by Erik Childress
The “Godspeed" Pitch: "Godspeed" is a psychological thriller set in the lingering light of the Alaskan midnight sun.
How did this film get rolling at the beginning? Give us a brief history from writing to production to post to just last night.
"Godspeed" is based on an initial project that Joe McKelheer, who plays Charlie, and Cory Knauf, who plays Luke, had been working on together after they met on their last film "The Hamiltons." I got inspired by the idea of making a true genre film, but I had some very specific ideas and things I wanted to try, and thankfully Joe and Cory were very receptive to those ideas. What came out was this crazy film, and the cut in many ways is very close to the screenplay.
Like all indie productions, there was just this "avalanche" effect -- the cast came together fairly quickly and there was that point where we knew we couldn't turn back. All three of us were very hungry to go on this journey, especially into Alaska, and that certainly drove us to get it done with what little we had -- that being money, time, and crew of course. That was always part of the "bribe" for people to come out and work on this film -- not what you're used to getting paid but it's summer in Alaska! But honestly, there was a very positive reaction to the screenplay, and that helped get other people and investors aboard and working hard to get this film made. Basically summer was just around the corner and we didn't want to lose momentum and wait another year.
We committed to shooting on the RED ONE, which actually isn't an inexpensive system for small productions, but we knew we had to capture Alaska as best as possible, and the RED gave us the best image quality for the price. Luckily my DP, Michael Hardwick, from my second film "White of Winter" had already worked with the system, even on some 3D test rigs.
About two months before our shoot date one of our producers, John Flanagan, and I went to Alaska to scout and lock down locations and also set up a production base. It’s peak tourist season, so Alaska is more expensive and crowded – not good for an independent film that is setting up shop way outside the Los Angeles studio zone, which is where we were all based, including most of the cast.
Production was definitely physically demanding and some of the locations as beautiful as they were, were tough on a small production. I know the actors were also drained just from the nature of the material. There was a lot of humor on and off set, and the shenanigans helped alleviate the long hours and darker material. There was some serious comedy going on, let me tell you! But, in the end, I think most of us, and especially me, think of this production as an amazing experience.
Editing went fairly quickly. Part of it was the fact that we really stuck to much of what we discussed in preparation to shooting. We didn’t have time or money to do lots of alternate takes. There was a direction that felt right, and that’s what we went with. It was about refining and pushing for the best takes based on the arc of the story and how we saw the characters throughout the film. I also don’t like to dwell too much on a cut – I think it’s dangerous to constantly second guess your instincts. Take some time away from the cut, but don’t beat it down so you get so lost you forget the whole reason why you made the film in the first place! Editing is probably the most exciting process of filmmaking for me, but I also think it’s the most crucial, and the most dangerous. You can really get lost in the wilderness sometimes.
Post was a bit scary because the RED is such a new system. But between Michael’s experience and my own, since my day job is mainly editing and post-production anyway, we were able to find a workflow that fit our budget and the choices we made on set. Also, my post friends, Matt, Greg, and Jeff, over at Different by Design and HD Cinema, helped quite a bit to make this all happen, just as they had years ago when Michael and I were posting our last feature on HDCAM. We all share an interest in using the newest technology to acquire great images at a fraction of the cost had we shot with film, as well as pushing what’s out there.
So now – it’s the hardest part. Hoping we find a place in great festivals like CineVegas and building the best audience we can.
Did you talk with any “healers” while writing this script or making the film?
We didn't during the writing, but while we were scouting and prepping the production in Alaska Joe met a very interesting man who claimed he was a healer very much like the character in the script. I'm pretty sure he even lived in a trailer like Joe's character ends up living in. I know this man helped Joe to find elements to work into building Charlie. The point was to not make Charlie one of those "over-the-top" evangelical types, but to root him in a more quiet, even "grassroots" sensibility. We actually wanted to have what he said resonate deeper than just a bombastic preacher type of character, which we’ve seen in films over and over again. In that way he would actually be more believable to his own audience, that what he was saying was from his heart and soul and not a circus act. In fact, this was one of the biggest changes from the original concept of the film – to move away from the often seen “Evangelical” type of character.
Is this your first trip to CineVegas? Got any other film festival experience? If you’re a festival veteran, let us know your favorite and least-favorite parts of the ride.
I've had the pleasure of participating in CineVegas before with a short I helped edit and starring Joe McKelheer in 2004. In 2003 my second feature, "White of Winter" screened in at the Sundance Film Festival, and that was definitely quite an experience. We screened as part of the Spectrum category, and the film is certainly a tougher indie film. It's definitely hard to get noticed at Sundance, and at the time we lacked the great grassroots support of Facebook, MySpace, and blogs. My first film, "After the Flood" also played such festivals as Austin and Dances with Films, and these were both fantastic festival experiences.
I think the greatest part of festivals is the rush of the audience experiencing your film, and then getting a chance to tell you face to face how they feel about it – good or bad! Meeting other independent filmmakers is always a joy. It’s one of the few times we get out of our caves (at least for me) and have a chance to share our experiences and films with each other.
The business part of it – promoting, etc is always a drag for me. Sometimes it gets in the way of you really celebrating the work with your cast and crew. After all, they are called “festivals” for a reason, right?
Did you watch any movies in pre-production and yell “This! I want something JUST like this …only different.”?
I know we talked a lot about “No Country for Old Men.” I think we all liked the cool precision of the Coen’s direction, but also, it was its tone – after all this was Cormac McCarthy, and I know that certainly resonated for me during the screenplay stage.
Also, there are actually a lot of Western elements in “Godspeed,” even if they aren’t so obvious. I’m also big fan of John Hillcoat and Nick Cave’s “The Proposition” and I know that was in the back of my mind as well.
What films and filmmakers have acted as your inspirations, be they a lifelong love or a very specific scene composition?
For me it’s certainly Kubrick and Scorsese who have left some very deep impressions. In college, the French New Wave and American films in the 70’s were also huge inspirations, and of course, some of Kubrick and Scorsese’s best work is from that era.
David Lynch is very important to me as well.
There’s a sort of reverse Last House On The Left if even Funny Games, if you will, in the manner in which revenge eventually plays a part in the film. Were any of you consciously aware of inevitable comparisons and did you make purposeful attempts to make the final act any different?
I don’t know Craven’s film too well, but I will say that “Funny Games” was definitely a film I brought up as we discussed Luke’s character. I haven’t seen the English version, but Haneke’s film is one of the most disturbing films I’ve ever seen, and one of my favorites of his as well. For me, it was the cool, detached, realistic tone I liked, and I think it did offer another way into Luke’s own psychology. There is definitely some kind of “Leopold and Loeb” thing going on between Luke and Tim, and you certainly feel some of that from the young intruders in “Funny Games.” But there’s also an almost “Raskolnikov” thing happening with Luke as well – an intelligent mind sort of turning in on itself, and wanting to transcend and rebel against what he sees as man’s laws, not God’s, if there even is one.
In terms of the final act, at that point it was all about just making the film work for the world we had created, making it work as best we could for the arc of this particular film.
Was there ever a moment you felt you needed to scale back the violence in the eventual confrontations?
Absolutely. Of course, part of this is budget since we just didn’t have the money to do a lot of blood effects or gore. But “Godspeed” isn’t about that – it’s more about the violence on a psychological level, about what’s inside all of these characters. There are two specific shots we cut because they were either just too much, or didn’t feel like they belonged in this particular film. If anything, I hope that the violence feels right for the film, and doesn’t overwhelm it, that it’s more “real” than anything else.
In Michael Haneke’s Funny Games – at a crucial moment we’re tricked into tapping into our lust for retribution only to have that moment yanked away, leaving us to confront our own wanton for blood. Both of the combatants in Godspeed have their own sins towards the other. Do you think the rooting scales for the audience would have tipped the other way if a child wasn’t involved?
I’m not sure actually – it’s a good question. The fact that there is a child involved certainly affects not only Charlie, but also the killers, and that’s crucial because there’s obviously still a humanity to these people. I may be wrong, but in “Funny Games,” I don’t remember there being a whole lot left of this in the killers. We never wanted our “villains” to be that simple, or inhuman. In fact whenever I heard that term “villain” I cringed because ultimately that was a reductive way at looking at what we were trying to do. They needed to be as complex as the other characters, as Charlie and Sarah. Although the theme of revenge is certainly driving much of the film, I think it also opens up more questions on the nature of violence, and the use of violence – that it isn’t so straightforward. Good, bad, evil -- they start to blend in on themselves.
Each of you name your five favorite revenge-themed films. Go!
1. Once Upon a Time in the West (one of my all-time favorite films!)
2. Road to Perdition (so underrated!)
3. Point Blank
4. Kill Bill (1 & 2)
5. Get Carter (Michael Caine version of course)
Say you landed a big studio contract tomorrow, and they offered you a semi-huge budget to remake, adapt, or sequelize something. What projects would you tackle?
“Titanic in Space!” Just kidding, but that might actually be interesting! It's been told so many times, but I'd love to do some kind of version of the King Arthur story. And a full-on Western of course. You know the horses, guns, muddy town, the whole enchilada. “Heaven’s Gate, Part 2” maybe?
Who’s an actor you’d kill to work with?
Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet -- and in the same movie! Sorry I guess that’s two, but you just can’t say one “C/Kate” without mentioning the other, right?
Of all the Muppets, which one do you most relate to?
It’s hard not to relate to Kermit because you just feel for him as he tries to get each show off without it blowing up in his face – sort of like all of us trying to make films. So maybe I do relate to Kermit, but I’d rather be Fozzy.
What was it like filming in the constant daylight of Alaska? Any of you succumb to bouts of insomnia like Al Pacino?
I can’t speak for the other cast and crew, but I slept better with a little blue outside the window. It never got pitch black, just a nice deep blue for a few hours, and then the sun would come back up. I think I’d be way worse off in the winter, when the days stay dark.
Politics aside, can you restore our readers’ faith in Alaska after all the negative publicity it received during that election thing last year?
What do you mean? Tina Fey is way more famous now because of it, and she rocks.
Actually, we couldn’t have made this film without the generous help – financial and otherwise -- from our Alaskan friends. The couple, LeRoi and Margaret Heaven, who so graciously allowed us to shoot a dark and disturbing film in their own home in Wasilla are great, giving people. I think we need to understand that Alaska really is it’s own place, with it’s own history and culture outside of the Lower 48. They are a part of this country, but it really is it’s own world out there, for obvious reasons.
I leave it to Sarah and Todd Palin to do the rest. Does anybody in the other states even remember the whole Ted Stevens thing anyway?
South Park years ago gave the title of the Biggest Douche in the Universe to John Edwards for his “ability” to talk to people from beyond the grave. Do “faith healers” though have a claim to that title in spreading a similar message of false hope to their followers? Do you think it’s worse to provide hope for an afterlife in search of closure or to tell someone all their ills are cured while they're still on Earth?
I’m certainly of the thinking that these kinds of “healers” are definitely preying on folks who are very vulnerable and have found themselves at the end of the line – whether they’re like Charlie or of the more evangelical type. Remember, Charlie really does feel he’s got something inside of him, and he wants so badly for that to be a reality, so he can freely give this gift to people, and that kind of makes him less of a charlatan in my eyes. He really wants to help people, with his touch, and with his words, even if he doesn’t know how to help himself.
I’ve also always been of the mind to think that the more we focus on an afterlife the more we might look away from the life we have in front of us. Western religion often asks people to act in a certain way so they’ll find themselves in a paradise that may or may not exist after we pass. I think if more people lived for how their beliefs and actions affect people right here, and right now, we might find a difference in how we treat others. Some people seem to act less out of a personal sense of their own conscience or ethics, than from a series of set beliefs that, in the end, may be intolerant to others, and simply irrelevant to our current place and time.
Courtney Halverson has the pleasure of appearing in two films playing CineVegas this year – Godspeed and a small part in Etienne. Tell us a little about her.
Courtney was probably the second person we saw for Sarah, and I know both Joe and I felt right away she was not only perfect for the role, but she could go to the places we needed Sarah to go. Courtney is a natural, but she’s also extremely prepared and is able to focus at the drop of a hat. I called her “3-Take Halverson” on set, because I felt like I got what I needed from her most of the time in very little takes. She has a lot of maturity for her young years, and she’s very smart. She’s very different from Sarah, although I’m sure there’s a lot of Sarah somewhere in there. Courtney is a very funny, upbeat person and I’m so happy we found her and that she decided to do the film. It certainly wasn’t a walk in the park for her performance-wise. She never held back and gave everything she had to her role and in supporting us as a production, including me as a director.
Do you have any favorite (or least favorite) film critics? And how important do you believe film critics are nowadays?
What’s great is that critics who have a presence on the net, whether through sites or blogs or both have been gaining a much wider readership, even challenging those critics that come out of the more traditional print media. But admittedly, independent films still need good reviews from major publications as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, etc. Depending on the film, it can gain momentum from sites such as Film Threat, Ain’t it Cool News, TwitchFilm.net, and others. It does seem like a film that has a more “pop culture” value to it can survive without a review from the likes of Elvis Mitchell or Manohla Dargis, and really thrive from internet buzz. But films that are deemed “art” or “specialized” seem to still need the validation of large publications beyond the internet to appeal to audiences and/or distributors before they’ll give the film a chance. I think every filmmaker secretly loves and hates critics. It would be a lie to think that I wouldn’t want a great review from a Manohla Dargis, or a Scott Foundas, or a J.Hoberman. But when we feel people just totally miss, we get pissed. I think Bergman once punched out a critic that hated his film! Personally, I don’t get trade reviews when the first line is a prediction on the business they think a film will do. They generally read like Cliff’s Notes rather than real reviews. So they’re critics and distributors now? I think it’s tough because good critics do help people decide whether they want to see the film or not, and most importantly, they can really help get a film out there and succeed. In the end, I don’t make films for reviews. I make them so that as many people as possible have some kind of visceral, emotional response to the work, and I just hope that the film gets what it needs in terms of good reviews, because there’s absolutely a commercial reality to what we do.
What would mean more to you? A full-on rave from an anonymous junketeer or an average, but critically constructive review from a respected print or online journalist?
I’ll be honest – I’m not sure what the hell a junketeer is (I’m a bit “PR” challenged), but if it’s those guys who seem to throw studio-friendly quotes for posters and what not and aren’t exactly trained as critics, then those kinds of raves do ring of a certain insincerity. But raves and reviews from the general public on the net or in a blog are obviously going to make filmmakers feel good about their work, since it’s exactly who we’re hoping to make an impression on.
I guess I’d also want a truthful, constructive review, even if it wasn’t raving about the film. Sometimes those “average” or “tepid” reviews from a critic you either trust, or like how they write, will still stir enough curiosity in some readers to want to go out and see the film. I remember reading a review for Tom Tykwer’s “The Princess and the Warrior” which was a pretty tepid if not negative review, and there was this statement about “pretentious camera acrobatics, etc.” I couldn’t wait to see the film, and it’s once of my favorites from Tykwer.
You’re told that your next movie must have one “product placement” on board, but you can pick the product. What would it be?
Some kind of gourmet Dijon mustard. I’d also sign a contract that this was the only kind of mustard I would ever use on my sandwich for a year. I am a whore for a good Dijon mustard.
If you could share one massive lesson that you learned while making this movie, what would it be?
Don’t shoot in a place where it’s peak tourist time!
In closing, we ask you to convince the average festival attendee to choose your film instead of the 30 or so other options they have. How do you do it?
Of course, I am hoping people do go out and see as many of the other films as they can. But I can say that I’m very proud of this film, and how it turned out. I do think an audience will be taken on an intense, thrilling journey where the familiar elements of a genre piece are absolutely there, but where they’ll also be taken to a place they may not have expected.
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Robert Saitzyk's Godspeed will have its world premiere at the 2009 CineVegas Film Festival from June 10-15. It will screen at the Palms’ Brendan Theatres on Saturday, June 13 at 6:00 PM and again on Sunday, June 14 at 3:00 PM.
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link directly to this feature at http://www.efilmcritic.com/feature.php?feature=2766
originally posted: 05/29/09 02:20:22
last updated: 05/29/09 02:21:50
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