Adrian Carr Interview

Interview conducted by Adele

<<1. Do you have any advice for actors that are starting out???>>

Ask yourself, do I want to be an actor or a star? If you chose the latter, one in a million make it as a star. Acting is a process that everyone works at in the own pace, becoming comfortable with who they are. Actors have to expose themselves to the world, physically as well as emotionally.

Then ask, how serious are you? Can you expose your deepest feelings? Can you remove all your clothes and stand naked in front of an audience and be proud of your body, your acting instrument?

Now ask, do I want to act on stage or in movies and/or television? After the fundamental training as actors there are different techniques for the various acting arenas. Theater, you learn the script sequentially and have plenty of rehearsal to fine tune the play. By contrast, in film and television you have little or no rehearsal, and in most cases you're constantly jumping from scene to scene out of story sequence and more importantly emotionally. You get a few takes and then the performance is recorded for all eternity...good or bad.

<<2.Is it easy to get Chris Jones to act at the high level he does???>>

Chris is a natural talent. He's intelligent and understands Tex which is half the battle. On ocassion I would give him some acting tips and guide him as a director. On The Pandorea Directive it was wonderful to watch Chris 'hit' an emotion, it would shock and surprise him. As CEO of Access he had to lay open his emotions for his employees to see, not easy for a boss to do, but Chris delivered 90% of the time. On Overseer he grew extensibly, he was much more prepared to let it all happen. If we get another crack at Tex in Trance and Polarity gamers will see a fully rounded Tex Murphy.

<<3. What was it like working on the Pandora Directive and Overseer?>>

It was like a family affair. Chris and the gang embraced me from day one and we all had an instant trust and emotional bond, an aloof quality these days. We worked with a crew of 6-10 people. The cast we had on both games was incredible. And working in a new medium, for me, and being on the cutting edge of technology was amazing and eye opening.

Working with Hollywood icons Kevin McCarthy and John Agar, to actors of the caliber of Michael York and Barry Corbin. Not to mention beauties like Tanya Roberts, Suzanne Barnes, Rebecca Broussard, Monique Lanier, Kris Conners. Then you have heroes like Henry Darrow and Roger Davis. A close buddy of mine is Richard Norton who plays Jim Slade, he and I go back 25 years, it was great to be working with Rich again. I got to meet a slew of actors I'd only heard about but had never met...Clint Howard, Bill Bradshaw, Joe Estevez, Silvana Gallardo and some newcomers for me...John Gavigan, Emmett Grennan, John Timmons, Regina Cronenweth, Aaron Conners, Nicole Tindall, Micaela Nelligan and Jim Cash and to mention Chris Jones the man himself. And I got to direct a bunch of the staff at Access, that was a blast too.

The music composers were phenomenal talents. Jeff and Matt produced the equivalent of a feature score for these games, and it doesn't sound synthetic, at times I'm convinced they got an orchestra from somewhere. The CD of Overseer is available from Microsoft/Access Software I believe. It also has a suite from The Pandora Directive.

Our days were pretty full; I won't go into the details suffice to say it was dark when I arrived and dark when I left the studio. See my attached interview with D.K. Heller for more techo stuff about the shooting. On Overseer the only difference was we scheduled the shoot more like a movie, with actors coming and going, overlapping and then assembling the material to see what pick-up shots we needed of Tex. I would often act 'off-camera' for Chris when actors were not available for his reverse shots.

I developed long term friendships with some of those I have worked closely with...Chris, of course and his wife Audree. Writer and co-creator Aaron Conners and his wife, Kris, Mark Hulka, Dave Brown, Jon Clarke, Les Brown and Nate Larsen.

<<4. In an interview with Rick Barba, Chris Jones mentioned some bloopers occured while filming Overseer. Do you have some you could share on either game???>>

Bloopers never come off right when you write about them, it's all in the telling, the recreation of the moment, or actually seeing them, eg. On Pandora Kevin Jones (Chris' brother) had a case of the giggles for 3 minutes on camera...tears were literally streaming...it was infectiously funny, but see it doesn't transfer in writing. When we meet I act them out for you on tape and you can run that on the site with stills from the games. Sorry I can't expand on the bloopers, I hope you understand?

<<5. Are there any plans for a Pandora Directive movie?? If so, will you be directing it???>>

Sadly I believe it is too late for a Pandora Directive movie; Roswell is pass�. Had we made it three years ago I would have been the director. That doesn't mean there won't be a Tex Murphy PI movie, and if there is...I will be directing, you can bet on it.

<<6. What other projects are you working on and/ or considering???>>

I am currently making a feature documentary about Drew Struzan, Hollywood's premier movie poster artist. Check out is website www.drewstruzan.com He has had an amazing life and is an inspiration to anyone who dreams of being an artist.

I am also developing several movie projects, but for a better idea of what I've done you can post my filmography, biography and/or resum�.

<<7. Are you still an employee of Microsoft/Access???>>

I never was an employee of Access/Microsoft. I was hired as a freelance director/editor.

<<8. Is there a Mrs Carr???>>

Yes. Rosemary Marks-Carr. Rosemary is a film producer. She is currently U.S. production Coordinator on the new Crocdile Dundee III movie which starts shooting at the end of this July.

<<9.What American directors have most influenced your work???>>

John Frankenheimer (The Train/Seconds/Ronin/Grand Prix/Black Sunday), Steven Spielberg (E.T. the Extraterrestrial/Jaws/Sugarland Express/Duel/Raiders of the Lost Ark/Amistad/Schindler's List/Jurassic Park), Stanley Kubrick (A Clockwork Orange/Spartacus/Paths of Glory/Te Shining/2001 - A Space Odyssey/Dr. Strangelove, or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb/Full Metal Jacket) and Don Siegel (Dirty Harry/Kill Charley Varrick/Black Windmill/The Shootist)-- for their all round story telling techniques

Other non-American directors who have influenced me include: Ridley Scott's Alien and Blade Runner for their artistry --Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now and Inserts for editing and eroticism -- Alfred Hitchcock for his many suspense movies. Luc Besson's Le Femme Nikkita and The Professional -- Peter Yates for Bullitt, The House on Carroll Street and Breaking Away-- John Woo for poetry in motion with The Killers, Face Off, Mission Impossibe II -- Roland Emmerich's The Patriot, Stargate andIndependence Day. There are too many other directors to mention with a film or two that have also influenced or inspired me.

<<10. How do you feel about the independent film movement in American movies??? Do you anticipate participating in any future independent ventures???>>

To answer your second question first...my next directing endeavour is an independent film called Rough Trade. Think Carmen meets Fargo...a sexy, quirky, violent and darkly funny film.

The indie scene in America: I think this surge in indie films has introduced a number of talented filmmakers to the public, and to the major and mini studios. The danger being that the studios suddenly shove tons of money into the hands of first time directors without track records and hope they'll make lightning strike twice, three times or more.

Most indie directors' second or third productions seem to flop at the B.O. The budget jumps are too high, too fast, and all this 'expert advice' is impressed onto these newcomers. They lose what it was that got them there in the first place and as a result turn out inferior work.

If the filmmaker can weather the studios wrath and produce another hit all is forgiven and the cycle starts again. So, in closing, it's a blessing and curse...just like the internet with everyone who owns a camera can make a movie believing they are filmmakers. Get ready for a lot of time wasting trash!