Past Filmmakers

Lee Baber
The Interrogator

1. How did you come up with the idea for the film?

The Interrogator was an entry to the 2005 48 Hour Film Project in Greensboro. I was assigned a genre, a character, a prop, and a line of dialogue. We then had 48 hours to create a short film containing those elements. Axel Tolksdorf (a Greensboro playwright and actor) and I worked for hours to come up with a doable idea for our limited production time frame.  After struggling for hours, we settled on a concept. The script came quickly after that. I don’t want to give anything away, but I believe I was influenced by all the Twilight Zones I used to watch in the 1980’s (right here on UNC-TV.)

2. How long did the production process take?

Again, we only had 48 hours to do this. I’d say we finished about 6 hours before our deadline. So… 36 hours from A-to-Z. While I produced the film, it would never have turned out the way it did without the following three people:

Joel Ferguson of Monroe, NC (director)

John Bultmann of Surfside Beach, SC (editor)

Kevin Campbell of Charlotte, NC (lead actor)

All three are immense talents and veterans of Charlotte-area broadcasting and stage. I could fill up a whole page of my appreciation and praise for their talents.

3. What is your favorite memory from creating the film?

My favorite memory is just the fun we had making it. Despite being under pressure to complete it under deadline, no one on the set was ever stressed.

4. What type of reaction has your film received from viewers?

Frankly, it’s a mixed bag. The film doesn’t follow your typical narrative, so I always knew we’d probably lose a few audience members right out of the gate.