5 Questions with Noel David Taylor
The absurdist quick hitter, “Dos Hombres,” debuts today as a mid-week WTF. Responsible for the film is director Noel David Taylor, who we asked about awkwardness, and finding friends in L.A…
1) How did the project get going?
I actually wrote this one a while back, think I was daydreaming about the perfect scenario in which to make a friend in LA. I wanted to shoot it but couldn't find enough people, or the right place and kind of put it in the pdf pile to ferment. Then I had the good fortune to meet the cast you finally see in it, Dean and Jesse on another project and we just sort of became a group, I showed Dean the script and he loved it. We made it a goal to try to make one short a month and this was the first one we made together.
2) I love the stilted awkwardness. Was that something that came naturally for your performers, or was there some back and forth trying to achieve that?
I think luckily stilted awkwardness comes pretty baked in with my personality. As far as the acting, it's really nice to work with people you have an on-going relationship with and everyone in the short has watched my other work and had to endure my personality so I think they just knew what I wanted. But there are for sure a few takes that made it in the final cut that are that, “okay let's go way too far just to have it” take. In fact they may all be that take.
3) You’re in L.A.? Where are you from? When and were did you meet your collaborators?
I am in L.A. I really felt like I needed to make a joke about living in L.A. But thankfully I couldn't think of one. I'm originally from England but moved to the Bay area of California as a kid, I always had it in the back of my mind I would end up here. I guess we all end up where we are, and that's exactly where I met my collaborators! I met Cricket, (the woman looking for the kids) at a bar years ago and we became really close, she has always had a kismet ability to find great people, one day she called me and told me about some guy named Dean, (the bearded bush dwelling hombre). I of course was terrified I would have to meet someone new, but I did it anyway and we immediately got on, he introduced me to Jesse (the other hombre). We were all in a place in our lives where we were a little fed up with not making enough, and equally frustrated by the amount of time we'd been on this planet and not found the right group, we all had a similar interest in absurdist comedy so it just kinda became a thing.
4) I recently saw “Harold and Maude”. It has nothing to do with your film, but I just bring it to ask: what’s a movie that you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you think lives up to its hype?
“Harold and Maude” is great, isn't it? I actually just revisited “Beetlejuice,” it was my favorite movie as a kid and man does it hold up, at least to me. How anyone let him make this is amazing, I don't think anyone would allow this daring of a look now. It sets the tone for the Burton look, every shot is just candy. This reviewer will be saying “Beetlejuice” at least three times!
5) What else ya working on?
I feel like I'm working on a lot but I might just be lazy? I try to write consistently so there's always plenty of that, but I'm trying to focus on finishing a feature I wrote last year and have been shooting in bits here and there. I have a little more filming yet to do then a lot of editing, anyone want to come edit this with me? Eh?
Contact Info
Email: super_battery@yahoo.com