Hollyshorts - Gunner Jackson - Chapter No. 1
Gunner Jackson, self-proclaimed inventor and conspiracy realist, works to finish up a patent application at the library, but is distracted by an unwelcome admirer.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Christian Strevy
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
A couple years ago, I was doing research on conspiracy theories and at each website that I went to, I became more interested in the person running the site, the conspiracy theorist, than the conspiracies themselves. So that’s what sparked the idea of having a conspiracy theorist character.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I think it’s funny! And entertaining. And I love Abby Rain Heiser’s performance as Deet in this episode. Even after watching it hundreds of times in post-production, I still find her delightfully precocious.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I think one of the universal themes of the series, and this is presented more in later episodes of the series, is the human need to prove to yourself and to the people that surround you that you are important. I think, in Gunner, that manifests itself with his need to expose these broad conspiracies, some of which he thinks are directly targeted at him. Personally, since I wrote the character and I also play the character, it’s been fun embedding some of the ideas I had while writing the character into the physicality and mannerisms of Gunner.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Oh man! I looked back, and I made the first character sketches for Gunner in February of 2012. At first it was a handful of lofi character sketches that were mostly self-shot and of Gunner alone in the world. But I was really interested in putting Gunner out into the world with other people and seeing how he interacted with them, how they interacted with him. So that kind of guides the structure of the first season. In each of the first four episodes we meet a new character, and then in the fifth and final episode of the season, we see all the characters together.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Mostly good! After seeing the first episode, a lot of people have wanted to keep watching, which is always a good sign! We’re working on making that possible real soon.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
There’s been a couple times when someone’s come up after a screening and they mention a joke that they really liked that almost got cut or make a subtle observation about the film that you weren’t quite sure was reading with an audience. And those moments, where people really get it, are super energizing.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Thanks for having us! Hopefully some new audience for the series that we can share our story with!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Right now, we’re finishing up the festival circuit and working hard to find the right streaming home for season one of Gunner Jackson. We’re also just trying to get the word out, so when we launch, we’ll have more people to share our story with! So we’re mostly trying to reach out to distributors, journalists, and reviewers.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Most importantly, I want it to be fun to watch. And if we can get you into thinking about some bigger ideas, that’s okay.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Is Gunner actually being watched by the government or does Gunner just think he’s being watched by the government?
Would you like to add anything else?
Nope! Thanks again, so much for this!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I have a couple short scripts that I’ve written this summer and I’m thinking about a large web series idea for next year. But also! Ideas for season two of Gunner are starting to percolate. I’m really interested in playing with the format. What if an episode was only two minutes long? Now that the characters are established in season one, in season two it’ll be fun to take them on new adventures.
Interview: September 2017
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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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Gunner Jackson - Chapter No. 1
Gunner Jackson, self-proclaimed inventor and conspiracy realist, works to finish up a patent application at the library, but is distracted by an unwelcome admirer.
Length: 8 minutes 55 seconds
Director: Christian Strevy
Producer: Julie St. John, Leslie Koren, Christian Strevy
Writer: Christian Strevy
Key cast: Christian Strevy as Gunner Jackson, Abby Rain Heiser as Deet, David Girard as Jesse Jackson, Nikiya Palombi as L.B. Duloc, Ward Haarbauer as Hugo Vasquez
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): All the above!
Social media handles:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gunnerjacksonfilms/
Twitter: @gunnerjacksonnn
Instagram: @gunnerjacksonnn
Where can I see it in the next month?
We are still finalizing our distribution plans. But hopefully it will be up on a streaming site in the next month or so!