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Past Filmmakers
Noble Chrome Pirates
 The
Interview
1. How did you come up with the idea for the film?
This film was inspired by two Johnny Cash songs: "A Piece at
a Time" and "Folsom Prison Blues". These songs were
the inspiration for two of the main storylines that run through
the film. The first being that these guys are building a car from
stolen and scavenged car parts. The second is the idea
that Randy, Roy and Ray's father, is haunted by a train that passes
the prison. With these ideas in mind, I slowly started to develope
each of the other character's stories.
2. How long did the production process take?
We shot for eight days, which was broken into two four day weekends.
Before this we had spent a solid two months on pre-production, and
then post-production lasted about five months after that. All told,
we spent roughly eight months on it.
3. What challenges did you experience in the creation
of the film?
We had to find two identical 50's automobiles that had matching
doors, and then convince the owner of one of them to let us take
the two front doors off. Luckily, the owner was not only one of
our actors, but a mechanic as well. It still took some convincing.
The other big problem was filming the train sequence. Even though
a train is only in two shots, we had to position ourselves, crew
and all, to be in the right spot at the right time in order to film
the train. I think we had one take of the shot where the
train passes behind the brothers' heads. Scary, considering without
that shot the whole ending of the film wouldn't have worked.
4. What is your favorite memory from creating the
film?
Tough question. There are a lot of good ones. In order to get really
clear sound of the car's exhaust system while it was moving, I had
to hang out of the trunk of a '56 Oldsmobile holding a microphone
while it accelerated to around 50 miles per hour. The other is the
craft services.
5. When someone has finished watching the film,
what do you hope they take away from the experience?
I hope they say, "Man, that was a cool movie."
6. What type of reaction has your film received
from viewers?
From what I can tell, they're laughing in the right spots. I would
say the viewers are split in half. One half knows who June Carter
is, and the other half has no clue.
7. What advice would you give to aspiring young
filmmakers?
Make your movie. Everyone will have an opinion, and you can't afford
to dismiss any of them, but at the same time you can't allow them
to cloud your vision. If it is your film, then you are the one that
is inevitably responsible for the outcome. Stay true to your vision,
because that is the only way you will be able to accept its success
or failure.
8. Please tell us about the next film you plan
to work on?
I've written a feature length script called, "On the Blue Side
of Evening". I'm trying to get funding to shoot this film in
August of 2003. It is a Southern drama that takes place in South
Arkansas.
9. What are your thoughts on the film industry
in NC?
The majority of my experience with the NC film industry has been
through my school, North Carolina School of the Arts. Even projects
I've worked on that were not school related, were comprised mostly
of NCSA people. In a way, this gives me a limited scope on the NC
industry. However, I know for
a fact that the community support for each of my short films was
unbelievable. I have encountered some of the most generous people
I've ever met while working in the North Carolina community. I think
this makes NC an amazing environment to make films. My films could
not have been made without that support.
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