5 Questions with Andrew T. Betzer

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

I went to film school and began to work in a motion picture lab afterwards. I eventually started to work at a film restoration facility named Cineric in NYC. I've had a chance to work on many interesting and high profile restoration projects. I think the film bug bit me at a young age. We had a VCR pretty early on. There were always plenty of movies to watch. At first, I wanted to be a screenwriter. I quickly realized that the only way I was going to get a script produced was to film it myself.

2) What was the initial idea for this project and how did it evolve from there?

I started getting intrigued by the strange training methods that the police employ. The whole idea of the "hell day". As I started to research it, I began to come across a lot of information about discrimination lawsuits, particularly by women. Some were of a sexual nature, but many just seemed to be about the members of a closed society saying to women "just because we have to let you in, it doesn't mean we have to make you feel welcome". I thought it would be an interesting premise to show a group of cadets suffering through the day as a unit only to find out in the end that not everyone must suffer by the same standards. I love an ending that leaves more questions than answers. I think this story certainly gave me an opportunity to do just that.

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And the easiest part?

Biggest challenge was working with a cast that size and also deciding how to frame the project for the actors and the owners of the location. It's a very politically divided issue, the last thing I wanted was people kicking us out or walking off the set mid shoot. I was constantly in fear. Easiest part, there wasn't one.

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

Payday (1973). A 70's gem with Rip Torn that somehow got by me until recently (it's on YouTube!). It's a raw, ugly portrait of a road weary country singer with a performance from Rip Torn that's so dangerous and out of control. I love road movies.

5) What’s next for you?

I'm writing a feature film that I hope to make in the not too distant future. I would love to make another short if the muse talks to me.

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Twitter: @BetzerAndrew