TCWreviews’s Administrator and Editor in chief
Clifford Kiyabu sits down with Cat
er director
Ryan Andrew Balas for an exclusive interview. Ryan Andrew Balas is a Director, a Writer, and an Actor. He did this interview with me recently to talk about his new film ‘CARTER’ which will make it’s début later this month, as well as a little about himself and what is the driving force behind his style of filmmaking. But what makes him such a worthy person to have a sit down with yours truly is the fact he is a person with a impressively strong will who will not stop until his daydreams become a reality for all to see. Such ideals are that of a genus in the making.
CK: First off let me thank you for making time to do this interview, you must be very busy with the premier of CARTER just around the corner.
RB: No problem at all, totally my pleasure. Thanks for taking the time to ask these questions, it's very appreciated. I'm busy promoting the screening for sure, and putting the final touches on my directors cut of the film. I also stay fairly preoccupied day dreaming about the other projects I’m working on. I'm a hyperactive guy.
CK: So before we get into talking about the film I think it would be great if my readers got to know a little bit about the man behind the camera first.
RB: The man behind the goofy glasses!
CK: So sell us a little about yourself
RB: I'm a Midwestern transplant. Born in Indiana and spent my teenage years in Michigan. I moved to NYC in 2004, to study acting, I did the first year with the Upper West side as my campus. In 2005, I hopped over to the west coast and completed my conservatory training in Los Angeles in 2006 and shortly thereafter, moved back to NYC. I've been happily living in Queens, with my girlfriend, two dwarf rabbits and two cats, ever since. I tend to get the most work done when I stay up all night, so I get very little sleep. I'm a huge day dreamer and try to go for a good brain storm walk, every day.
CK: So you’re a fellow nighthawk I take it? [Laughs]
RB: Yes. It's the best time to work! My poor girlfriend falls asleep to typing noises and a computer light, every night.
CK: Care to give a shout out to your lady friend?
RB: Of cour
se. I love Deirdre Herlihy. She's a talented, beautiful young lady from New Hampshire. We met in school in NYC, moved to LA together, and back to NYC together. I think she deserves a development and producer credit on everything I work on, because she has to constantly hear all the idea's through fruition. Needless to say, she's a great listener and I love her honest feedback. I don't think I trust anyone as much as I trust her.
CK: So is your girlfriend in acting or filmmaking too?
RB: Yes, She's an actress. We met working together in class. She's been very busy this year, working on multiple films by various directors, Brian Ackley and Richard Buonagurio, to name a few. She has a natural ability to be in the moment and act accordingly---I have a longer way to go. I think she's going to do great out there, because she has a kind heart and no ego---and that kind of personality goes a long way. To date, she's acted in all my films and I'm very lucky to have that. Eventually, I'd love to see her behind the camera on something; she has a really keen eye for photography. I'm not sure if that's something she will ever really want to go after but we shall see.
CK: What inspired you into wanting to become a filmmaker?
RB: Home movies. There is footage taken on an old VHS home movie camera, of my dad filming a family party and I’m just following him around asking to use it. For as long as I can remember, I've been in love with filming human interaction.
CK: So basically what you’re saying is that you were born with a strong will for filmmaking?
RB: Yes, I was born with the curse of neurosis and desire to be broke! [Laughs] There is something inherent to me about wanting to tell a story and movies feel most natural.
CK: This may sound a bit unorthodox to the interview, but when you talk about an old medium such as the “VHS” doesn’t that make you feel a bit old? [Laughs]
RB: VHS is making a comeback. Mark my words! It's a beautiful format, with subtle nostalgic elements associated with its picture and sound and despite how it might "age" me, I can't deny that feeling. [Laughs]
CK: Were there any particular films or T.V. Shows you watched growing up?
RB: I'm terrifie
d of dark water---but JAWS is one of my favorite films and easily my earliest memory of a movie. I think the film that motivated me the most creatively was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Such Humanity! ha. I spent hour’s day dreaming of being a crime fighting ninja---I’m actually very surprised that there isn't more TMNT influence in my work. My earliest home movies were ninja films. My brother's and I would dress up in my mom’s dark spandex and swing around from tree's. As for T.V., Zach Morris was (and continues to be) my hero...I love Saved by the Bell.
CK: Was getting into “the business” always in your cards or did it come along later on in life?
RB: Ya know, honestly, "the business" aspect of this whole thing is just a stone on the path. For me, making films is as equal and important to hunting, gathering and building a shelter. It's just what I do in this life; I really just don't see another way. The business part of it, is just as much about getting bread on the table as it is about enjoying the meal. Does that make any sense at all? Here I go again, creating strange new ways to phrase my feelings. ha.
CK: Actually that makes a lot of sense. As for creating new phrase to extend your personal feelings, I’ll let you in on a little secrete; I do it too! But shh! Don’t tell any of my readers okay? [Laughs]
RB: You have my word. Not a soul.
CK: So where do you see yourself in the future of filmmaking, do
you plane on sticking to Indies or would you like to move up to a more mainstream level?
RB: I want to continue making personal films that say something about my experiences. However, there are many roads up the mountain, but I think ultimately we are all headed to the same place. Wow, there I go again. sorry folks.
CK: You’re both an aspiring actor and filmmaker, and I’m pretty sure over time you’ll make your mark in the industry. But if you had to choose between the two careers’ which of the two do you prefer most?
RB: Filmmaking. Hands down. Acting to me, is simply a part of that process.
CK: So as a filmmaker and an actor do you have any set boundaries genre wise or are you willing to explore all the film genres?
RB: I only do Sci-Fi skin flicks!...ha. Just kidding. Sort of. My new movie is kind of sexy and kind of Sci-Fi. So maybe I’m headed in that direction. I don't really see my work as being "genre" based. I just want to make personal movies. Not necessarily films that are solely from my own experience but a personal view of someone else's experience as I encounter it. Sometimes those stories will fit into the context of "genre" and so I strive to serve the needs of that experience.
CK: So you’re willing to try anything at least once than genre-wise?
RB: I'm open to any form of storytelling that feels honest and that I can connect wit
h on a personal level---if that's commercial comedy like my web series "The Really Cool Show" (www.thereallycoolshow.com) or a meditation art film like "Carter", then that's the path I will take.
CK: I understand that aside from directing and acting in the film CARTER, you also wrote it?
RB: To an extent, yes. I conceived the overall concept, and I wrote the one act stage play that the film is inspired by. But the film had no official script. We shot based on a minimal outline, breaking down possible thematic elements of scenes that would take place in specific locations. We shot one scene using the dialogue and scenario from the one act play---but it was the first thing to hit the cutting room floor.
CK: Interesting, so basically parts of the story were developed as filming was going on than?
RB: Absolutely. I always try to be open to that. I make very low budget films, independent of a structure that can provide little more than encouragement, man power and most importantly, creative collaboration. If my films are going to work, I have to give them the freedom to be "discovered". Many time's that will happen in the editing room. I see the position of "director" as being someone who knows to work with people smarter than himself and to have the ability to serve the best idea in the room, even if it's not his own. A filmmaker friend once told me "the audience doesn't know your intention, they only know what they see" and that's been huge advice, that I take to heart.
CK: So what inspired you to write CARTER?
RB: I was sitting in a car, with a good friend, and he made the same vow
that Jebadiah Sminch makes in the film. Which is: If he isn't married by the time he turns 23, he will kill himself when he's 25. I really liked the idea of exploring the absurdity of that vow and how far someone might go to commit to a "joke".
CK: Did your friend ever follow through with the vow?
RB: He's not 25 yet. So we shall see.
CK: Correct me if I’m wrong, but I heard that some of your co-stars also had a part in co-writing the film as well?
RB: Oh Yes! The actors improvised all their dialogue, based on direction I would give them. Julia Howe who plays Carter, once joked that she was nervous because she felt like she needed to say something clever, but I'm really looking for the opposite of that.
CK: That’s very impressive of you to give the actors such a nice stretch of freedom to work with on the dialogue. Did they have time to practice with each other on the dialogue before filming started or was it all improved on the spot?
RB: Everyone discussed characters and the situation prior to shooting, but all of the dialogue was improvis
ed as we were shooting. It's always about discovery! I love being surprised in a scene and finding new things to work towards. It keeps everyone on their feet. Some things, you just can't write. Even in my new film, which has a complete screenplay. we are using a lot more of the improvised moments, because they just feel more honest and personal.
CK: If so, can you explain what hand they had in co-writing it?
RB: The way I like to work is fairly loose, allowing the actors to personalize it and bring in their own experience or reactions to a given scenario. I start by shooting long take's allowing us to "find" the scene then dig in for the good stuff. I sometimes like to give each character a secret mission within the scene and I play with each character, adjusting those missions, until we have either complete chaos, or a precise interaction. We tend to find the story in editing.
CK: So tell us a little about the film.
RB: As a teenager, Jeb Sminch jokingly made a vow that if he wasn't married by the time he turned 23; he will kill himself when he turned 25. The story takes place, three days before Jeb's 25th birthday, he is unmarried but in a committed relationship with a beautiful young lady named Carter. He fully intends to commit to his vow despite as he fully acknowledges that he's never been happier. This film is an exploration of a character who wants to "get the last laugh" at the absurdity of life. I hope it feels more like a human experience than a plot driven narrative.
CK: How long did it take to film?
RB: Five days. Three of which, the majority was shot. The other two were pickups and additional scenes.
CK: Did you manage to get everything from your script film?
RB: The story wrote itself, and because we were open to that experience, I felt I said the things I needed to say. Yes.
CK: So I’ve heard that you and Director Princeton Holt and Brian Ackley aren’t just calques but also close friends?
RB: By close friends, you mean all night phone debates about whether or not Imp
rovising a scene is "serving" the story or not, than yes! [Laughs]. We all worked together on each other's films in one way or another (no pun intended) and we certainly have sat down to have a beer from time to time. Everyone is so busy with new projects these days; it's hard to get anyone on the phone! It's starting to feel like a break up. [Laughs]. BRIAN and PRINCETON, if you are reading this, I never stopped loving you. AND I want my plaid tee shirt back! [Laughs harder]. I'm kidding, kind of.
CK: [Laughs]
CK: Care to elaborate more on how this three musketeers like friendship started?
RB: I met Brian and Princeton in a basement apartment somewhere deep in Brooklyn. I was looking for support for my new film "Life in Rewind"...which later became "Carter" and they were looking for support for Brian's debut film "Uptown". I hopped on board as second camera operator and eventually producer and they came over to help produce my film. In between shots at the apartment, and Brian shooting a scene, solo, on a bus, Princeton and I began a dialogue (that continues to this day) about Indie film distribution and the new role that filmmakers play in that. We all enjoy a good debate on the topic and our different approaches to the work, I think, is our greatest strength. Our different approaches? Well, that's a whole other conversation!
CK: This next question I’m about to ask you has become somewhat of a tradition for interviews here at TCWreviews.com, so don’t worry, you’re definitely not the first one I’ve asked this question to, and you won’t be the last. [Laughs]
RB: Uh Oh.
CK: As a filmmaker how far are you willing to go for the sake or art?
RB: I have
n't crossed that line yet, and until I do, I'm not really sure. I know there is a certain liability to making very personal films and having the actors personalize their work but I think as long as it comes from an honest, safe place, we will be able to continue pushing forward. I'm excited to see where the work goes. In short, until I'm doing science fiction porno’s for late night cable programming, I'm not satisfied. I'm joking. Right?
CK: Same question as an actor?
RB: Well, I've played a bear getting a fake b*** *** by a man playing a prince. So I guess as long as the story is good (or funny) and the director wants to work from an honest place, I'm willing to explore a lot of places. I don't ever want to do something that risks the integrity of my personal character or that of my loved ones but I come from an extremely supportive family and that allows me to feel safe enough to go the places that best serve the story. Very little has stopped me so far, and I'm up for the challenge.
CK: Last question: what projects can we expect to see you next in and or working on?
RB: Well, my web show The Really Cool Show (dot com) just
released a "best of" DVD. We are super excited about that, and are currently discussing a season four. I'm in post production on a new film called "Mother/Sister" about two sisters, one black, one white, who spend a week together at their famous father's summer home. We shot the film in mid September in Michigan. I'm really excited about the project---it was self produced on a budget raised through social networks and family and friends who wanted to support my work. It feature's wonderful performances by Jace Nicole (Cookies N Cream), Joe Swanberg (Nights and Weekends), Deirdre Herlihy (Carter) and myself in a leading role. Look for it hitting the festival circuit, hopefully spring 2010. Last, but not least, I produced, photographed and have a supporting role in a film by Richard Buonagurio called "Harry's Judy" that is just wrapping Post Production and will be coming out very soon. Like I said before, I'm super hyperactive and like to stay busy. I'm always looking forward to the new projects.
CK: Well it was a pleasure talking with you. I look forward doing this again someday. I’ll let you have the last word.
RB: Thanks for taking the time to talk with me. It's been really great and I look forward to a future conversation. If any of the readers are in the NYC area on November 24th, please come see the official directors cut of my film "Carter" screen at the Anthology Film Archives as part of the NewFilmmakers Fall Series. And if you are interested in seeing the naked series "festival" cut of the film, you can order a DVD at http://www.carterthemovie.com. And last but not least, if you are interested in any of my other work, you can find me at http://www.ryanbalas.com or on twitter @ryanbalas. Let’s be friends!
And that concludes my interview with Actor/Director Ryan Andrew Balas. We continued conversing off the record for quite a bit after the interview was over. We talked about my personal thoughts about his film after I sat down to watch a privet screening of it. Which you’ll get to read later this month. We also talked about doing another interview together sometime in the near future, preferably sometime soon after my review hits the web so that we may have a deeper conversation going between us about the film. However way it may go I look forward to doing it, as do I look forward to his next project. If you’re in the New York area on or around November 24th you can check out his film CARTER at the Anthology Film Archives for the NewFilmmakers Fall Series. Which believe me is going to be the place to be for all the Indie lovers out there on the east coast. However if you’re unable to make out that way to see the film at the festival you can purchase the DVD which is available now on the Official website for only $20.
Directed by: James Cameron
or a long, long time I have stood in disbelief over the production of James Cameron’s latest flick Avatar Mainly because I’ve always thought of him as an overrated director whom people over exaggerate from time to time, I mean sure he’s made some really good films in the past but I never really saw him as anything masterpiece like worthy, especially after he made Titanic (Don‘t get me started, I was forced to watch that movie in theaters so many times that I can recite the film’s dialogue scene for scene in my head.) so after he decided to leave directing to journey around the world by sea for all these years I figured with 12 years absent from the directing spot light he was pretty much done, and there was no way we’d get back the man we all knew from the 80’s and 90’s, I mean you’d have to take into account that 12 years is a long time, and the times have changed and he may not be able to live up to the monumental prestige he built over the course of 28 years, so I basically pre-judged this film from the get-go with a somewhat negative outlook on it, heck I didn‘t even think it would become anything note worthy when I first heard about it years ago when it was still in it‘s conceptual stage. Well that was before I sat down to watch it, and let me tell you; with all the fibers of my being telling me this film did not have the slightest chance of succeeding, I fell in love with the magnificently stunning world that is the Pandora!
Alpha Centauri system and is inhabited by the na’vi, a species of humanoid-like natives that are blue skin and stand at rightly 10 feet or so tall. These wonderful beings are only the tip of the ice berg in the film Avatar. James Cameron has grafted a plot that is with layers of sub-messages that many film critics who’ve criticized the film failed to notice that the plot in itself is enriched with an echoing past tale presented in a futuristic setting, it’s like a modern telling of Pocahontas, I won’t go much future into saying anything else so as to not ruin the film for anyone. But I will say that Director James Cameron has outdone himself with creating one of the most visually unique enriching worlds with the film Avatar, what he’s done is bring more than just a film, but an experience of the decade! The stunning visual effects are second to none, and the storyline is a gripping hang on to the edge of your seat experience that is fully satisfying to say the least. I cannot stress how truly beautiful a film this is overall other than it’s nothing short of EPIC! The only slight problem the film had which I honestly don’t see it hurting the film in the slightest way is the dialogue some of the characters use in the film, it often at times seemed a little cheesy, but after a second viewing (Yes, this film needs to be viewed more than once to truly appreciate the wonders Cameron has created) I found it somewhat acceptable.
Worthington did to make such an impression as to Star in two major films this year (the other being Terminator Salvation (2009)) but I’m glad he did it because he was fantastic in the leading male role, though I wasn’t to keen on his performance in Terminator Salvation, the latter was stunning to say the least, I greatly look forward to see what he’s got going for him next. Zoe Saldana was out-of-this-world in the leading female role, which is a huge step up I must say, because in my opinion she has usually played mediocre roles over the last decade, but in this year alone has changed my entire opinion on her after watching her preformed in this and in the summer hit Star Trek (2009). Sigourney Weaver has always been an on and off enjoyment for me, meanly because while I liked just about everything she’s done throughout the 80’s and 90’s, I’ve never fully enjoyed her work as an actress in the 00’s era as much as I’ve done in the past, but once again she has saved herself from falling from grace with her performance in Avatar as Dr. Grace Augustine, and brings out the part of herself that is reminiscent of the Weaver we’ve all come to love. Stephen Lang give a stellar performance that commanded authority on screen, and though he has some of the most cheesiest dialogue in the whole film, it’s clear the he was born for this part as he suit it perfectly.
ce my first viewing of Girlfight (2000), though I haven’t enjoyed much of her work in the more recent films (Fast & Furious (2009)) and I often wish she would think wisely about her choice in films she’d act in (Uwe Boll's BloodRayne (2005) the biggest disappointment for me) but we get a glimmer of that tough-girl performance that won over audiences years ago with her newest film Avatar! Though it’s not her best, it’s at least on par with her more better work which I’m more than satisfied with. Giovanni Ribisi give a pretty reasonable performance that I found very entertaining, and it’s especially nice to see him in a major film such as this again (everyone remember when he was a new up and coming actor? What the heck happened, man?). Joel Moore did impressively well, which is saying a lot from me, because I’ve always thought of him as one of those actors people consider a guilty pleasure, you can’t stand him in the roles he play, yet you can’t stop watching for the sake of curiosity.
