Seeking: Jack Tripper
“Seeking: Jack Tripper” is a romantic comedy about a gay married couple who try to have a threesome in an attempt to overcome a rut in their relationship.
Interview with Writer/Director Quinlan Orear
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
After attending some film festivals in 2013, I found myself wanting to see a movie that had something to say about marriage from a gay couple’s perspective, but without making their sexual orientation the focus.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
One thing that I’m proud of is that we always approached the characters as three-dimensional people in the real world rather than gay quip machines or angsty models. I think more work should be made that renders gay characters with the same commonplace brushstrokes as their heterosexual counterparts, and I hope the audience will find a refreshing, comically pedestrian take on marriage from a gay perspective.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Given the landscape of LGBTQ victories over the past five years, I think it's safe to say that queer communities are experiencing a societal "normalization" of sorts. While on the one hand this has given new breadth of acceptance to the LGBTQ community, especially with the landmark Supreme Court marriage equality ruling, it also brings into question whether "normalization" is purporting a heteronormative gentrification within queer culture. While the characters in "Seeking: Jack Tripper" grapple with the monotony of monogamy in the same ways that straight married couples have for millennia, under the surface they are tackling existential questions about their own queer identities in relationship with the institution of marriage.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The script only underwent incremental rewrites from its first draft in 2014, but it had no breath until we put Clayton and Brian in a room together (thanks to one of the greatest Casting Directors and my personal favorite, Donna DeSeta). Casting was a very transformative experience, because we knew from the beginning that without the right chemistry between Tucker and Lance, we had no movie. I knew they were our match as soon as they ran through the first side together, so we got to work on rehearsing right there in the callback. They gave all of us a swell of confidence going into production, and my goal suddenly wasn't to make everyone believe they were married anymore, it was to make sure I didn’t fuck up anywhere else in a way that would detract from their performances.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
“Charming,” “sweet,” and “well acted” are among the most regular feedback buzzwords.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
We’ve received generally warm feedback now that the film is finished, but while we were fundraising, I was struck by the polarized reactions that my pitching the film mustered in people. Without giving too much away, gay colleagues and mentors generally thought the script didn’t push the envelope enough. Meanwhile, straight mentors and friends for the most part thought the concept was too racy to appeal to a broad audience. A lot of the doubt I felt in how the film would ultimately be received was put mostly to rest when we won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short at our premiere festival, Newport Beach.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com
We want to make more broadly appealing content about three-dimensional characters who exist in the real world. We’re hoping to find like-minded practitioners with whom we can collaborate
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We are bursting with ideas for content and energy, but are hoping to find pragmatic, yet out-of-the-box thinking representation to help keep the momentum going.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope the film communicates the universality of human experiences pertaining to relationships across lines of sexual orientation. Beyond that, and more importantly, I hope people are entertained and leave with a lighter heart.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How can we implement behaviors in our relationships which make it possible to fall in love with the same person again and again and again and again?
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
My fiancé and collaborator Dustin and I are working on another short film about the finality of death and identity which depicts a drag queen who sneaks into a funeral home to fulfill her deceased drag mother’s dying wish before she is buried.
Interview: September 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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Seeking: Jack Tripper
“Seeking: Jack Tripper” is a romantic comedy about a gay married couple who try to have a threesome in an attempt to overcome a rut in their relationship.
Length: 14 minutes
Director: Quinlan Orear
Producer: Luke Spears, Dustin Presley
Writer: Quinlan Orear
About the writer, director and producer:
Quinn and Dustin are New York based filmmakers originally from Peoria, IL. They’re getting married in October and look forward to a long, brutally unfunny and awkward life together.
Key cast:
Brian McManamon, Clayton Dean Smith, Jared Q. Miller, Frank Vignola, Hugh Cha, and Ruby Roo.
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Representation.
Funders:
The Toolbox NYC
Made in association with:
Quintessential Pictures
Release date: /react-text
April 27th, 2016
Where can I watch it in the next month?
Fargo-Moorhead LGBT Festival
Out on Film Atlanta