TJ Freda (left), Tyler Loring (right)

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

Ty- Hey there! I’ve been a part of a visual group the past five years, working with performance art and photography. I slowly dove more into video work within the music industry. Doing a few music videos here and there for some friends. Not until being on the set of ‘Gutterbug’ I got truly inspired to focus more on writing and filmmaking.

TJ - I started making skate videos as a kid and got my first camera when I was in middle school. Became obsessed with filmmaking and then filmmaking showed me music and design. So I pursued graphic design professionally and music on the side. The last 4 years I have been shifting my graphic design focus from branding to title sequences and scoring films. 

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

Ty- Andrew told me about the idea of making a feature film and thought it was interesting and when he started to raise money for it, I knew he was serious about making it come to life. I was living out of my van in Northern California with my wife at the time when the film was about to go into production and I felt the urge that I wanted to be a part of it in some way. So after a few screened calls by Andrew I texted him asking him how I could help to get his attention.

“We have nothing left in our budget, sorry bro..” Andrew

“I can work for free man. I’d love to be a part of it..” Ty

He told me that his house was full of actors and crew members. So I proposed the idea of me sleeping in a tent on his back porch and helping cook meals for the crew. When he realized he’d save some money he finally called me back. Days later I told him my idea about filming ‘Behind the Schemes’ (mainly inspired by ‘Spinal Tap’) and after mulling it over Writer/Producer Chris Tobin and Executive Producer Michael List, he gave me the thumbs up. So I charged my batteries, divorced my ex-wife, packed up my VHS camera and booked a flight to the greatest city in America, Allston Mass.

TJ- It started with Gibson asking someone to hold a VHS camera and go BTS then me and Ty got on the phone together to talk about a potential way to make this into a mockumentary of the making of Gutterbug.

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

Ty- The biggest challenge was keeping the batteries charged. It must have been the hottest weeks of the summer and star actor Andrew Yackal was blasting MULTIPLE  AC units in Andrew’s bedroom.. Doing god knows what. So the power kept blowing throughout the whole shoot and I was having a tough time keeping those old batteries juiced up.

The easiest part was they did all the hard work and all we had to do was record. Sometimes it was tough locating Andrew for interviews.

TJ- Seconded the content was all there, all we had to do was hit record. 

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

Ty- That’s a tough question! I have to say ‘The Lighthouse’ and ‘Call Me By Your Name’ came to mind when I first read this question.

‘The Lighthouse’ to me is a perfect film. The story, the tone, the character development, everything about it is beautiful. It will be a film that will be remembered forever.

My good friend Timothee Chalamet just blew me away in ‘Call Me By Your Name.’ The whole story is extremely cute and I love the setting in Italy and their outfits. The Dance scene when Elio started to truly fall in love with Oliver and the ending are a couple of the best scenes in recent film history. Being able to call Timothee a dear friend is a total blessing. I can’t wait for the world to witness his performances in Wes Andreson’s new film, ‘The French Dispatch’ and ‘Dune.’ They are truly beautiful.

TJ - I have been super into the Beach Bum by Harmony Korine. Its hedonism at its finest portrayed in an instant cult classic, good vibes feel. 

5) What’s next for you?

Ty- Writing, stretching, meditating, staying hydrated, and moving forward in life with the intention to inspire people and make them feel special will be my main focus.

TJ- Rock n Roll.

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www.tylerloring.com/

IG: @loring.tyler

IG: @hellotjtj