Seed and Spark - Bad Kids
Bad Kids is a short film about a gang of teenagers in the 1950's. The leader of the gang, Danny, has a deadly secret. Mikey and the rest of the group need to decide if they are going to follow Danny, or hang him out to dry before he turns on them...
Interview with Producer Joseph Matarrese
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
We made Bad Kids as a proof of concept for the feature film version. Our goal was to create as simple and tense period piece as possible in a short amount of time.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
We combined our cinematic passions and created something unique. So, if you enjoy the 1950's, classic cars, or thrillers, then Bad Kids is a must see.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The film is about the moment when you cross the line from witness to accomplice. The characters in the film are faced with a choice to either help their friend and risk getting in trouble or turning him in. They quickly realize that they have gone too far and have no choice. We can all relate to having to make a hard decision about a friend's morality. In Bad Kids we have pushed that morality to the limit.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The short is based on a major scene in the feature version. We tailored it to be a stand alone piece, heightening the tension in a compressed amount of time. We drove out from California to Missouri for filming and once we got onto location, we had to work with what was there, so some of the action evolved during filming. But for the most part, the short is very close to what we set out to make.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
So far people seem to like it. It was designed to be a subtle thriller with little action, so you have to be in the right mood to get the full effect of the film. Some say it is a little heavy on the dialogue.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I find the film very tense, but I am always surprised when people watch it and get lost in the dialogue. We have subsequently gone through the feature version and reexamined all of the dialogue, trying to pair down to only what is necessary.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We would love as many people to see the film as possible. We made it to be shared and find out who is excited about the feature. Building our audience is our main goal with Bad Kids and we hope that We Are Moving Stories can help spread the word.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We will welcome anyone who likes the film and is interested in championing it. We combined many of our passions in this particular project, so anyone else who might be passionate about any aspect of Bad Kids would be welcome.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
The theme of the film is about following a leader who might lead the group astray. It examines when that point is and ways one might deal with staying involved. While Bad Kids is meant to simply be an interesting and entertaining thriller, we hope that everyone can relate to being stuck between a rock and a hard place ethically, and examine the gang mentality.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
One of the questions we constantly asked each other while making this film is when do you go from being a witness to being an accomplice? We tried to examine when one says no and walks away from ones friends and when one stays and help at ones own risk.
Would you like to add anything else?
The entire Bad Kids Team hopes that you enjoy the film and thanks everyone involved in helping bring out vision to life.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We are currently developing the feature film version of Bad Kids.
Interview: February 2018
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTIAQ+, scifi, horror, world cinema. 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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Bad Kids
There is a bad streak in all of us
Length: 10 min
Director: Austin Thomas Wood
Producer: The Matarrese Bros. & Mandi Reno
Writer: Austin Thomas Wood
About the writer, director and producer:
Austin grew up in Missouri. The Matarrese Bros grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mandi Reno grew up outside of Los Angeles. They all met while living and working in Los Angeles. Discovering they had similar cinematic influences, they started developing Bad Kids using their diverse backgrounds.
Key cast:
Jon Robben, Kyle Adams, Andrew Gehrlein, Jesse Trieger, & Matthew Taylor
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): sales agent, distributors, investors, production companies, journalist, and any fans!
Social media handles:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/badkidsthefilm/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/badkidsthefilm/
Funders: Everyone on Seed & Spark
Made in association with: Distant Thunder Films & Red Creek Films
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Bad Kids can be seen on Seed & Spark! Check it out and let us know what you think! Thank you all for all the support! https://www.seedandspark.com/watch/bad-kids