Past Filmmakers

David Monahan
Ringo

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

I'd always loved Don Robertson's classic Western story-song "Ringo" and admired the way it compressed a feature film story into a four minute song. And I'd always wanted to try to create a new, stand-along narrative movie by heavily manipulating existing footage. "Ringo" was the perfect choice. And it was the cheapest movie I ever made - no film to process and no actors to feed!

2. How long did the production process take?

We had no production process. But the post-production took a year and a half.

3. What challenges did you experience in the creation of the film?

I came up with an insanely long, detailed shot list cataloging the kind of footage needed for each possible moment in the film. Many proposed compositions actually required four or more separate elements, each from different source shots. Then my film student crew and I had to spend countless hours gleaning 27 public domain westerns for any useable images that might fit any one of the thousands of shots on the wish-list. So just compiling our source footage was by far the most challenging aspect of the project. Figuring out how to cut and paste everything together was the fun part.

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

The best moment had to be hearing from Don Robertson, the amazing songwriter and performer who gave us the rights to the song that is the spine of the film.  Knowing that Don, who had been so supportive throughout the process, loved the completed movie was the greatest honor any of us could have wished for.

5. When someone has finished watching the film, what do you hope they take away from the experience?

I hope they'll leave exhilarated and a little dazed by the breakneck speed of the  "collage barrage". But I also hope that they connect with what is actually a heartfelt and sincere story of male bonding in the classical Western tradition.

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

"Ringo" is fun and fast and easy, so reactions have been pretty positive. Western movie fans especially enjoy seeing icons like Roy Rogers and John Wayne and all the archetypal images in a new context and semi-experimental form.

7. What advice would you give to aspiring young filmmakers?

Being sincere is more important than being clever.

8. Please tell us about your next film or project.

I'm editing a documentary about a local Wilmington family that has been making and selling troll dolls since 1952, and writing a short narrative film to direct and edit later this year.

9. What are your thoughts on the film industry in North Carolina?