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Rusty Sheridan
A Declaration of Independence
1. How did you come up with the idea for the film?
Politics and film are easily two of my most passionate subjects. It seemed natural
to me to combine the two and make something that hopefully makes a coherent
statement on both levels—the political, and the artistic.
2. How long did the production process take?
The actual shooting took about 2 years. Not continuous, of course… spurts here
and there. When I ran out of money I’d quit for a while and go to work on a
commercial or a film or whatever I could find to raise more funds. Then I’d shoot
some more on my project. I ended up having to reshoot several scenes because of
continuity issues from the long production process.
3. What challenges did you experience in the creation of the film?
Financial challenges, of course. Trying to find the money for the production,
trying to justify the opportunity cost lost from not working a “real” job, trying to
reconcile actors’ and crewmembers’ schedules—those were the main ones.
Another big one was finding reliable extras. People always say they would love
to be in a movie, and that they will work for free. But when they find out how
much work it is for very little reward, they flake out. I ended up having to hire
an extras’ casting agent to secure enough background for some of the scenes, and
even there I didn’t get as many as I needed. Fortunately I had inflatable dummies
mixed in amongst the real people.
4. What is your favorite memory from creating the film?
When I finally got the first cut assembled and watched it with my wife for the first
time.
5. When someone has finished watching the film, what do you hope they take away from the experience?
Mostly I hope that they had a good time watching it. Secondarily, I hope that they
agree with my message of what America is about.
6. What type of reaction has your film received from viewers?
All positive. Mostly that it’s funny. Which is good, because it’s a comedy.
7. What advice would you give to aspiring young filmmakers?
Find 2 or 3 crewmembers who seem as dedicated to filmmaking as you are, and
be prepared to spend large gobs of money.
8. Please tell us about the next film you plan to work on.
I’m working on a civil-rights piece set in the 1960s south right now.
9. What are your thoughts on the film industry in NC?
The “right to work state” status in NC effectively means nothing. The unions
control an awful lot, which makes it very difficult to make a living wage in the industry
unless you can afford to shell out boatloads of dough for union fees, or unless you work as a career P.A.
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