WEBVTT 1 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:09.800 Oh is it show die? People say good money to 2 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:12.160 see this movie. When they go out to a theater, 3 00:00:12.439 --> 00:00:16.199 they want clod sodas, hot popcorn and no monsters in 4 00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:19.199 the protection booth. Everyone pretend podcasting isn't boring. 5 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:43.600 Cut it off. Uh, I think I'm dead. You don't 6 00:00:43.640 --> 00:00:44.479 look so good. 7 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:53.359 Yeah, I'm pretty sure I die. Who struggling comedian. No, 8 00:00:53.560 --> 00:00:56.439 I'm fucking gigs lying on his own bathroom floor. 9 00:00:56.560 --> 00:00:58.119 Come on, get up. 10 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:00.600 I can see that it is my apartment, but it 11 00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:02.920 also isn't my apartment. 12 00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:04.760 What's like a sublease situation. 13 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:11.400 All of this everything you're seeing is my subconscious. 14 00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:14.840 It's very dogfel Thank you. Yes, that's been driving me crazy. 15 00:01:15.239 --> 00:01:16.599 Maybe this is why I'm here. 16 00:01:17.040 --> 00:01:20.040 I hope you get back up there. 17 00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:23.359 Maybe I'm here because you and I have unresolved business. 18 00:01:23.359 --> 00:01:26.719 Gonna be a professional failure. Yeah, but we would put 19 00:01:26.760 --> 00:01:29.920 a gash on my forehead? Or whose. 20 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:32.920 My roommate was vaguely threatening? 21 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:34.000 You think I don't know what you too? 22 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:36.120 Are up to a friend of mine for years, she's 23 00:01:36.120 --> 00:01:38.120 a comic. I mean, what am I supposed to be scared? 24 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:39.200 Is you like, do I need to hide? 25 00:01:39.799 --> 00:01:40.159 Could you? 26 00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:44.359 What's what's going on right now. I think if you 27 00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:47.959 give up here and that's it. That's why she's coming 28 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:52.439 over here her weed in California on Valentine's Day. I 29 00:01:52.439 --> 00:01:53.400 think you're a grown time. 30 00:01:54.439 --> 00:01:54.959 Did you hear that? 31 00:01:57.040 --> 00:02:02.200 What's I gotta get to the bathroom. 32 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:05.200 In the bathroom, that's where he passed out. 33 00:02:16.719 --> 00:02:19.039 Hey, folks, welcome to a special episode of The Projection Booth. 34 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:21.479 I'm your host Mike White. On this episode, I'm talking 35 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:24.719 with Tim Hotkeett. He is the director and co writer 36 00:02:25.199 --> 00:02:28.960 of the new film Me Myself and the Void. It 37 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:32.039 is about a struggling stand up comedian who finds himself 38 00:02:32.840 --> 00:02:35.759 kind of dead on his own bathroom floor and the 39 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:38.800 problems that go along with that. I mean, we've all 40 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:42.400 been there, right. The film is currently available through most 41 00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:46.159 streaming services where you buy your films. Check those out 42 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:49.919 and I hope you enjoy this interview. I want to 43 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:52.159 talk to you about Me Myself and the Void, but 44 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:54.400 I really want to know a little bit more about 45 00:02:54.439 --> 00:02:56.680 you and how you even got into filmmaking. 46 00:02:58.520 --> 00:03:00.960 I know I was passionate about sale honestly since my 47 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:06.000 teenage years, like typical sort of home camera stuff, started 48 00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:10.000 uploading things online around that time when it was still 49 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:14.520 Google video and YouTube. And it was funny because at 50 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:18.479 that time, when you were making your own putting your 51 00:03:18.520 --> 00:03:20.840 material out there is mainly to share with your friends 52 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:25.039 or kind of pretend to yourself. You had a broadcasting channel, 53 00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:27.080 right like a lot of early YouTube channels are like 54 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:29.719 so and so TV or something like that. So that 55 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:31.520 was what I did on the weekends. I would shoot 56 00:03:31.560 --> 00:03:35.960 things with my friends, do comedy sketches and bad James 57 00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:38.599 Bond rip offs, that kind of thing. But then it 58 00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:41.840 happened to be in that era when online video was new, 59 00:03:41.879 --> 00:03:44.240 and I happened to after a while, I realized that 60 00:03:44.280 --> 00:03:47.520 people who were just my friends or family were commenting 61 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:50.159 on the work, and before you knew it, you were 62 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:52.479 starting to make friends and connections online. And so I 63 00:03:52.840 --> 00:03:55.599 happened to catch that early YouTube wave. I would say 64 00:03:55.599 --> 00:04:00.000 it was certainly a big part of my practical filmmaking experience. 65 00:04:00.360 --> 00:04:03.039 And this was when I was a teenager, so shortly 66 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:05.520 after that, when it came time to choose what I 67 00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:07.719 was going to study, I chose to do a degree 68 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:10.400 gold Film studies at the University of Greenwage, and so 69 00:04:10.479 --> 00:04:12.080 that really set me off on that path. Like It 70 00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:15.479 was a combination of that opportunity to play around making 71 00:04:15.520 --> 00:04:18.800 my own things like true amateur just starting, and then yeah, 72 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:20.319 choosing to go and study it. 73 00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:25.399 I am very familiar with at least one piece of 74 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:28.839 your work, but I never knew the context, and I 75 00:04:28.920 --> 00:04:31.600 never knew that it was yours. I have seen how 76 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:33.759 to Get out of a Speeding Ticket I don't know 77 00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:36.839 how many times on Instagram. Can you tell me a 78 00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:38.920 little bit more about the making of that and the 79 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:40.279 circumstances around it. 80 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:42.680 But that's funny that you single that one out, because 81 00:04:42.879 --> 00:04:44.439 I'm pretty sure I can say with a lot of 82 00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:47.680 confidence that is comfortably the most viewed piece of media 83 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:51.199 I've ever made. And yeah, that came about because a 84 00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:52.720 couple of years ago, I had already moved to LA 85 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:55.800 at this point, and through a connection somehow, I got 86 00:04:55.800 --> 00:04:57.800 in with the folks at Funny Would Die and they 87 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:00.959 were still funding some like original comedy concepts at the time, 88 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:03.519 and so we went back and forth and I pitched 89 00:05:03.639 --> 00:05:07.079 this idea of how to series and the first one 90 00:05:07.160 --> 00:05:08.160 was going to be how to Get out of the 91 00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:11.759 Speeding Ticket? And I pitched them the concept for it, 92 00:05:12.040 --> 00:05:14.759 and then yeah, they gave us a little, very small 93 00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:16.879 budget to go make it, and then we went out 94 00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:20.040 there and yeah, that one somehow struck a chord seemingly 95 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:23.000 with the Internet because because funnily enough, I know that 96 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:25.519 the person I cast in it, Don Ferrah, who is 97 00:05:25.560 --> 00:05:27.600 a wonderful filmmaker and musician in his own right, and 98 00:05:27.639 --> 00:05:29.360 now he gets messaged about that a lot because it 99 00:05:29.560 --> 00:05:32.360 keeps finding new pockets of audience, like it shows up 100 00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:34.279 on Reddit or then it shows up on TikTok or 101 00:05:34.319 --> 00:05:36.920 all these things. So yeah, something about that particular sketch. 102 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:39.839 We told something out of the user on that one. 103 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:42.800 I couldn't explain it, but it seems to have done 104 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:44.399 really well, and I'm glad people enjoy it. 105 00:05:45.680 --> 00:05:47.839 So tell me about me and myself and the Void. 106 00:05:47.959 --> 00:05:49.000 Is this your future debut? 107 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:54.199 Yes, sir, Yes, this is my first feature film, and yeah, 108 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:57.680 it was my co writer and I, Nick Oldashore. We 109 00:05:57.800 --> 00:06:01.839 had worked on something with Adobe, who have this amazing 110 00:06:01.879 --> 00:06:04.360 thing called the Community Funds, and we'd done this sort 111 00:06:04.360 --> 00:06:07.879 of small project for them, where the element that was 112 00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:10.560 similar was that we used sort of a black space 113 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:13.560 and then like very minimalistic props to convey to the 114 00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:18.000 audience where the scene was taking place, and so obviously 115 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:19.959 something about that stuck in our heads. Could we do 116 00:06:20.120 --> 00:06:23.920 a sort of strange void world? But as I'm telling 117 00:06:23.959 --> 00:06:25.279 you that right now, I'm sure you can tell that's 118 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:28.680 already a story yet. But then I think once we 119 00:06:29.079 --> 00:06:31.439 clicked into this idea of what if it's about a 120 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:33.759 character who's trapped in a void world and the hook 121 00:06:33.800 --> 00:06:36.680 of the film is his earthly body is trapped in 122 00:06:36.680 --> 00:06:38.879 the real world somewhere and he has to figure out 123 00:06:38.920 --> 00:06:40.920 how he got there. And I think once we felt 124 00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:43.800 like we had that, I'm a sucker for hook. Once 125 00:06:43.800 --> 00:06:46.000 I feel like I have something that evokes a question 126 00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:48.720 and has a mystery element, That's what we felt like 127 00:06:48.759 --> 00:06:50.560 we had something, and that then sent us off on 128 00:06:50.600 --> 00:06:52.839 the geney of making me myself and the void. 129 00:06:54.040 --> 00:06:57.879 It's so interesting because I know filmmaking is basically solving 130 00:06:57.879 --> 00:07:02.240 a lot of problems, and the movie itself is solving 131 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:04.519 a lot of problems. You have your character trapped in 132 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:07.800 this place and you just keep throwing obstacles. How did 133 00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:10.199 you even work out the story beats for this? 134 00:07:11.519 --> 00:07:13.560 Yeah, it was I think what both Nick and I 135 00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:16.759 would probably say that we learned on this was the 136 00:07:16.759 --> 00:07:21.079 way in which plot and character have to just be intertwined. 137 00:07:21.160 --> 00:07:24.639 But it's obviously a famous for most directers that's always a 138 00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:25.839 are you good at plot or are you good at 139 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:28.720 a character? But perfect well, those two things are belded 140 00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:32.600 and are the same thing. And so for us, a 141 00:07:32.639 --> 00:07:36.639 lot of answers started coming once we realized, okay, once 142 00:07:36.680 --> 00:07:39.680 we understood better who Jack our protagonist was, and that 143 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:41.439 it was really going to be a story about him 144 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:44.839 reconciling the various ways in which he'd not been great 145 00:07:44.920 --> 00:07:48.079 to the closest people in his life, and that he 146 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:50.920 in many ways is his own obstacle, and that he 147 00:07:51.040 --> 00:07:53.560 was gonna through the process of kind of Christmas carrolling 148 00:07:53.600 --> 00:07:55.439 his way through his own memories was going to be 149 00:07:55.480 --> 00:07:59.800 like learning about himself and what ultimately as he uncovers 150 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:03.040 his mystery, like he's sort of piroh, but he's investigating 151 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:08.480 his own theaming murder or not murder. And yet once 152 00:08:08.519 --> 00:08:11.480 we honed in on that, that became something that we 153 00:08:11.560 --> 00:08:14.120 felt interested us. One thing we knew that was also 154 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:16.680 fundamentally a struggle when you choose to set a film 155 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:21.120 that's obviously minimalistic on purpose by design, and it's set 156 00:08:21.160 --> 00:08:23.680 in it kind of heightened the reality. Of course, you 157 00:08:23.720 --> 00:08:26.600 want to keep the stakes very grounded and relatable. I 158 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:30.120 think we found that the more we just honed in 159 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:32.559 on who is this guy, We're going to keep learning 160 00:08:32.679 --> 00:08:35.399 more about him and he's going to start in one place, 161 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:37.360 but in what way is he going to change by 162 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:39.600 the end of the story and maybe reconcile the ways 163 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:43.039 in which he wasn't a great guy. I think we 164 00:08:43.080 --> 00:08:45.799 found that the more we came back to character, the 165 00:08:45.799 --> 00:08:48.279 more we could find our way through the story. It 166 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:50.720 had to make emotional sense. It could just be like, oh, 167 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:53.000 we're just exploring a void. Well, the newings that it 168 00:08:53.039 --> 00:08:56.039 all had to be filtered through who is this character 169 00:08:56.120 --> 00:08:57.320 and what's he going to learn? 170 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:01.200 When your three main leads are so crucial for this 171 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:04.679 because it's them interacting or having their separate scenes throughout 172 00:09:04.679 --> 00:09:07.000 this whole thing, where did you find your cast at? 173 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:10.080 Yes, so me myself and the boyd. I was very 174 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:13.759 blessed that I'd had the privilege of working with Jack 175 00:09:13.799 --> 00:09:17.320 the Senate and Christmas Fryer. I'd worked with them funnily 176 00:09:17.399 --> 00:09:19.919 enough on one of those Funny or Die sketches. There 177 00:09:19.960 --> 00:09:21.679 was how together a speeding ticket, and there was one 178 00:09:21.720 --> 00:09:23.519 called How to Get Out of Jury Duty in which 179 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:26.080 I caught them, and so I got to work with 180 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:28.399 them back then, and before that we'd done one other 181 00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:31.080 comedy sketch together. I was such a huge fan of 182 00:09:31.080 --> 00:09:34.759 their work, and I was always convinced that these guys 183 00:09:34.799 --> 00:09:38.480 absolutely have the chops to carry a film as actors, 184 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:40.399 that they would be able to take you through not 185 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:42.519 just the funny and the banter and be very watchable, 186 00:09:42.519 --> 00:09:44.120 but that they would also be able to carry the 187 00:09:44.200 --> 00:09:48.279 emotional beats that a feature film would require. So relatively 188 00:09:48.320 --> 00:09:51.960 early in the development process, Nick and I decided shall 189 00:09:52.039 --> 00:09:54.519 we just name them Chris and Jack, in the hopes 190 00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:57.879 that would be complimentary that by the time I approached 191 00:09:57.879 --> 00:10:00.159 them about it, that I would be able to say 192 00:10:00.279 --> 00:10:03.639 we genuinely wrote it for you, and I'm happy to 193 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:06.440 report as evidence from me talking to you now that yeah, 194 00:10:06.679 --> 00:10:09.120 they responded to that because I think it felt like 195 00:10:09.159 --> 00:10:11.480 it tied in with the kind of work they're interested 196 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:15.279 in doing, like having a fantastical element but ultimately character story. 197 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:18.799 So I think we share those creative values. And that's 198 00:10:18.799 --> 00:10:20.679 how luckily that was an easy one. I had the 199 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:23.000 director in I could just reach out and be like hopefully, 200 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:26.759 whereas obviously to get to Kelly we had to go 201 00:10:26.840 --> 00:10:30.559 through more traditional channels. So our casting directors anime were 202 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:35.480 and Ashley Duancing reached out to folks at CAA and 203 00:10:36.279 --> 00:10:38.720 did the whole write the letter explain why I thought 204 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:40.879 she would be amazing for the role. She happened to 205 00:10:40.919 --> 00:10:44.720 have shared a scene with Jack in a show called 206 00:10:44.759 --> 00:10:48.320 Sorry for Your Loss, which she started with Elizabeth Olsen, 207 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:50.679 and it was just one scene, but they were very 208 00:10:50.679 --> 00:10:53.320 cute together. They had a little flirtatious moment and I 209 00:10:53.320 --> 00:10:55.879 remember just thinking that they were they were quite charming, 210 00:10:55.960 --> 00:10:58.000 and so being very British, I was like, what if 211 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:02.080 they're a couple who have broken up? Which twitch And yeah, 212 00:11:02.120 --> 00:11:04.840 it was lovely. And I was so thrilled when you 213 00:11:04.919 --> 00:11:07.240 basically led to a zoom and then got a chance 214 00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:09.519 to meet Kelly and we had a chance to talk 215 00:11:09.559 --> 00:11:11.600 about what she was seeing in the script, and I 216 00:11:11.639 --> 00:11:13.879 was so grateful that she responded to it. And then 217 00:11:13.960 --> 00:11:16.000 it was such a dream come true. I know the 218 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:17.759 phrase that you come back to with, like what first 219 00:11:17.759 --> 00:11:19.679 time filmmaking gets to work with Kelly Marie Trent in 220 00:11:19.679 --> 00:11:22.679 their first film, Like, what an amazing privilege to have 221 00:11:25.559 --> 00:11:30.360 feel that way about cast in general. He concused and 222 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:36.559 jameson and filled out the ensemble as I belluted to earlier, 223 00:11:36.919 --> 00:11:39.120 but so literally it's in the pantol like it takes 224 00:11:39.120 --> 00:11:42.639 place in a void. By default, I can't distract you 225 00:11:42.679 --> 00:11:46.080 withzy production design. It always comes down to the actors, right, 226 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:48.440 but in this film even more so. But it's really 227 00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:51.360 going to come down to those actors convincing you of 228 00:11:51.960 --> 00:11:54.120 the emotional halts of the scene and of who these 229 00:11:54.200 --> 00:11:57.360 characters are. And I truly believe if I hadn't gotten 230 00:11:57.360 --> 00:11:58.960 as lucky with the cast, I don't think the film 231 00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:01.360 would work as well as it does. I am so 232 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:04.279 privileged to have gone to work with such top talent 233 00:12:05.399 --> 00:12:07.960 on my first film. I feel like I've almost been 234 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:10.360 sent up to now be, you know, an unrealistic expectation 235 00:12:10.919 --> 00:12:13.279 of how films come together. I'm very lucky. 236 00:12:14.600 --> 00:12:17.559 What kind of challenges were there when it came to 237 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:22.519 shooting The Void, because I love how infinite, but not 238 00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:25.279 it is just the way that you do the production 239 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:27.559 design on that Yeah, thank you. 240 00:12:27.679 --> 00:12:28.000 Yeah. 241 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:31.879 It was a lot of collaboration obviously between camera team 242 00:12:31.960 --> 00:12:36.200 and production design relatively early in the process, because there 243 00:12:36.200 --> 00:12:39.039 were times when we were entertaining what if we shot 244 00:12:39.080 --> 00:12:42.519 in a real apartment location and then tried to replicate 245 00:12:42.559 --> 00:12:45.519 that on a sound stage, But relatively early we found 246 00:12:45.639 --> 00:12:48.080 that wouldn't give us the kind of control we needed, 247 00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:52.480 because it would actually be difficult to, for instance, find 248 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:54.159 a real life location and then go, okay, now we 249 00:12:54.200 --> 00:12:58.200 need the same door that exists. So it pretty early 250 00:12:58.240 --> 00:12:59.960 became apparent that we were going to have to build 251 00:13:00.600 --> 00:13:04.679 Jack's apartment, then strip it away to then start creating 252 00:13:04.679 --> 00:13:11.320 the various void landscapes. And it was certainly a challenge, yeah, 253 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:14.039 because hopefully the song doesn't feel this way for a studio. 254 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:16.639 It was actually a relatively small studio, so we had 255 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:21.679 to try and communicate scope for somebody's mind, like these 256 00:13:21.720 --> 00:13:25.559 bigger sort of set pieces and landscapes, when ultimately you're 257 00:13:25.559 --> 00:13:27.639 still in quite a contained space. So, for instance, the 258 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:30.240 one I'm quite proud of actually is a good example 259 00:13:30.279 --> 00:13:32.799 is that first time they walk out into the void 260 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:35.080 world and they see that long path that sort of 261 00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:37.639 heads out all the way into the distance. That was 262 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:39.720 basically like okay, So we built a big chunk of 263 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:41.240 the path and then knew we were going to have 264 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:43.679 to extend it so that it would feel even bigger 265 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:46.039 and more infinite. It was just fun. It was fun 266 00:13:46.039 --> 00:13:49.919 solving all the challenges because for me, all filmmakers, I 267 00:13:49.960 --> 00:13:52.799 think are advised, especially early on in your career advice 268 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:55.679 try and come up with your contained, one location movie. 269 00:13:56.679 --> 00:13:59.960 And I think it's hard, right, because we've all seen 270 00:14:00.159 --> 00:14:03.320 great examples of those movies. But I also think it's 271 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:05.679 actually complicated when you dive into it, of like, Okay, 272 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:10.639 why are we in this space the whole time? And 273 00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:15.440 but we still make it makes sense dramatically. And my 274 00:14:15.559 --> 00:14:17.960 hope with me myself void was that by having a 275 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:21.320 sort of void wellpot and world flashbacks of the things 276 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:24.799 that you could make a sort of contained movie feel 277 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:29.440 like it has bigger scope, not just in sets and 278 00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:32.960 the various things you're seeing, but also emotionally, right, like 279 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:35.480 going deeper into the characters to hopefully paint a broader 280 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:38.480 picture for what is ultimately still a very small movie. 281 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:44.360 This is a compliment. There's a huge level of absurdism 282 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:47.600 to so much of this, and even in some of 283 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:50.840 the shorts of yours that I've seen, it's almost like 284 00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:54.120 a puran Della or Beckett kind of thing. What are 285 00:14:54.120 --> 00:14:55.200 some of your influences. 286 00:14:56.720 --> 00:14:59.759 I suppose as I came up in a lot of 287 00:14:59.759 --> 00:15:04.279 my early exposure in filmmaking was sketch comedy, So I 288 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:10.120 was working early YouTube two thousand UK comedy scene was 289 00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:12.759 where I was a lot of my early attempts at 290 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:15.399 making my own work. So I was working with folks 291 00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:19.840 like Thomas Ridgewell, Tom Scart, Jack and Dean and all 292 00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:23.039 these folks who was doing it in that era, and 293 00:15:23.159 --> 00:15:25.000 we were all just so inspired by people who are 294 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:27.799 doing in America. And it was in that time when 295 00:15:29.480 --> 00:15:32.279 but the comedy scene felt like actually sketch comedy felt 296 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:34.320 like it was moving to the Internet at that time. 297 00:15:35.159 --> 00:15:38.399 But I also think more broadly, I appreciate films that 298 00:15:39.960 --> 00:15:44.279 have a certain heft but are able to leverage that 299 00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:48.679 with a certain light tone. It's funny, it's less absurdist 300 00:15:48.919 --> 00:15:51.799 camp of princes. I've always loved Alexander Payne's work for 301 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:54.159 a similar reason, like where if like they are these 302 00:15:54.240 --> 00:15:57.679 quite heartfelt stories and they really go quite deep in 303 00:15:57.879 --> 00:15:59.759 the character, but there's always a sort of lightness of 304 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:03.000 ex future, almost like a wry sense of humor that 305 00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:05.320 goes along with them, So I think I'm drawn to 306 00:16:05.399 --> 00:16:08.080 that in my filmmaking, like I look for filmmakers who 307 00:16:08.120 --> 00:16:09.480 were able to like with a little bit of a wink. 308 00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:11.720 But then we're still going to go to some real 309 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:15.519 places over the course of the narrative. But yeah, on me, 310 00:16:15.600 --> 00:16:19.039 myself and the Void in particular. I actually, funnily enough, 311 00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:22.279 a lot of our references in developing the story weren't 312 00:16:22.279 --> 00:16:25.200 as comedic mi co right, Nick All the show is 313 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:28.080 a stand up comedian, so that helps obviously in informing 314 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:31.840 Jack's character, but also and he's always thinking jokes, happiness, 315 00:16:32.600 --> 00:16:34.559 and he and I certainly bond on that level. But 316 00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:36.679 funnily enough, our influence is going into it. Were much 317 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:40.279 more sort of eternal Sunshine, It's a Wonderful Life. More 318 00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:44.759 recently Pixar's Soul, like all of those films have narratives 319 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:49.879 about people in various stages caught between some kind of 320 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:52.600 heightened reality or life and death having to face up 321 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:56.519 to something. Those were more of our influences when writing, 322 00:16:56.559 --> 00:17:00.720 and then the comedy almost just came to us more naturally, 323 00:17:00.759 --> 00:17:02.840 but we were trying to pay more attention to those 324 00:17:02.919 --> 00:17:05.960 kind of grander examples and then it's been used, are 325 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:10.880 more like absurdist willing to go to zany places into 326 00:17:10.920 --> 00:17:12.400 those films. 327 00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:14.240 But when did you actually shoot this? 328 00:17:15.960 --> 00:17:18.759 So we filmed, we were about to come up on the 329 00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:21.480 exact three year mark. We shot I Leave the first 330 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:26.279 three weeks of November twenty twenty one. I actually, nowadays 331 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:28.519 I feel the need to say the word omicron. Don't 332 00:17:28.599 --> 00:17:30.799 set people back in the time of what was going 333 00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:33.240 on at the time. It was actually quite a stressful 334 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:35.599 time to be making a first feature or just a 335 00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:39.799 feature in general. Like Ryan, my producer, Ryan Bluett Eoway 336 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:41.920 likes to say that when we took our first meeting, 337 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:44.119 we were like freshly vaccinated and ready to take on 338 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:48.000 the world. Like that's when we were having all these conversations. 339 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:50.279 It's been quite a journey when I especially when I 340 00:17:50.319 --> 00:17:52.480 remember it in those terms. 341 00:17:53.000 --> 00:17:55.920 I don't want to violate HIPPAA or anything. But did 342 00:17:56.000 --> 00:17:58.240 they make it sick or were you able to keep 343 00:17:58.279 --> 00:17:59.079 everybody healthy? 344 00:18:00.039 --> 00:18:02.599 We were able to keep everybody healthy. Yeah, we were 345 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:07.640 very Fortunately we were doing daily testing and at the 346 00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:10.279 time coordinating with the casting depop to make sure everybody 347 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:13.559 ideally was vaccinated before they came on set and all 348 00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:18.039 of that and obviously masks and all the necessary protocols, 349 00:18:18.759 --> 00:18:21.480 and yeah, I'm very happy to report we didn't really 350 00:18:21.519 --> 00:18:24.200 have a we didn't have a case breakout, which it 351 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:26.920 hides ot against seemed like a miracle, and I know, 352 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:30.119 actually I do think I genuinely also think that we 353 00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:32.079 were lucky that we shot in November, because I know 354 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:35.640 that sort of end November, after that Thanksgiving period into Christmas, 355 00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:38.359 there was a whole other wave and I genuinely think 356 00:18:38.359 --> 00:18:40.079 we could have found ourselves in trouble or having to 357 00:18:40.119 --> 00:18:44.000 shut down if we had shot even three weeks later, honestly, So, 358 00:18:44.039 --> 00:18:48.079 I you know, it's another example of like that is 359 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:50.119 not lost on me that I think we got very 360 00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:53.160 lucky to have gotten through the film and got it 361 00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:56.200 all in the can. And yeah, so grateful, And obviously 362 00:18:56.240 --> 00:18:58.160 that was a lot of that was also coordinated so 363 00:18:58.200 --> 00:19:00.319 well by my producer and Blewet and by the and 364 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:02.960 Eco band and like really making sure that we took 365 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:05.559 all of that very seriously. And yeah, very blessed. 366 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:09.640 And I know you recently played that Fantastic Fest. Was 367 00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:10.359 that your premiere? 368 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:13.599 So we actually didn't play at fantastic Fests, but I 369 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:17.440 believe just just Cook may have mentioned like he was 370 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:19.599 there talking about it, but I believe so. Our premiere 371 00:19:19.720 --> 00:19:24.440 was that Dancers with Films in twenty twenty three, I 372 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:27.960 believe last year, and then we also screened at not 373 00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:32.319 Filmfest in Italy, and then we also screened at film 374 00:19:32.440 --> 00:19:36.519 Quest in Utah and it was great, like we were 375 00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:40.680 very fun experienced all the different festivals and just informative 376 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:42.359 as a filmmakers were because you've lived with the film 377 00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:45.519 for so long and then getting to share it and 378 00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:47.920 share it in front of different audiences was something I 379 00:19:47.960 --> 00:19:51.359 found forever fascinating, like how does an Italian, more European 380 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:54.319 leaning crowd take in the same work, and then a 381 00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:57.359 film Quest is a bit more like fantasy audience and 382 00:19:57.400 --> 00:20:00.000 all these different things, and all responded to the film 383 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:02.400 that had lovely things to say, but it was just 384 00:20:02.440 --> 00:20:05.279 interesting watching the differences and how it was received. One 385 00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:07.920 that always stuck with me was Ryan blewer tonight when 386 00:20:07.960 --> 00:20:11.480 we were at NOT Filmfest in South of Caangelo, the 387 00:20:11.559 --> 00:20:14.599 Little Mania. I believe I might have butchered that, but 388 00:20:14.920 --> 00:20:17.359 we were there in Italy and we watched its screen 389 00:20:17.400 --> 00:20:19.079 and it was funny because the audience was a lot 390 00:20:19.160 --> 00:20:21.759 quieter actually speaking to some of the day humor, it 391 00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:26.759 was like they weren't laughing as much as for instance, 392 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:30.359 crowd did at Duns films or even afterwards a film quest, 393 00:20:30.599 --> 00:20:32.759 and obviously Ryan and I a little nervous all like, 394 00:20:32.799 --> 00:20:34.599 so they get the back of is this bombing? 395 00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:35.920 Are not screaming? 396 00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:39.119 Well? But then what was funny was afterwards actually people 397 00:20:39.160 --> 00:20:41.960 came and they mainly just talked about the ways in 398 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:43.880 which the film made them think that they should call 399 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:46.160 their X or they were talking about it much more 400 00:20:46.200 --> 00:20:48.920 as like through a relationship perspective, like they took in 401 00:20:49.480 --> 00:20:52.400