Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2019 – Turner Risk
An unemployed young man trying to get his life in order teams up with his high school nemesis and a new friend to stop his long-bullied roommate from committing a deadly rampage.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Michael Dailey
Watch Turner Risk on Tubi, Vudu and Prime Video
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Stories about everyday people––particularly young people––coping with the challenges life brings us all have always fascinated me. For Turner Risk, co-writer Morgan Lintz and I built our story of a single, eventful day in the lives of Turner and Robbie Cruz, Turner’s only friend. Turner seeks to re-boot his life by removing all the negative forces in it, while Robbie struggles to find a job and sustain his independent lifestyle. Both make decisions that ultimately interconnect, but now they are mostly reaching for change, unaware of the exponential impact change can cause.
Turner Risk is my first feature as writer/director after years of creating short films and teaching future filmmakers how to find their unique, diverse voices through film. I approach every project with the idea that unique design is needed to support its story. Turner Risk, for example, reflects a modern spin on the bold, innovative works of the 1970s, so I chose to capture their essence in a “neoclassic” way, relying on practical lighting and sound design that captured the spirit of every location environment. So in a way, Turner Risk is experimental in one way and cinematic in another.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The overall experience I'm most trying to communicate through Turner Risk is that life is an adventure that can never be calculated. Instead, it is impulsive as hell – and how we confront the many challenges it brings fuels our endurance and affirms our independence. With that in mind, co-writer Morgan Lintz and I built our screenplay on the belief that each of the character’s triumphs and failures is universal. Authenticity was key, so we relied on personal experiences and meticulously crafted our characters as hybrids of real, relatable someones we know.
While this film can sometimes be brutal, it’s rooted in beginnings, change, and how inadvertently funny life can be in even the most trying times. At its core, I wanted the film to connect with a big audience, to assert a progressive and innovative way of promoting one of the most essential human attributes: Tolerance. Turner Risk suggests that anyone can be a hero and, as the Turner and Robbie suggest, do what they can to “save the world.”
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Well, who would have thought a boomer and millennial could team up and create a film that, while focusing on millennials just entering adulthood, actually touches upon issues that affect us all? The answer is simple enough: the challenges we all face are indeed universal––and shared.
Yes, Turner Risk is mostly a story about the long-term impact of bullying, a problem that has become even more prevalent today thanks to social media, but it touches on many other topical issues as well: revenge, rage, relationships, gun control, gender equality, and more. They’re all there––personal and societal issues woven into a story about heroes with no real villains to fight. Just a group of innocents affected by life. But we also wanted to tell a story of hope, of coping with the challenges that come our way, as impossible as that may sometimes seem to be.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Actually, some dramatic changes were made prior to script finalization, but the final screenplay matches what was shot. We filmed a pursuit and a daydream sequence that threw off the pacing of the story, so we cut them. In post-production, though, we found ourselves immersed in lots of digital work. From replacing movie posters on a wall to license plates to add cloudy skies, digital replacements quickly became a meticulous process of incredibly unnoticeable tweaks (that also gave us the opportunity to slip in a few interesting easter eggs).
We also celebrated a collaborative spirit on each set: I would set up the scene with the actors and crew, then leave the actors to rehearse on their own. When they were ready, they called me back, and I watched the scene without interruption. If it needed more work, I offered my input and gave them more time, but nearly always I witnessed absolute magic from the start. The amazing thing is that, apart from the occasional improvising here or there (some of it notably hilarious), every line of scripted dialogue remained intact. So while each line of dialogue was respected, actors (and crew, as well) were encouraged to offer their input, and their contributions greatly enhanced the story we were all telling.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
So far Turner Risk has seen two screenings: one at Canada’s Open World Toronto Film Festival and one coming up at Los Angeles/Sherman Oaks’ Sherman Oaks Film Festival. Our trailer was also screened in Australia’s AFIN International Festival. Turner Risk has received 21 independent film awards, including 10 Best Feature Film awards.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Whenever filmmakers let go of their films, they really don’t know what to expect, so we are taking it day by day and learning as we go. Although we are still early in the festival circuit, we are honored to have received such recognition so far and to hear from audiences and festival judges who tell us they relate to Turner Risk in deep, personal ways. We do too, of course. So at this point let’s just say our door is open and we’re waiting to see who, or what comes through it.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
First, we appreciate the opportunity your community provides to introduce more people to our film’s message, as well as your focus on independent productions. Turner Risk is a character-driven and very human story, so we look forward to hearing how interested audiences feel about it. When a film is shot and cut, we filmmakers are so focused on finding the best moments that it becomes difficult to see the film objectively. Any feedback is valued since it allows us to see the film through another’s eyes. In particular, we hope to inspire those who have been bullied by others or by life itself into developing a new, healthier perspective on how they can cope.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We hope to appeal to film festival directors, but also sales agents, distributors, and so on––anyone who can help us share Turner Risk with the world and the unique way we pulled it together.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Hopefully, the film will both entertain and challenge its audiences. But we hope the impact is positive for everyone who sees it. Though it’s a deeply personal film in many ways, its story is simple, despite its twists and turns. We also hope, though, that the meticulous detail we took into planning its design will intrigue our fellow filmmakers as well: there is a lot to notice in virtually every shot.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Is it true that we cannot change the world––unless we can change ourselves?
Would you like to add anything else?
The film starts and ends with one word: “Tomorrow.” We hope that those who see the film will understand its significance, or apply their own importance to it.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Several shorts are currently in development, along with two key features: one about a silent screen legend and the other about a life-changing summer experience… we’ll keep the details quiet for now. Co-writer and co-producer Morgan Lintz and I have united again for these projects and are looking forward to seeing them all come to life.
Interview: November 2019
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, 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
Turner Risk
An unemployed young man trying to get his life in order teams up with his high school nemesis and a new friend to stop his long-bullied roommate from committing a deadly rampage.
Length: 1:52:00
Director: MICHAEL DAILEY
Producer: MICHAEL DAILEY, MORGAN LINTZ
Writer: MICHAEL DAILEY, MORGAN LINTZ
About the writer, director and producer:
MICHAEL DAILEY is an Irish-American director, editor, and screenwriter best known for his short The Backpack and premier feature Turner Risk. Dailey filmed his first award-winning shorts at an early age: Twister, about a tornado sweeping through a summer camp, and Quietus, which focused on youth gangs during a small-town religious conflict. He has also mentored young filmmakers with the hopes of supporting a future of unique, compelling voices in cinema.
Before designing his first independent productions, MICHAEL DAILEY experienced real industry film productions and learned the intricacies of screenwriting through studies with Syd Field and William Goldman. MORGAN LINTZ develops film storylines that stress story and characterization. Serving as a consultant and story advisor for an episode of the FX series The Strain, Lintz also wrote and produced Wrong Place, winner of The Loft Short Film Festival.
In 2012 MICHAEL DAILEY and MORGAN LINTZ, along with two writers, two actors, and two filmmakers, co-founded Phenomenon Filmworks––its mission to develop projects that embrace open, diverse casting and thoroughly original storylines showcasing intensive acting. Turner Risk is their first feature, although future shorts and feature projects of various genres are in development. One might say we dream movies.
Key cast: Nick Fink (Turner Risk), Carlin James (Robbie Cruz), Sean Cruz (Seth), Rory Hart (Conner), Michael Huey (Joey), Maria Trinidad Cruz (Maria), Peter Adrian Sudarso (David), Ann Henderson-Stires (Caldwell), and more.
Looking for: journalists, film festival directors, distributors
Facebook: Phenomenon Filmworks
Twitter: @PhenoFilmworks
Instagram: @phenomenon.filmworks
Hashtags used: #turnerrisk
Website: www.phenomenonfilmworks.com
Other: IMDb
Made in association with: Phenomenon Filmworks
Funders: Self-Financed
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Sherman Oaks Film Festival/Los Angeles - Saturday, November 23 at 10 p.m.