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

The last couple years in high school, I decided I wanted to be a director, so I started trying to write screenplays. My high school didn't have any sort of video-making class, but another school in the district did, so one semester they let me go to that school/ class for the first hour of the day and then I had an hour of "independent study" which was solely used as time for me to drive back to my actual high school. So that class was where I made any sort of video for the first time. But then I majored in psychology in college. 

Towards the end of college I started to try to make my first film, and it pretty quickly fell apart. And then a second version of it fell apart as well. But I got it finished on the third try- Return of the Gumshoe Kids, which is a short, but like twenty-seven minutes long. It took forever, but when I watch it I can see why- I think there's like seventy-something scenes in it? Anyway- so that's the first thing I released into the world, and following that a friend's band asked me to direct a music video for them, and then I suppose it's been one thing leading to another, more films and music videos. 

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

Years ago I had written a short film about someone with the "superpower" seen in Crude Oil, the ability to make people smell things. I liked the idea, but I guess wasn't that into the script- eventually I abandoned it.

Then more recently I got interested in writing something about the sort of friendship portrayed in Crude Oil- controlling or toxic or however you want to characterize it. And for whatever reason it made sense to me to weave elements of the smell superpower into that story. You know, I think probably when I wrote the original smell superpower script I had some vague idea that it could have something to do with being an artist- the feeling of having this talent or power that could potentially be viewed as useless or worthless by others? Maybe a half-baked idea, but I think you can see at leasts remnants of that train of thought within the finished film.

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

The biggest challenge was just getting everything filmed- I think it's technically like forty scenes in the film? We shot initially for five days. Tipper and Josh came to Kansas City for that. Then it was just like here and there, whenever we could get people together. Tipper at one point came back for a couple more days, and then there were a number of shoots that were just like getting little inserts and things. 

If we're talking strictly creative process (as opposed to like, finding money), I'd have to say being on set is my least favorite just because you're usually up against the clock and obviously other logistical issues/ problems come up. But of course there are nice things about being on set too. I like editing...although it's way more fun to edit together designed shots, like just the thrill of seeing shots that are meant to cut together in a specific way actually work. Editing handheld footage or just like standard coverage can be a chore sometimes. Writing's usually fun, for me if it doesn't feel fun that usually just means I'm writing something lousy. 

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

I finally watched The Parallax View recently and really liked it. The brainwashing sequence is pretty wild and the whole movie feels nightmarish. I have a list of 70's paranoid thrillers that I'm working though watching, I'm typically pretty into them.

5) What’s next for you?

Just working on getting a feature goin'! 

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