WEBVTT 1 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:09.480 Oh, gee is boot It should die? People say good 2 00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:10.560 money to see this movie. 3 00:00:10.919 --> 00:00:13.519 When they go out to a theater, they want clothed sodas, 4 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:17.199 hot popcorn, and no monsters in the protection booth. 5 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:19.199 Everyone pretend podcasting isn't boring. 6 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:21.160 Got it off. 7 00:00:40.439 --> 00:00:42.600 That, Yeah, what's wrong? 8 00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:48.320 What if my next book is not good or witty 9 00:00:48.359 --> 00:00:51.039 and has no commentary and just kind of repeats itself. 10 00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:53.840 I'm not inspired. I don't think I have anything funny 11 00:00:53.880 --> 00:00:56.960 to say. It's horrible. I'm a little anxious. 12 00:00:57.359 --> 00:00:58.119 I've just been in a. 13 00:00:58.159 --> 00:00:59.439 Funk in your gutter. 14 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:03.359 No, she's pooping or really, I'm just having trouble writing. 15 00:01:03.479 --> 00:01:05.040 Unless it's obstructing your colon. 16 00:01:05.959 --> 00:01:07.079 I don't know that I can help. 17 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:09.560 Oh, you should call me for a beer if you 18 00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:10.040 wanted to ask. 19 00:01:10.159 --> 00:01:10.400 I know. 20 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:14.519 Ten am New York Times interview. I think coming here 21 00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:15.319 was a terrible idea. 22 00:01:15.319 --> 00:01:17.719 I mean, when did coffee shops become people's second home. 23 00:01:17.959 --> 00:01:19.640 This guy's doing me a favor. 24 00:01:19.400 --> 00:01:20.799 A favor I think said he wanted to do this. 25 00:01:21.959 --> 00:01:25.040 Just don't ramble. One pm. 26 00:01:25.159 --> 00:01:27.040 Drop off Lily at ex wife's and I think you 27 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:29.239 would agree that it's not my week. Danny, how's the 28 00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:31.599 book coming horrible man, I believe in you won't good. 29 00:01:31.799 --> 00:01:34.319 I'll see you lave okay bye, We just abs are 30 00:01:34.359 --> 00:01:36.359 not realistic when it managed to give up for abs 31 00:01:36.359 --> 00:01:39.120 like that is not even worth it. Four pm. 32 00:01:39.239 --> 00:01:41.480 Call my sister back. It's a lot to ask me 33 00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:41.959 to come in. 34 00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:43.480 This is your sister's wedding. 35 00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:44.640 Get your ass here. 36 00:01:44.760 --> 00:01:46.519 Okay, so I I get your first wedding. 37 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:51.120 I'm married for love, then sex, and now I'm marrying 38 00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:51.640 for money. 39 00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:54.799 Is there a world in which that's not considered selling out. 40 00:01:58.599 --> 00:02:00.760 Any bink one and only? 41 00:02:00.920 --> 00:02:02.159 What an honor to have you back. 42 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:05.719 In our humble little too okay topic I have you 43 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:06.079 don't know? 44 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:08.120 I love you girl. 45 00:02:08.680 --> 00:02:12.039 It's tooid you think he's a little stressed about the 46 00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:12.840 state of the world. 47 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:16.039 I'm pro good, pro good, and it's I won't live 48 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:16.520 for life. 49 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:19.080 You say you want to try? 50 00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:21.800 It all feels like I'm on a fast moving train 51 00:02:21.879 --> 00:02:22.960 run straight off the tracks. 52 00:02:23.479 --> 00:02:25.080 Sounds like a classic rock song. 53 00:02:26.199 --> 00:02:28.439 There ain't no nothing. 54 00:02:30.439 --> 00:02:32.919 I feel like my writing might never be the same again, 55 00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:35.039 you know, And it kind of feels like it's one 56 00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:36.080 of the sacred things I have. 57 00:02:36.319 --> 00:02:38.039 We need more sacred things. 58 00:02:37.800 --> 00:02:38.479 In this world. 59 00:02:40.599 --> 00:02:43.159 There no nothing. 60 00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:47.240 I typically am wonder to ride the waves of the universe, 61 00:02:47.240 --> 00:02:48.879 you know, But sometimes I feel like you just. 62 00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:50.560 Got to say no so you can catch the next 63 00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:57.400 big one. Do you remember my idea about the Old 64 00:02:57.439 --> 00:02:58.319 Man and the. 65 00:02:58.280 --> 00:02:59.919 Sea, the book The Old Man in the Sea. 66 00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:02.080 No, no, no no, It tips its hat a little 67 00:03:02.080 --> 00:03:05.199 bit to the old man. The Old Man, right, old Man. 68 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:05.960 It's in English. 69 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:06.599 I can't adapt. 70 00:03:06.599 --> 00:03:08.000 I'm just throwing truth bombs, all right. 71 00:03:08.039 --> 00:03:10.000 Whether or not you accept that, that's entirely up to you. 72 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:19.120 Hey, folks, welcome to a special episode of the Projection Booth. 73 00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:21.919 I'm your host, Mike White. On this episode, I'm talking 74 00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:24.960 with Josh and Nick Holden. They are the writers and 75 00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:29.000 directors of the new film Sellout. It is currently making 76 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:31.719 its way around the festival circuit. I had a great 77 00:03:31.759 --> 00:03:33.639 time talking with the Holden brothers, and I hope you 78 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:36.400 have a great time listening to this interview. Normally I 79 00:03:36.400 --> 00:03:38.759 would ask a couple of filmmakers that come on to 80 00:03:38.840 --> 00:03:40.599 my show, where you guys know each other from. But 81 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:42.879 I have a feeling you might have known each other 82 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:43.680 for a long time. 83 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:47.280 Nick got here first on the planet, and then I 84 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:51.400 came seventeen months later. We were born in Los Angeles. 85 00:03:51.400 --> 00:03:55.400 Our mom was out there studying acting, and then she quit, 86 00:03:55.919 --> 00:03:58.479 gave it up to raise us, and then moved back 87 00:03:58.520 --> 00:04:01.000 to Louisiana, that's where she was from, and then we 88 00:04:01.039 --> 00:04:03.159 grew up there, and then moved to Austin whenever we 89 00:04:03.159 --> 00:04:07.120 were out of high school, and then been in Austin 90 00:04:07.120 --> 00:04:09.759 ever since. I went to film school at ut eventually, 91 00:04:09.800 --> 00:04:12.080 and then Nick went to Saint Ed's. So we've been 92 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:15.919 together the whole time, working together. We started studying acting 93 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:19.279 right out of high school and playing in a band 94 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:22.000 and doing all that, and then we started writing a lot, 95 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:24.160 and then we've just spent a lot of time writing 96 00:04:24.199 --> 00:04:26.839 scripts and working on that together. 97 00:04:27.240 --> 00:04:29.120 Tell me about that writing process. How do you guys 98 00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:30.279 collaborate on that stuff. 99 00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:31.399 We're used to be in. 100 00:04:31.439 --> 00:04:33.199 The garage and write every line together. 101 00:04:33.480 --> 00:04:34.800 We've gotten wiser over the years. 102 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:37.480 Now we usually like to out try to come up 103 00:04:37.480 --> 00:04:39.160 with a bunch of ideas and then I'll pitch them 104 00:04:39.160 --> 00:04:41.160 all to Josh and which road do we or That's 105 00:04:41.279 --> 00:04:43.720 how we started. Now we have so many scripts we've 106 00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:46.040 done together that we can when we're thinking of something, 107 00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:48.199 we are referencing one of the scripts. So a lot 108 00:04:48.199 --> 00:04:50.439 of times we'll take stuff from scripts in our news scripts. 109 00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:51.920 Now, once we decide on a. 110 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:55.519 Route, I'll try to do some preliminary work, talk to him, 111 00:04:55.879 --> 00:04:57.800 he'll do some stuff, and then get in a room 112 00:04:58.240 --> 00:05:00.600 and just do note cards and a beach and get 113 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:03.399 it up on the board, use it first act, second 114 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:06.120 A and B and third act, and then from there 115 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:07.680 we get that really work and then we'll do like 116 00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:08.920 an outline for that. 117 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:12.199 Read the outline and the beaching. The alle need to 118 00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:12.759 take about a. 119 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:14.600 Month and a half and then it's about a good 120 00:05:15.160 --> 00:05:17.600 month and a half to knock out a draft and 121 00:05:17.639 --> 00:05:19.480 then he reads it and then we sit in the 122 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:22.319 same room and we just go through it page by page, 123 00:05:22.360 --> 00:05:23.560 rereading stuff out loud. 124 00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:27.000 So it's a good almost six month process. Yeah, and 125 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:27.879 that sell out. 126 00:05:27.879 --> 00:05:31.240 We were still figuring out our process when we wrote that, 127 00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:33.959 But that's basically similar how we did it, but I 128 00:05:33.959 --> 00:05:35.199 feel like it's a little more honed in. 129 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:37.720 Now, how did the Golden rut come about? 130 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:40.199 We've been writing a lot of scripts, but all of 131 00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:44.839 them would require bigger budgets to make, and we just 132 00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:46.920 got to a point where he said, okay, we need 133 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:48.639 to make a film. We need to make a feature, 134 00:05:48.639 --> 00:05:51.399 and we need to make something that is a low budget. 135 00:05:51.600 --> 00:05:54.040 It was like thirty grand or so, and then that 136 00:05:54.120 --> 00:05:57.040 we could shoot and pull off and just practice our 137 00:05:57.079 --> 00:05:59.560 craft to see, okay, we want to make all these 138 00:05:59.639 --> 00:06:01.199 big scripts we've written, but. 139 00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:02.480 Can we pull it off? 140 00:06:02.680 --> 00:06:03.319 Kind of things. 141 00:06:03.639 --> 00:06:05.439 That was the first one where it was like, all right, 142 00:06:05.959 --> 00:06:08.639 us attempting to make a film really for our friends 143 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:12.959 and family, in some ways our closest immediate community, and 144 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:14.959 we learned a lot. We learned so much. 145 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:18.879 You're backed up against the wall a little desperate, been 146 00:06:18.879 --> 00:06:21.759 saying we were going to make a film forever. We're like, okay, 147 00:06:21.879 --> 00:06:24.560 it's nice to have some wisdom, to be able to 148 00:06:24.600 --> 00:06:26.079 have some and we're like, who could we give any 149 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:28.800 advice to because we were like twenty seven twenty oh, 150 00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:30.600 we could tell our twenty year old self what not 151 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:32.480 to do. Let's make a film about trying to make 152 00:06:32.519 --> 00:06:34.600 it as an actor in dating, and that was. 153 00:06:34.639 --> 00:06:35.680 Where that came from. 154 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:39.199 Yeah, yeah, and then we just ended up both acting 155 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:41.600 in ourselves because we were That's what we found so 156 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:44.600 far as we've never had really a budget to get 157 00:06:44.600 --> 00:06:47.480 a lead actor for a feature, because all right, we 158 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:49.480 know both of us will show up every day for 159 00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:51.000 as long as it takes. 160 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:51.639 To keep on it. 161 00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:54.720 Where did sellout come from? Where did the idea come from? 162 00:06:54.920 --> 00:06:56.959 I think it came from a few ideas at once, 163 00:06:57.240 --> 00:06:59.759 but some of it being in COVID being locked up, 164 00:07:00.439 --> 00:07:04.040 the attention of the country, it felt so just like 165 00:07:04.120 --> 00:07:05.120 it was about to burst. 166 00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:07.560 And also COVID is just the end of the world. 167 00:07:07.600 --> 00:07:09.160 There was time to that, we had little. 168 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:13.279 Babies, and then being a parent, and then also yeah, 169 00:07:13.319 --> 00:07:16.399 just like our childhood, our friends in Louisiana and being 170 00:07:16.959 --> 00:07:20.879 different on the same such a different page politically, but 171 00:07:20.959 --> 00:07:22.800 that being in the news so much and it being 172 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:26.519 so amped up, but then when you see each other, 173 00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:29.399 it's not quite as amped up, is maybe it feels 174 00:07:29.399 --> 00:07:31.279 like in the news, So it's like you're not quite 175 00:07:31.319 --> 00:07:32.800 as divided as they make it out to be. 176 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:35.480 So trying to just come to terms with all. 177 00:07:35.399 --> 00:07:37.000 Of that, And it's a lot, it's a lot of 178 00:07:37.040 --> 00:07:39.720 ideas in the script. It's a lot of different things 179 00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:40.399 we're touching on. 180 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:44.240 We were also we had been researching and writing the 181 00:07:44.360 --> 00:07:48.160 feature for the ninety one governor's race in Louisiana when 182 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:51.959 David Duke beat out the incumbent Buddy Rummer. So we 183 00:07:52.079 --> 00:07:54.920 had been deep in that for about three years, and 184 00:07:54.959 --> 00:07:58.839 we wrote that feature, and that's a much larger feature 185 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:01.720 to make, and so we made it a pretty meta 186 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:04.839 where we leaned into us being writers writing that, and 187 00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:08.120 we had been going home to Louisiana, and Nick and 188 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:11.759 I had been going back doing interviews, talking to people, 189 00:08:12.279 --> 00:08:16.439 and so it just started evolving where this dnny Ding 190 00:08:16.759 --> 00:08:19.720 character was going home and we were we were really 191 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:23.600 were talking to baristas and everyone for the sellout stuff 192 00:08:23.639 --> 00:08:27.040 of just like the world just shifting so fast and 193 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:29.680 getting so expensive and all these things. We spent a 194 00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:31.639 lot of time researching all that and filming, and then 195 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:33.960 we did a test shoot and we fill on some 196 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:36.919 scenes from the script, and we did a teaser, like 197 00:08:36.960 --> 00:08:40.120 a ten minute teaser, and then once we found that 198 00:08:40.120 --> 00:08:42.720 that helped us, we were like finding our tone there. 199 00:08:43.159 --> 00:08:45.279 And then once we found that, we used that to 200 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:49.000 go raise money and attach actors and trying to get 201 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:52.399 the film rolling. That was around what Nick twenty twenty 202 00:08:52.559 --> 00:08:57.320 two into twenty twenty two, perhaps sometimes around the Nick. 203 00:08:57.320 --> 00:09:00.279 I'm curious as first how you balanced being in front 204 00:09:00.279 --> 00:09:03.159 of the camera so much with being one of the 205 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:05.559 writer directors, and how do you work with your brother. 206 00:09:06.159 --> 00:09:07.000 It was a lot of prep. 207 00:09:07.159 --> 00:09:09.159 That's why we did a whole ten minute tone piece 208 00:09:09.240 --> 00:09:11.519 so we could just me and him shooting it, edding it, 209 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:14.799 cutting it, really figure out exactly what we want to do, 210 00:09:14.879 --> 00:09:18.240 come up with a strategy, and then it's a lot 211 00:09:18.279 --> 00:09:20.360 of lines that I'm saying, So I feel like I 212 00:09:20.440 --> 00:09:23.639 just memorize the lines and then play with the actors 213 00:09:23.639 --> 00:09:26.200 while I'm doing that, but lean on him to do 214 00:09:26.279 --> 00:09:28.480 the overall direction and to lean on the camera. Then 215 00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:30.799 we'll divvy up little things like I do a lot 216 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:33.360 of the wardrobe. I like to do the wardrobe stuff. 217 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:36.960 We'll split the locations, we'll split the casting. Just there's 218 00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:40.159 so many things to do and there's so much going on. 219 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:42.840 It's just kind of and you have to do so 220 00:09:42.919 --> 00:09:45.200 many roles. So it's just like to have someone that 221 00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:49.000 you basically know will answer your call twenty four hours 222 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:51.840 a day, be there the whole time. I don't know 223 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:54.240 how you make films without that person. And we have 224 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:56.919 a lot of another team with two great producers, Morgan 225 00:09:56.960 --> 00:10:00.240 Pollad and Jennifer Kouchai. They gave everything they possibly could 226 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:02.799 do this film. You can't ask people to give you 227 00:10:02.840 --> 00:10:05.480 their whole lives for no money, but me and him 228 00:10:05.480 --> 00:10:08.720 are putting everything. I'm so grateful for that to have 229 00:10:08.759 --> 00:10:12.240 that kind of partnership and Michael Green who came to 230 00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:14.080 So you get all these people that come and are 231 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:16.039 there ever production. Maybe they leave for posts, but they 232 00:10:16.279 --> 00:10:18.639 but it's such an indie film, I feel like you 233 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:19.080 need a. 234 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:19.840 Partner like that. 235 00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:24.519 But I think we found Benny together before we started shooting. 236 00:10:24.679 --> 00:10:26.159 I was really nervous to play the role. 237 00:10:26.159 --> 00:10:28.519 And that's why we did so much test shooting to 238 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:30.000 where everyone was like, yes, you got to do this, 239 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:32.039 this is great, this is great. So then it was 240 00:10:32.080 --> 00:10:35.600 we could focus on other stuff. He'll be sat with 241 00:10:35.639 --> 00:10:37.639 the camera. I'll be talking the actors, rehearsing with them, 242 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:40.320 running lines, making them comfortable, like dividing and stuff. 243 00:10:40.360 --> 00:10:44.159 And we learned so much on our first feature because 244 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:45.799 we're both in front of the camera. 245 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:47.399 I was only living bront of the camera a couple 246 00:10:47.399 --> 00:10:48.440 of days though, which was Niger. 247 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:51.159 Yeah, and we had a small indie crew and it 248 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:53.799 was on sticks and you know, it was just moving slow. 249 00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:57.399 And on this one we thought, okay, we found the 250 00:10:57.440 --> 00:11:00.000 tone six or seven days into shooting The Golden Rush, 251 00:11:00.519 --> 00:11:02.200 and we thought, all right, we don't want to do 252 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:05.440 that again. So we spent the time on this one 253 00:11:06.080 --> 00:11:08.960 shooting that tone piece where we found the tone ahead 254 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:11.240 of time that we could show the actors everyone knows 255 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:14.039 coming in generally what we're going for. It ended up 256 00:11:14.039 --> 00:11:17.519 evolving past that tonally, but and then we said, okay, 257 00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:20.600 we're just going to shoot it on these GH six 258 00:11:21.720 --> 00:11:26.120 like two thousand dollars Panasonic cameras with some anamorphic lenses 259 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:29.159 and just used two or three lights for the shoot 260 00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:33.320 because that'll allow us to continue to shoot and be 261 00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:35.480 able to be free whenever we don't have a crew, 262 00:11:36.080 --> 00:11:38.360 just Nick and I can go around and shoot some 263 00:11:38.399 --> 00:11:40.879 stuff in the b roll or the Louisiana stuff, or 264 00:11:40.919 --> 00:11:43.840 the car scenes or things like that. So that's the 265 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:46.600 way we set out to make it and establish that 266 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:51.799 kind of handheld documentary somewhat documentary style tone. And then 267 00:11:51.840 --> 00:11:55.360 we had two really great dp's Tailor Camera and Elephant, 268 00:11:55.519 --> 00:11:57.919 and then they each kind of split up days and 269 00:11:58.039 --> 00:12:00.200 came out for a certain amount of time, and when 270 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:03.200 they weren't there, I had some other young shooters who 271 00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:05.440 were like Anna and Kyle and they would come and 272 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:07.600 shoot with us and all that. So it was just 273 00:12:07.679 --> 00:12:09.320 overseeing the tone and all that. 274 00:12:09.840 --> 00:12:12.519 Obviously, you have one of your main actress there all 275 00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:14.720 of the time whenever you need them. But tell me 276 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:16.799 about the rest of your cast. How did they come together? 277 00:12:17.159 --> 00:12:19.919 Over the years, we've got in the Austin film scene 278 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:24.720 and we just have Jimmy Gonza's old friend being in 279 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:25.279 the scene. 280 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:27.519 We've really maintained. 281 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:29.200 Relationships with people and hung out with them all. So 282 00:12:29.240 --> 00:12:30.559 we were writing a lot of roles for him, and 283 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:32.320 then when the time came, it was like, hey, do 284 00:12:32.360 --> 00:12:33.720 you all want to do some We send the teachers, 285 00:12:33.799 --> 00:12:35.639 like let's do this. And we didn't know Adrian Plocki, 286 00:12:35.720 --> 00:12:38.120 but our friend did and she was into the project 287 00:12:38.120 --> 00:12:40.399 and she had some free time. So it was really 288 00:12:40.440 --> 00:12:42.960 just a cool and we did take our time and 289 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:45.840 really waited patiently to cast. We really were like, hey, 290 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:48.960 let's just wait the perfect person comes. 291 00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:51.720 And Sarah Dowling. We got Sarah. She's a local casting agent. 292 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:53.919 For a while, she helped us a lot. 293 00:12:54.480 --> 00:12:56.600 On my side cast members. We wrote the part with 294 00:12:56.679 --> 00:12:57.960 Stephanie Hunt and stuff like that. 295 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:02.000 Jimmy and Gabe I had seen the teaser and reached 296 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:04.759 out and said, word my part. So we were like, oh, 297 00:13:04.759 --> 00:13:07.000 we got a part for you. Bill Wise, we've worked 298 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:08.960 with a Ton. We had an O series with him 299 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:11.440 called The gil Webshow where he was like a kind 300 00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:13.720 of belligerent drunk who didn't know who he was interviewing, 301 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:15.519 and he was interviewing musicians. 302 00:13:16.039 --> 00:13:18.120 And we love working with Bill. He's so funny. 303 00:13:18.559 --> 00:13:20.759 So we always worked with Bill and our mom. We 304 00:13:20.840 --> 00:13:24.399 casted our mom as the mom and Nick's daughter as 305 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:24.879 the daughter. 306 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:26.159 That was pretty good. 307 00:13:26.279 --> 00:13:31.440 Yeah, Nick, your character is neurotic and you are channeling 308 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:33.720 a little Albert Brooks for me, some of those earlier 309 00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:36.720 Albert Brooks. How do you get yourself in that headspace 310 00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:40.480 of just that continual self doubting, kind of manic state. 311 00:13:41.159 --> 00:13:44.360 Oh, I just picked up the newspaper, watch a little 312 00:13:44.360 --> 00:13:46.080 news for a few minutes, and I read a lot 313 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:48.039 of political history, Like I'll just I like to read 314 00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:50.440 a lot of times I breakfast, all these different politicals. 315 00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:52.399 So I just tried to get myself in that headspace. 316 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:55.440 And it's not hard, especially at that particular time. 317 00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:58.200 I imagine even today you could probably get in that 318 00:13:58.279 --> 00:13:59.279 headspace pretty easily. 319 00:13:59.320 --> 00:14:02.879 Now, I feel like right now and all the pressures 320 00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:05.120 of you know, stuff is just easy to spin out. 321 00:14:05.159 --> 00:14:07.720 It's a fun role to play. Actually, that's a fun, 322 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:08.840 fun character. 323 00:14:09.440 --> 00:14:11.600 What were some of your biggest challenges making this movie, 324 00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:14.120 because I know making an independent film is not easy. 325 00:14:14.679 --> 00:14:16.799 I think they're raising the money was really hard because 326 00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:18.799 when we moved to Austin, we didn't We just started 327 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:21.639 hanging out with all these really cool artists. They were 328 00:14:21.639 --> 00:14:24.840 all waiting tables and just man, these are the coolest people. 329 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:26.840 We had come from Louisiana and they're really one as 330 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:28.519 many artists that we knew. So we're just hanging out 331 00:14:28.519 --> 00:14:30.039 with those people. And then we was like, oh, we 332 00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:31.879 need to raise some money. Oh, we don't really know 333 00:14:32.519 --> 00:14:34.799 very many wealthy people, much less cool wealthy people. 334 00:14:35.159 --> 00:14:37.559 So then we were like, oh, damn, we need to 335 00:14:37.639 --> 00:14:38.600 learn how to raise some money. 336 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:40.720 So that's been a long time of trying to build 337 00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:43.519 networks and then finding the really cool people that have 338 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:45.000 some money that are into the arts. 339 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:46.440 That was super hard. 340 00:14:47.240 --> 00:14:50.240 And then the editing was we didn't have much money 341 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:52.840 for posts, so we're just juggling so many different jobs, 342 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:56.320 editing trying to be patient because we were like I 343 00:14:56.360 --> 00:15:00.279 feel like there's this film plays differently a different huh. 344 00:15:00.679 --> 00:15:03.759 We felt like right after the election, like all. 345 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:05.600 Last Spring went a really great time to put it out. 346 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:07.840 So just try to be patient and just trying to 347 00:15:08.440 --> 00:15:11.120 really take our time. There's such a tendency to want 348 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:13.240 to rush to finish the film for a festival, and 349 00:15:13.879 --> 00:15:16.360 my kind of mentors have said, don't ever do that. 350 00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:19.279 Get the film right, and so there is that tendency 351 00:15:19.279 --> 00:15:20.519 of oh, we should get it out as soon as 352 00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:22.960 we can. Also, we need jobs, so the quicker we 353 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:25.679 get to film in the festival, maybe we could get 354 00:15:25.720 --> 00:15:26.320 some other jobs. 355 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:28.440 So there is that teb is like just being patient. 356 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:30.080 Lear need to just stay real patient and get the 357 00:15:30.120 --> 00:15:32.120 film right because it lives on forever. 358 00:15:32.600 --> 00:15:34.840 I think that was the hardest part. Yeah, I think 359 00:15:34.840 --> 00:15:36.399 fundraising is the hardest part. 360 00:15:36.679 --> 00:15:40.440 It's challenging in that we were raising money as we 361 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:43.879 were shooting, and as we're locking in cast, we didn't 362 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:47.080 have a solid crew or all over our locatients to 363 00:15:47.240 --> 00:15:50.200 me and Jennifer and Morgan and Nick were in Jennifer's 364 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:56.320 kitchen trying to schedule all the actors traveling and the locations, 365 00:15:56.480 --> 00:15:59.360 and we didn't even have the budget fully raised yet 366 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:03.519 couple days in shooting, so it was scary, but it 367 00:16:03.600 --> 00:16:05.600 was also one of those things where it was like, man, 368 00:16:05.639 --> 00:16:07.320 if we wouldn't have done that and we didn't just 369 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:09.200 put the pedal to the metal, it would have never 370 00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:09.840 gotten made. 371 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:12.000 And it ended up working out. 372 00:16:12.200 --> 00:16:15.240 Were you shooting this piece meal weekends, evenings, that kind 373 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:17.159 of stuff, where did you actually have a full block 374 00:16:17.519 --> 00:16:18.360 of shooting time. 375 00:16:18.759 --> 00:16:20.879 We were doing a lot of piece mealing, and we 376 00:16:20.879 --> 00:16:24.000 would shoot some days we just do two hours of shooting, 377 00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:27.200 and it's just because sometimes it was just two people 378 00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:30.600 crew or something, and then other days, once things started 379 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:32.759 to roll and once we raised more of the money 380 00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:35.120 to shoot the film, then we started scheduling and did 381 00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:37.519 certainly maybe I don't know how many days we did, 382 00:16:37.960 --> 00:16:41.559 but then we scheduled some proper days shot along And did. 383 00:16:41.360 --> 00:16:43.720 You guys edit this yourself or did you have somebody helping? 384 00:16:44.120 --> 00:16:47.200 We have an editor with us, Michael Green, and Michael 385 00:16:47.639 --> 00:16:50.120 was there from the beginning. Nick and I created the 386 00:16:50.120 --> 00:16:53.559 tone and the pacing, and then we divvied up scenes 387 00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:56.799 with Michael and created an assembly together which was about 388 00:16:56.799 --> 00:16:59.519 a three hour assembly. Yeah, and we said, no one 389 00:16:59.559 --> 00:17:03.240 wants to watch to three hour comedy concluding me. So 390 00:17:03.360 --> 00:17:05.839 we went through and then it took us maybe six 391 00:17:05.880 --> 00:17:08.519 months or so to cut that down to two hours, 392 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:11.920 and then we brought on in front of ours Tony Costello, 393 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:14.480 and he helped us trim another ten minutes out, which 394 00:17:14.519 --> 00:17:16.559 was really helpful because once you get onto that like 395 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:18.960 one forty five and we were trying to get to 396 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:22.079 ninety minutes, we're just so close to it was so hard. 397 00:17:22.519 --> 00:17:26.200 And then we spent another couple of months just chipping 398 00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:29.240 away at it, screening it, watching it with audiences and 399 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:32.359 seeing test screenings and seeing what's working and what's not. 400 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:34.799 And then it took us. 401 00:17:34.680 --> 00:17:36.960