Katie's brother John thinks he's run over someone. What the siblings find instead will change their lives forever. And not for the better.

Interview with Writer/Director Jason Neulander

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I’ve been producing, directing, and writing live theater for years and years, but have always loved the movies. So Hit & Run was an experiment to see if I could even make a movie at all. I was interested in a few things with my first film project: mounting suspense, an open-ended conclusion, and minimal soundtrack with the acting itself driving the emotional journey. The specific idea for it came to me as I woke up one morning. I started jotting down notes, which immediately evolved into an outline, and by the end of writing the outline (about 4 hours later), I had a finished script. At that point, I knew I was onto something, so I just kept going. Five months later, we had a finished film!

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

If you’re a fan of thrillers that ask the question “are you scared of what’s around the corner?” then this movie is for you.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The personal aspect of Hit & Run is less topical than it is emotional. I love the feeling of being scared in the movies, but mostly find the reveal of the thing that’s scary to be a letdown. So, with Hit & Run, I wanted to play with a steady mounting of the feeling of dread.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?

I did a bit of rewriting on the script before shooting, but once we were ready to shoot, it didn’t change much at all. I think I left two shots on the cutting room floor. I knew exactly how I wanted to tell the story visually—through highly-composed single takes for most of the scenes. I was lucky that I had really strong actors, particularly the lead Adriene Mishler, who could carry that load.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

People have told me they’re genuinely scared as they’re watching. A lot of folks have asked me whether or not the story was “real” or just in the protagonist’s head, which is kind of the reason I ended the story where I did. At our first screening at Austin Film Festival, the audience collectively gasped at the end and then burst into applause. I felt pretty good about that!

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Yes, in the sense that I didn’t really make this movie for anyone but me. I had no idea whether the final product would be any good or not. So the fact that folks seem to be responding to it the way I did when the story originally hit me is a surprise in the best of ways.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Like most artists, I think, I want my work to reach the broadest audience possible. So hopefully this will grab the attention of festival programmers and get it on a lot more big screens. We shot this in SCOPE specifically with the visual eye towards theatrical viewing. And once the festival circuit has played out, I'd love distribution help as well for all the various VOD platforms.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I have no plans to do anything else with this film, so I’m not too worried about amplifying the message, but I do have some feature projects in development and see this project as a calling card of sorts. So if you’re a producer looking for projects reading this article right now, please don’t hesitate to contact me!!

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I just want to get under people’s skin and scare them a little. The mystery of the story at the end is that you don’t know whether or not what Katie, the protagonist, has gone through is real or not. Definitely love having people puzzle over that one.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

What if you found yourself unconditionally, hopelessly alone?

Would you like to add anything else?

I’m just tickled pink that my first effort in filmmaking has had such a strong reception and I’m psyched to make more!

What are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I’m working on my first feature, Fugitive Pieces, which tells the story of two homeless drifters’ travels through middle America. It’s a character-driven movie that leans towards the surreal. It’s pretty dark, but also funny and haunting. Can’t wait to start shooting!

Interview: October 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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Hit & Run

Katie's brother John thinks he's run over someone. What the siblings find instead will change their lives forever. And not for the better.

Length: 13 minutes

Director: Jason Neulander

Producer: Christopher Shea and Jason Neulander

Writer: Jason Neulander

About the writer, director and producer:

Jason Neulander is a writer, director, and producer with a long track record of live theatrical productions. Hit & Run is his first film.

Christopher Shea has been working in film and television for ten years. Credits include the TV show Shipping Wars and the films A Quiet Girl’s Guide…, and That Day.

Key cast: Adriene Mishler, Brock England, Jessie Douglas, Victor Steele

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): distributors, film festival directors

Funders: self-financed

Release date: July 2016

Where will it screen in the next month? Texas Filmmakers Showcase (all across Texas)