Welcome to another edition of "8 Questions with...." an ongoing interactive interview series with the fine folks here on my MySpace page. The concept is simple,the people I have as friends..I want to actually get to know them a bit other then becoming just a face/number. So I randomly pick a name out and ask for a interview. Then I invite my dear readers to read the interviews,drop a comment,subscribe,use word of mouth to help draws folks over here.

 

For this interview,I decided to stay in Michigan as my last interview with Emmy-award winning journalist Stephen Clark also was based here.

  I am a movie buff...of course anyone who has read this blog knows this. Movies are a lot of fun but like my music choices,I like the underground or unknown talent. Watching rising stars has always been much more fun then going to see a huge star in a 200 million summer blockbuster.  I guess thats why I would pony up my coin to see a Kim Poirier or Michael Ironside film more then a Will Smith or Julia Roberts film.

  Same with indy films...thanks to my old friend in San Jose many years ago,the delightful Pam Kelly,I became a arthouse/indy film fan. Seeing many small budget films where the STORY was the most important factor helped shaped how I saw a film. Mix that with with being a fanboy and poof! all around filmlover.

Jeff Solano is a small indy film producer based here in Michigan. I met him right my interview with Debbie Rochon ran here. He emailed me to say that Debbie had done a role for his new film "Dog" which was filmed down the road from me. His passion and joy for his film caught my eye and I decided to ask how a producer/writer (other then Jeff Daniels) makes a career here doing film.

  Turns out Solano isn’t a brighteyed novice but in fact has been doing high profiled projects for some time.

Be it "I Am Legend" to "Law and Order: CI" to the new Will Ferrell film,"Semi-Pro",Jeff has been on sets for many years. Now the biggest project he has done is almost ready to launch...the horror film "Dog". When I read the title I was wondering if the movie was based on the trouble and horror Duane "Dog" Chapman found himself late last year.
   Needless to say Jeff set me straight on that....

 

And now.....ready,set,action! as I ask  8 Questions with..............Jeff Solano of Night Owl Entertainment!

 

 

 

1. How did you decide to get into making movies?

I don’t know if it was an actual decision as it was more a love of making movies. period. A good buddy of mine that lived down the street, his parents bought a camcorder for Christmas. That started it all. We would make all sorts of crazy, stupid, extremely no budget movies but we had all the fun in the world. Those were the days where you could experiment and try things and it didn’t cost you a damn dime because you didn’t have a damn dime to your name. I think I was 12 or 13 years old.....after a while, it became very clear to me that I had to be a filmmaker. No other job has ever satisfied me like filmmaking. I don’t even consider filmmaking a job, it’s just living the dream that I’ve always had. It’s so fun to be creative in any way and see that come out on the screen!!!

2. Whats the difference between a "producer" and a "director" and a "executive producer"?

Producers get the movie made. There are so many types of producers and they all do lots of similar things but also have their own different things they do to make sure the movie is completed. As far as a producer versus an executive producer is concerned, the executive producer is geared more towards financing of the film. They either put the money in themselves or find the money to get the movie made. A very important job and equally tough. A producer is very important becasue they grease the wheels and get the movie going. Hiring all the crew, and dealing with pretty much every aspect of the whole filmmaking process. A producer makes sure the movie comes in on time and under budget and makes the difficult decisions of going into overtime, adding days to shoot etc etc. A director can make or break the film. They are in the pilot seat. If the director doesn’t know what they are doing, chances are nomatter how good everything else is, it will most likely not be the best movie. The director has the overall vision of the film. But they can’t make the movie without the complete collaboration of everyone involved. Making a movie is such an amazing process from beginning to end.

3. Why are movies filmed out of sequence?

Movies are filmed out of sequence because it’s usually the fastest and most economical way to make the film. Let’s say a script calls for a certain room in a house to be in the movie 5 different times. Well, more than likely you’d try to schedule all or most of those scenes all in the same block of time if you can. It only makes sense. Rather than film one scene in that room one day, then come back to it 2 weeks later etc etc. That wouldn’t be time or money effective. A producer would never allow that to happen. Unless it was a reshoot or something like that.

4. You read about a lot of films being filmed without a ironclad script,whats your take on that?

 

 I think some movies may not need a completed script. It all depends on what kind of movie it is and what’s going on in the movie. I would say most films need to have a rock solid, completed script, otherwise you’ll set yourself up for failure. 

5. As an indy film maker,besides raising money,what are the 3 hardest things about a film?

 

Raising the money is by far the hardest part, unless you’ve already been blessed to have it somehow which I’d say is not the case 99% of the time. But besides that, just getting that initial wheel greased to get the movie started and rolling is very tough. To actually find an idea, and then get not only one other person so stoked about it that they are willing to do whatever it takes to make the film but get a group of people thinking the same way. That’s tough. Once that happens though, a lot of things get easy. You get a lot of help. Scheduling can become a pain, especially when you are equipped with a small budget because sometimes you can’t or hardly pay the talent, crew etc etc so you really have to cater to them and their schedules and work around things. That can get difficult. The weather can get very difficult as well. Especially here in Michigan where one day the weather could be sunny and 80 and then next it could be 40 and rainy and then next after that it’s snowing....a lot of things come down to the budget. But also having a bigger budget can add to the headaches as well. You have to surround yourself with great people to make the experience the best it can possibly be. If everyone truly loves and cares deeply about the final outcome of the movie then that really helps. I never understood these producers and other heads of departments that treat their crews like shit because it always backfires on you. There’s just not any point in treating anybody like shit especially when the task is already hard enough with a small budget. Treat your cast and crew with respect and take care of them and that will do wonders!!!

6. Say you have a budget of 20,000.00 for a movie:
How does that money get spent?

Wow. Very tough, but very fun too! The script would have to be very cost effective. Most likely taking place in a very limited number of locations first off. Most likely 3 or less. Little to none special effects. Also keep the characters down to a bare minimum. Depending on the equipment you use, if you already own it then you’re good there but if you have to rent anything, that can always kill you on the budget. If you have to pay crew, that can eat up the budget too. Talent can get expensive. Every little thing costs money. Eating can be a very big expense. Feeding the whole crew can get very costly so you have to start thinking of ways to feed a large group of people effectively and not kill your budget. This is when you ask for favors. Sweat equity. Hopefully you have helped a fellow filmmaking friend on their film for little or nothing and now they will return the favor to you. The community that you film in is always very important too! They can either really cripple you or really help you. With NEXT VICTIM and DOG, we were extremely fortunate to be embraced by the communities we filmed in!

7. Tell us about your new film "DOG",where did the story come from and where did you film it at?

 

DOG is going to be a very exciting horror film. I’m really excited about it. The story came from the genius mind of a great friend of mine- James Korloch. He was looking around a salvage yard one day where he lives in Jackson, Michigan and the idea just popped into his head. He started writing it but stopped and would add onto it every so often. I found him on Myspace out of all places after losing touch with him for a while. I asked him if he wanted to somehow collaborate on a film together. He said YES and we started to throw around ideas. He finally told me he had started writing a cool little script and he had 25 pages of it finished. I read those pages and was immediately blown away by the characters, story and how original it was. I phoned another great friend of mine- Tim Gates and told him about this script. He read the 25 pages and said he’d be willing to direct and shoot DOG, but he couldn’t completely commit to DOG until he read more script. James whipped up the script and voila, things just fell into place almost magically. The whole process from beginning to end was amazing. From James and Tims’ awesome dedication, Jan Meyer’s help, Mike Bryant’s neverending help, especially him letting us use his house to stay at, and build a set in his garage and film there!!!....to the talent that signed on(Michelle Page, Jeremy Gladen, John and Kim Lennox, David Fine, Debbie Rochon, Tony Hornus, Larry Laverty, DJ Perry, Jeff Thomas, Brenna Lee Roth, Sarah Jane Ceylon, Gary and Erin Wetzel- Righettini, Tim Lovelace, Jim O’Rear, Tom Sullivan, Mike Bryant, Sandra Victor, Josh Donahey and all the awesome talent from JCC- Jared and Jeremy Moore, Austin Greca, James Jenkins, Mary Andoloro, Tyler Crawford, Adam Woolsey, Luke Stanaway-Neblo and all the rest of them that I’m failing to mention...I apologize. Then we had the awesome special FX talents of Vincent Guastini and Chris Bowen. James Korloch even lended his hand for some spfx work. I know I’m leaving a lot out but the whole process was extremely amazing. Tim Gates has been fast away at editing and then he will hand the film over to the ever talented Harry Manfredini for the scoring. We hope to have a full blown, in your face premiere come June or July here in Michigan and then it’s off to the film festival circuit to see what trouble we can get into with DOG!!! Oh and 95% of DOG was shot in Jackson, Michigan, a little bit in Howell, Michigan and green screen work in North Branch, Michigan.

8. Do you feel Hollywood glorifies violence to the extreme?

 

9.What makes your movies different from an another indy film?

 

DOG is different in the fact it is such a neat, original idea. Here is the synopsis, it’s very cool. I’ll just paste it directly from our myspace page, which you can visit and join the DOG pound!! www. myspace. com/dogthemovie
"A vast salvage yard, lies nestled in the woods, on the edge of a Mid-Western town. Owned and operated by a pair of sadistic, murderous brothers, the yard is a place of death and unimaginable horror.

At night, the salvage yard is watched over, not by canines of the four-legged breed, but by "Dog," the owners’ tormented younger brother. Warped by years of abuse at the hands of his brothers, horribly deformed by generations of in-breeding, the feral boy (more beast, than man) prowls the shadowy confines of the junk yard, slaughtering anyone foolish enough to enter after night falls."

10. If you had a dream cast of 5 actors and 5 actresses to work with,who would you choose and why?

Bruce Willis, need I say anymore? Edward Norton, Edward could act like a puddle of blood and have you mesmerized and captivated by the performance. Mike Myers, this man is pure comical genius. I could watch the Austin Powers movies over and over and never get tired of them. Laughing the entire time. Giovanni Ribisi, again, so much talent it’s ridiculous. Sylvester Stallone, this guy was one of my all time favorites. Just let him go kill something! This list isn’t even fair. There are countless actors I’d love to work with. Kiefer Sutherland,Christopher Walken, Owen Wilson, Bruce Campbell, Bill Paxton, Kurt Russell, Ray Liotta, Ethan Hawke, Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith,Forest Whitaker, Matt Damon, Johnny Depp, Mark Wahlberg, Samual L. Jackson, Steve Buscemi, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Joaquin Phoenix, Morgan Freeman, Corey Feldman and Haim and yada yada yada...I could go on and on.....and for the actresses, I’ll name a quick five and then list them, but just like the actors, I could say something about each and every one of them but there isn’t enough space.....Monica Bellucci- The most gorgeous woman on earth, that should be good enough right? hahah. Kate Winslet, have always loved her work. Sigourney Weaver, If I have Stallone in there, I gotta have the ass kicking Weaver as well!! Ripley from the ALIEN franchise is one of the best heroines ever! Kate Beckinsale, again gotta love her work in the UNDERWORLD series, but she’s great in everything she does. Kathy Bates and Meryl Streep, all aspiring actresses should rent and watch every single movie both of these women are in, talk about performances...wow! Cate Blanchett, Frances McDormand, Christina Ricci, Parker Posey, Ally Sheedy, Renee Zelwegger, Winona Ryder, Jennifer Connelly, Clair Danes, Whoopi Goldberg, Milla Jovovich, Gina Gershon, Carrie-Anne Moss, Elisabeth Shue, Michelle Pfeiffer, Salma Hayek Brittany Murphy, Rosario Dawson, Heather Graham, Demi Moore, Drew Barrymore, Alyssa Milano, Famke Jannsen, Anna Faris, Rhona Mitra etc etc. This could go on and on but I have to stop!

11. MySpace is been a real boon to bands and singers,how has helped your filmmaking career?

 

I would have to say that as crazy as it sounds, without Myspace, DOG wouldn’t have happened. Or atleast when and how fast it was done. I had lost touch with the writer of DOG, James Korloch. Then I found him on Myspace. I explained this in a previous question so I won’t get to involved. Vincent Guastini and Harry Manfredini were two huge additions with the help of Myspace. Anyhow, shortly thereafter, we found some of our talent on other websites but kept in touch with them through myspace. It was such a great tool and we found many talented people that ultimately jumped aboard the DOG pound!!

12. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I’m moving to LA now but do not see myself there forever. I’m willing to bet in 5 years I’ll be somewhere more laid back and chill. Such as back in Michigan or somewhere like Wilmington, North Carolina where there’s a big movie studio there and it’s right on the ocean!!! But it’s hard telling because I feel that extremely soon, my career is going to skyrocket so who knows where I will end up......

13. Whats the WORST movie you have ever seen?

Ya know, there are a lot of really shitty movies out there. Some of the big blockbusters aren’t good, but some are. There really aren’t too many movies that I just think,"WOW, that absolutely sucked" but it’s all opinion. Just because I think a movie sucks doesn’t mean I wasn’t entertained by certain parts etc etc. I certainly respect any and all movies no matter if I like them or not becasue I know how much heart and dedication goes into making them so my hat is off to anyone who is creative and makes a movie from beginning to end!!!

14. Which of your MySpace friends will comment first on this interview?

Who knows....which ones are the craziest??? I guess we’ll find out shortly.....Thank you Michael for this interview and thank you to everyone involved with DOG from every aspect!!! Good luck to anyone out there being creative!!

 

To add Jeff as a Friend and to name drop later on,go here: