DIRECTORS
WRITERS
ACTORS
PRODUCTIONS
FESTIVALS
SCREENINGS
written by Denise Kaminsky and edited by FilmPens
Could you telling the readers about yourself.
I am from New York and went to school in the Bronx, where I met Richard Weintraub, the producer of "Wasted Sunshine." I've made movies since I was a teenager and eventually graduated to making feature films after college.
What made you choose to produce the film "Wasted Sunshine?"
"Wasted Sunshine" was a script written by my college roommate, Jonathan Lang, with the intention of creating a true Florida Keys tale of depression, almost like a Charles Bukowski piece with more drama. I had worked with a good team of friends for many years creating films. Jon grew up in Florida and had a family home in the Keys-Islamorada, Florida, which we based the story's location.
What is the plot of "Wasted Sunshine"?
"Wasted Sunshine" is a dramatic comedy, following Danny Moore (David Brownstein), a devouted Alcoholics Anonymous member, on a visit to his alcoholic, retured DA father, Victor Moore (Carson Grant). A messy love-triangle evolves between Danny and his Dad's new wife, Melody Barnes (Sarah Ford Smith), who is Danny's age.
Could you tell us about any production stories.
The shoot was full of intense moments. While being bitten by endless mosquitoes, we closed down a highway for an hour and shoot a critical scene between Danny and Melody. With failures in equipment, generator and sound recorder and searching Miami for replacement stock, the entire shoot was a true learning experience for everyone involved. The cast and crew worked 24/7 to succeed in completing the film in our short shooting schedule. We finally recorded about 20 hours of digital video in just a week, which is a tremendous amount of work for a small crew.
Could you speak about the Cast and why you choose Carson Grant for 'Victor Moore'?
The actors really got into the souls of their characters, forming them from the outside inward, by doing their own costumes and rehearsing privately.The actors had to be on point at all times. On the character of Victor, Carson Grant was the most interesting character actor we met. It was as if the role was written for him without even knowing him. In auditions, he pulled out all the stops and was clearly the actor with the most emotional edge in the studio. He became Victor in a way that the writer could have never imagined.
What is behind 'the woman and the locket'?
The locket was a gift from Victor to his first wife (Danny's mother), but then regifted to the second wife, Melody. A key scene in the film, Melody places the locket on Danny, comsummating their romantic encounter. Later at the hospital, dying of cancer, Victor discovers the locket on Danny's neck, realizes about the infidelity that has occurred, and confronts them both.
What are your future plans for yourself and for "Wasted Sunshine"?
"Wasted Sunshine" has been screened at Pumelo Film Festival, the Dusty Film Festival and Superfilms Premier Screenings, NYC. I am currently producing animations for MTV and the Sundance Channel focusing on "the Green Issues" of the environment.
For further information on Casey Safron and "Wasted Sunshine" visit http://www.ridgewood13.com/film_wasted.html
Trivia:
While shooting the night scene between Victor (Carson Grant) and Danny (David Brownstein) at the Islamorada condo complex, the owners and their children came to watch, which created an outdoor theater atmosphere to the set. When the crowd was too loud, Carson Grant suggested to the director (Casey Saffron) if the children could be used as extras passing through the beach area at the beginning of the scene before he entered. The suggestion worked perfectly, the crowd felt like they were part of the filmmaking process, and understood the necessity for quiet during the scene film takes.
Carson Grant appeared on the program "The New Yorker" hosted by James Chladek to show vido clips of "Wasted Sunshine" since the program broadcasts in NY/NJ areas and Florida's tv5keywest, tv10keywest and tv31melbourne.