5 Questions with Ryan Wagner

Mark needs to go to therapy in “Every Day,” a film by Ryan Wagner, a satirical take on depression and mental health in this country. We asked Wagner how the project started, what the biggest challenge was, and what comes next for him…

1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

I'm originally from Chicago, which is where I got my start writing and directing one-act plays. At the same time I was making stupid comedy videos with my friends, and eventually decided to merge the passions. I went to USC to study writing and directing, which solidified my love for making films.

2) What’s the backstory here - what was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?

Since January I've been making one film a month, in what I call the 12 Films in 12 Months Mistake. This my was my short film for August, and to be honest, it was incredibly spur-the-moment. I had one day left in the month and still no idea for a short film. So in hail-mary fashion I decided to pull from my own life and make a film about how hard it's been to find a therapist in LA. From there we raised $10,000 and shot the film.

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the best, and the least?

The majority of the film is a single take, which meant that if I messed up a line, or we hit the wrong bump in the road, we would have to start over. I think we only did about three takes, but still it was a bit difficult to focus on what the lines meant when I was so preoccupied with remembering the lines at all. My favorite part of this process was getting to work with my dog, and my least favorite part was investors asking to see receipts for how I spent the $10,000-- I CAN'T FIND THEM.

4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

I rewatched Singin' In The Rain as I was flying first class from Boston to LA the other night, and had such a great time. It's an incredibly fun a movie, and really inspiring to see how fun-loving filmmaking can be. And I have these amazing new noise-cancelling headphones so all the musical numbers sounded great.

5) What’s next for you?

I'll be continuing to make one film a month through the rest of this year. I have an idea that I'm really excited about for December. I just need to raise some money first.

Contact Info:

Instagram: @Ryan_Walner