by Jason Whyte
The "Hell on Wheels" Pitch: Hell on Wheels takes a from-the-trenches look at the dizzying clash of athleticism, exhibitionism, egos, politics and business that is modern-era roller derby. A group of hard-hitting Texas women overcome myriad obstacles in resurrecting and revamping the sport, only to find internal strife ripping the fledgling organization apart. Two leagues emerge from the clash, and what follows ignites an international roller derby revival.
Describe your movie using in a paragraph or less.
To the NASCAR crowd: All girl roller derby!
To feminists and the politically correct: All women’s roller derby!
To the high brow crowd: It’s a story about women’s empowerment and the struggles involved in creating a grassroots micro society. It’s the age old clash between workers and management, of centralized control versus a democracy, all set within the rough and tumble world of modern roller derby.
Is this your first film in SxSW? Do you have any other festival experience? If you’re a festival veteran, let us know your favourite and least-favourite parts of the festival experience.
My first feature (Rock Opera) screened at a couple dozen fests, including a SXSW world premiere. The fest experience can be great. I met a ton of filmmakers from across the country. You can create a network of like-minded friends and cohorts. Connections are crucial in this biz and fests are a good way to make some.
Getting to watch your film with an audience is also a perk. Getting some press ain’t bad either.
Could you give me a little look into your background (your own personal biography, if you will), and what led you to the desire to want to make film?
As a kid, I was always into storytelling through writing and illustrating. I think I first realized I wanted to make movies while in Jr. High. It wasn’t until much later that I discovered it was even possible. After high school, I went in with a friend and bought a video camera so we could shoot ourselves skateboarding. I dabbled in photography… played in a band… wrote for ‘zines… eventually I started using the video cam more for shooting short films than making skate videos. I kind of explored all the elements of filmmaking in other pursuits, but ultimately, it all added up to filmmaking and I’ve been making short films, music videos, and the like since the mid nineties.
Growing up, you were no doubt asked the eternal question “When I grow up I want to be a …” Finish this sentence, please!
Stunt man, ninja, escape artist, con-man, demolitions expert, stand up comic, or a killer robot.
While you were making the movie, were you thinking about the future release of the film, be it film festivals, paying customers, critical response, and so forth?
A bit. There wasn’t a lot of time for that. We were too busy trying to catch our story and keep up with the action. You gotta be tough to hang with dozens of derby girls.
How did this project come to fruition? If you could, please provide me with a rundown, start to finish, from your involvement.
The “official” story reads like this: Werner and I were at a local bar discussing the perils of making a documentary about crazy one-man-band legend Hasil Adkins when a female friend of mine from high school rolled up, knocked me to the floor and “chatted” with me. We then realized we were smack dab in the middle of a benefit for the upstart roller derby and my old friend was one of the rollergirls. Werner and I both instantly knew that this would make a great documentary.
When we started, we thought we were going to shoot the creation of something unique, a modern-era and all-girl take on roller derby. The plan was to follow the roller derby through its creation and first year. But by the end of season one, we sensed something big was brewing. So we stuck around. Good thing, because the series of events that unfolded shocked everyone involved. A powerful story was materializing right before our eyes. Roller derby almost self destructed. A rift tore the league in half, nearly killing the roller derby re-birth. This split led to the breakaway league and a truckload of drama. Throughout the process, we witnessed the creation of the exploding phenomenon currently sweeping the nation.
What was the biggest challenge in the production of the movie, be it principal photography or post-production?
It’s hard to say. I guess post production. Production was a ton of work. Filming up to five times a week for nearly three years can take its toll. That said, post was no cakewalk. We had five hundred hours of footage and I watched about 420 of those tapes myself, did the lion’s share of the digitizing and organizing and a lot of the logging. We had a little help here and there and I don’t want to diminish anyone’s contributions, but it really was an enormous amount of work.
Please tell me about the technical side of the film; your relation to the film’s cinematographer, what the film was shot on and why it was decided to be photographed this way.
We used a variety of video formats and shot some Super 8 film as well. Primarily we used Mini DV for its affordability and portability. Also, the small cameras allow us to be far less intrusive. I love to shoot Super 8 and had several rolls of unused film, so we shot a lot of that too. It looks sweet.
Talk a bit about the festival experiences, if any, that you have had with this particular film. Have you had any interesting audience stories or questions that have arisen at screenings?
SXSW = World Premiere!
Who would you say your biggest inspirations are in the film world (directors, actors, cinematographers, etc)? Did you have any direct inspirations from filmmakers for this film in particular?
Murderball was a huge inspiration in the post production phase. It came out in 2005 and blew me away. We were already in the early stages of post at the time I saw it and it gave me a great boost. It’s a fantastic film about an unusual sport and the people and politics of that world. It was so well crafted.
How far do you think you would want to go in this industry? Do you see yourself directing larger stories for a larger budget under the studio system, or do you feel that you would like to continue down the independent film path?
I want to continue to be able to be in control of the projects that I chose to do. I would love to have financial security, but I have consistently chosen the path that allows me creative freedom versus the road to monetary gain. I’m a glutton for punishment, I guess.
If you weren’t in this profession, what other career do you think you would be interested in?
Crime.
Please tell me some filmmakers or actors that you would love to work with, even if money was no object.
I would rather money be no object. I want to work with people who are excited about the project. People who get it. Who bring their energy and enthusiasm and skills to the show and kick ass.
Okay, how about the cinematographer Christopher Doyle? That’d be fun, for sure.
Do you think that you have “made it” in this profession yet? If you don’t believe so, what do you think would happen for that moment to occur?
This is the year I “make it”!
You have been given the go-ahead to make your next movie, but you must include one piece of product placement. Luckily, you get to choose said product placement. What would you choose?
Wait, what do I get out of the deal?
How important do you think the critical/media response is to film these days, be it a large production, independent film or festival title?
For small films it means a lot. There’s no ad budget and frequently, the only mention you get is from a critic. I’ve done a lot of screenings across the nation and I’ve seen how some great reviews can affect the turnout. Obviously, for Hollywood’s elite films like Epic Movie, they can forgo the critics screenings altogether and still rake in the cash.
If your film could play in any movie theatre in the world, which one would you choose and why?
We’ll be at the Paramount in Austin, Texas on March 11th. That’s one hell of a theatre. And we’ll be at the Original Alamo Drafthouse for the subsequent screenings. There are no finer theatres than the historically awesome Paramount and the completely awesome Alamo Drafthouse!
Do you have an opinion on the issue of “A Film by (Insert Director Here)” ? Is this something you use? Many people collaborate to make a film yet simultaneously, the director is the final word on the production.
I used it on my first film (where I was writer, director, producer, editor, did the post sound, acted in it (barely), operated camera, etc.). It’s sort of a double edged sword. On the one hand, using “A Film By” does create name recognition for the filmmaker.
I see it all the time and really notice it even when it’s someone I haven’t heard of. I wonder who is that guy and why is his name on there? Or I wonder why or where I should have heard of him. But then, it worked. I now know that guy’s name. So in a business sense it adds up to use it. People will get to know your name and maybe even buy you drinks.
Also, in a lot of films, the writer/director’s vision shapes the film and permeates every aspect of the production. On the flip side, it can seem a tad arrogant and maybe everyone will think you’re a prick and they won’t buy you drinks. If the film is good, they’ll probably buy you drinks. If your film sucks and you used “A Film By”… well, good luck with those free drinks, boozy.
There are a lot of aspiring filmmakers at film festivals who are out there curious about making a film of their own. Do you have any advice that you could provide for those looking to get a start?
Quit talking about it and start shooting films. All the hot air in the world does no good, if you don’t have the chops to back it up. You learn a lot by shooting tons of films, making all kinds of mistakes and learning what works and what doesn’t.
--
Bob Ray's Hell on Wheels will have its world premiere at the 2007 South By Southwest Film Festival. Click here for more information. And check out BSide.com for even more info!
 del.icio.us 
link directly to this feature at http://efilmcritic.com/feature.php?feature=2111
originally posted: 02/25/07 19:06:55
last updated: 03/07/07 09:16:32
![[printer]](/images/icon/printer.gif) printer-friendly format
|
Articles 
subscribe to this feed
