Then I couldn't afford our original editor anymore and had to edit the film myself in my spare time. That took a year. Cut the film down to 10.5 pages.
All in all, from conception to birth the film has taken 10 years. Luckily we shot in 6K so I won't have to worry about 2K becoming obsolete before the public sees the film.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
My favorite was, first of all, my crew, peers and friends who have helped me along the way and gave their stamp of approval. Incredible support.
Then it was other filmmakers who came to the rescue with incredible feedback. But by far the wildest was having Jay Duplass give notes on versions of the edit. While he was in post for Togetherness and shooting Transparent I might add. If he ever needs a kidney I hope we are a blood match.
Then of course actually screening it for a live audience is incredible. And terrifying. Until it is incredible again. Hearing hundreds of people laugh at the right parts and be silent at the right parts is priceless. Now I know it works and no one can take that from me.
After that it was all just icing. More Festivals (lots of rejections, lots of acceptance). Marfa. Sarasota. Portland. DC. Hollyshorts. ShortoftheWeek.com honors is basically the same as Sundance to me. Hell better even.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Well during the edit I became pretty masochistic about getting critical feedback. It really taught me so much about the minutia of editing and how to shape characters and pacing and balancing a tone between drama and comedy. I mean the fact is that I can only do so much and having such brilliant people around me and being open to their suggestions is an essential asset to making anything worth while. So as far as critical feedback goes my new motto is I want it rough, fast and early. Sounds dirty but trust me it is.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We are going to make a series of these films - the same actors playing different couples in different decades dealing with different socio-political issues within a marriage. The next one is set in 2030 about a couple who are doomsday preppers who agree that shit is gonna hit the fan but for completely different reasons. It's called: A Tribulation! I have other plans for films set in 1900, 1930, and 1990.
So please - Get the word out! Kickstarter campaign coming as soon as Make Like a Dog releases. Help us make the next one!!!!!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Friends, Family, Fans - you. your mom. your grandma. your grandma's weekly bachelor watching group. Everyone.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope this encourages people in their relationships. No one is perfect! I don't care what their instagram looks like.
But ultimately enough of an impact that we can keep making them… please?
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How do you resolve conflict and keep the love alive???!!!
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Marshall Allman - Humans Season 2, Bates Motel, Feature Documentary w/ Foster The People
Jamie Anne Allman - Preacher, Z, and Longmire
Mark Kelly - The Night Stalker, Buster's Mal Heart
Christian D. Sosa - The Vessel, Friday’s Child
Interview: August 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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Make Like a Dog
Frustrated, angry and infertile, Stanley and Elvira will try anything to pull their relationship out of the dog house.
Length:
10:45
Director:
Marshall Allman
Credits:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4448444/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Key cast:
Jamie Anne Allman, Mark Kelly
Release date:
Mid-October