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Brandon Sonnier is the writer, producer and director of the film “Blues”. “Blues” is his third film and definitely his best effort to date. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Brandon about his latest film and also found out how he gets his inspiration for his films.

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Michael Gencarelli: How did you find the task of not only directing but also writing and producing your first film “The Beat”?
Brandon Sonnier: It probably should have been harder but I didn’t know any better at the time. (Laughs) I was about 20 years old when I did that film and actually shot it in between film school semesters. I had a roommate of mine read the script and after he was done he said to me this could be a real movie! Sadly that roommate passed away in a car accident and that was really the driving force behind the movie getting made. I owe a lot to him.

MG: Music seems to be a real inspiration for your films, is it very important to you?
BS: It is. The music on “Blues” I did a little differently than my other two movies. “The Beat” was a very music driven song and we had to have those songs written especially for the film as that is what it’s about. For “Blues” I had to sit down and as I was writing the script I went through all the blues greats such as Muddy Waters and Ella Fitzgerald. At different points in the writing of the script I had various songs in my head along with an idea of where they should be in the movie.

MG: How did you come up with the idea for “Blues”?
BS: The script originated as a project titled “Underground.” It was actually going to be a little bit bigger. I had written a few other movies at the time that I was shopping around town but I hadn’t gotten any bites. I needed to be directing and had the idea of doing something small enough that I could get out there with and actually do it. “Underground” is what I came up with and people really loved it. They all seemed to have the same comment however that it was too small. Well that’s because I did it myself! (Laughs)

MG: I love the way it was shot, sort of like “Pulp Fiction” piecing the story together, what made you choice that format for the story?
BS: Believe it or not the story actual chose how it was going to be shot. When I wrote and shot the film it was very linear. The whole thing really took place in front of the viewer. After shooting I did a full cut of that film and was in fact very linear. It just didn’t feel right because I felt like people would want to see more of what was going on at the same time but with other characters. I thought the way the story was dictated proved that it really needed to be chopped up and placed out of order. It was also done this way in an effort to allow the viewers more time to get to know the characters.

MG: Of the films you have directed is there one film you hold higher?
BS: I think “Blues” is by far my best. Don’t get me wrong I love all my films but if I can’t believe I am getting better with each film then what am I doing? I really think “Blues” is the top in my book.

MG: Was there one that was more challenging?
BS: I would have to say “Blues” also. When I shot “The Beat” I was so young that I was just running around in the streets shooting. I didn’t always have the proper permits and such but I just did it. Then I did “The List” which was a little bit bigger and featured Wayne Brady and Sydney Tamiia Poitier. The size of that movie caused me to have to work inside the system and have all the proper permits and such. I was also dealing with larger cast and crew as well as a studio that was fronting all the money. When it came time to do “Blues” I knew all the right ways to shoot a film. I could shoot it like I did when I was younger or I can follow how things were done on “The List.” Ultimately with “Blues”, I found a middle ground in which I was able to keep the spontaneity and freeness of my first film and combine that with the structure of my second film.

MG: Is it planned that you have worked with the same actors, Steve Connell in “The Beat” & “Blues” and Sydney Tamiia Poitier in “Blues” & “The List”?
BS: When I sat down after deciding to shoot “Blues” on my own I did have those people in mind. I loved working with them and I knew that they knew me and we had a relationship already. This really helped because we shot the movie in 9 days. I was really relying on those actors that I had worked with before. Steve’s role specifically I couldn’t imagine anyone else in that role. We shot his scenes in three and half days due to another project he was working. I wanted him in the film very badly so we made it work.

MG: What do you have coming up next?
BS: I am currently writing a few scripts and shopping those around. I am attached to a project called “Sky” which is a film about a girl who gets caught up in trouble and finds herself being on an undercover task force at a very young age. It’s going to be a very gritty and raw type of film. I also am writing another script called “Down Home” that takes place in rural Louisiana which is where my family is from.

Click here to purchase Brandon’s movies

Ari Lehman is known best in the horror genre as playing the first Jason Voorhees in “Friday the 13th”.  Though Ari real passion has been his music and his band, FIRSTJASON.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Ari about his film and music career.

Click here to purchase the films in the “Friday the 13th” series

MG: What does it feel like to have played the first ever Jason Voorhees…in one word?
AL: Empowering.

MG: How long did it take to apply your makeup?
AL: I worked with the SFX Wizard Tom Savini and his assistant Taso Stavrakos on and off for four weeks to create the original mold for the face. After that, script additions called for the character to appear water damaged. I went back to the studio for a few days before we tried it out on the set.
Each time it took around 4 hours to apply the makeup, so if there was a 7:30 AM call for cast and crew, we would start applying the mask at 3:30.

MG: What why did you leave acting only after “Friday the 13th”?
AL: Rock and Roll is the reason, really. As a young man, I was very intrigued by the entire filmmaking process. Yet, my first love was Music, and my experiences as a performer, even then, were very immediate and gratifying. Being on a film set, and doing SFX skin work, involves A LOT of waiting and down time. I was drawn to the visceral atmosphere of live performance.

MG: Tell us about your music career and your band FIRSTJASON?
AL: FIRSTJASON is a Horror Rock Power Duo, and our recent CD “Jason is Watching!” has received rave reviews and 4.5 out of 5 stars from Dread Central, a major Horror website. We have toured throughout the US, as well as performing at Horror Film Festivals in Spain and Italy. I perform on a Machete-shaped Keytar called the Keychete, created by Brothers Rich FX. FIRSTJASON performs songs about the inner working of the mind of a monster. FIRSTJASON is the voice of the usually silent Jason Voorhees, with titles like “Jason Never Dies”, “You Better Run”, “Sink or Swim”, and “Red Red Red”, FIRSTJASON has captured the imagination of Horror and Metal fans alike, and run with it through the woods to Camp Crystal Lake.

Here is a recent review from College News: “First Jason is amazing. Self produced, and self released, this album hits you over the head with an anvil being swung at 1000 miles an hour by the metal gods. Once hitting play on your CD player, Lehman and crew break out of your speakers in surround-sound, get in your face, flash you the devil horns, and smoke through a 30 minute set that will leave your jaw dragging across the floor.” – (Justin Bozung, College News – October 25 2010)

MG: How did you get involved with composing soundtracks for indie films?
AL: I was asked by Kevin Sean Michaels to compose the Soundtrack for “Vampira: The Movie”, which received The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Independent Film of 2009. I went on to work with Kevin on other film projects, several of which are still in the works, as well as Alex Anastasio’s brilliant “Salome”, an all-female dance version of the tale. Here is the link to the video of the some music I created with Kevin and Bill Moseley for a Vampira: the Movie music video recently made to honor Vampira’s Birthday.

MG: How do you compare working on your music to composing a film?
AL: Admittedly, my forte is performing songs, singing while playing a Machete-shaped Keytar that sounds like lightning and thunder. Composing soundtracks is now becoming more interesting to me though, especially since I have been watching great films as much as possible for inspiration. The difference between writing songs and soundtracks is truly one of texture and time. A song works in one way, and a soundtrack in another. The great Maestro Harry Manfredini, who wrote the soundtrack for “Friday the 13th”, “Wishmaster” and many more films, gave me some insight to the more spacious, linear, and temporal world of soundtrack composition. Abstraction is crucial there. I am hoping to learn more!

MG: What else do you have planned upcoming? .
AL: FIRSTJASON goes back on tour in the US in March, from the Midwest to the East Coast this time, and then it’s off to Germany and Italy in May. There are two Graphic Novels based on FIRSTJASON and myself coming from the EU, one is called “FIRSTJASON Rising” from Germany and the other, “Jason Must Rule”, from Italy. I will be appearing in several Indie Horror films that will be shot in 2011 too, and introducing a the Camp Crystal Lake Machetes. FIRSTJASON was just signed to Dark Star Records in Chicago, and we plan to record and release a new CD this year called A World of Pain”. I want to take this opportunity to thank you and your readers, and to remind you all:

JASON NEVER DIES!!!
MANY THANKS FROM CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE!!! – ARI LEHMAN/JASON#1
http://www.firstjason.com/

Click here to purchase the films in the “Friday the 13th” series

Seamus Dever is known for his role of Kevin Ryan on ABC’s hit show “Castle”. “Castle” is one of the rare shows that actually gets better with each episode and only mid-way through season three the show was already renewed for season four. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Seamus about his role in the show and what is planned for the future.

Click here to purchase “Castle” DVD’s & Blu-Ray’s

Mike Gencarelli: You weren’t involved originally in the “Castle” pilot, how did you come on board?
Seamus Dever: After they shot their pilot presentation, which was only 37 minutes long, they did some recasting and I think they wanted someone that would be John’s partner. They liked John but they didn’t have someone who was a match…was the right height…had a similar sensibility. Someone suggested “how about an Irish cop” and when I heard about it I jumped on it and did all I could to get in on it. That’s how it came about. They shot the pilot in New York, four or five months before we started the series. I was working on another project at the time so I didn’t even hear about it. They shot it with a totally different crew, a totally different director of photography. They like to make fun of me some times that I came late to the party…”Oh, you weren’t there for the pilot, you missed such a great time.” But the truth is, there were only seven series regulars, our two executive producers and one of the writers and that’s it! That’s all that were there for the pilot that carried over to the series so I don’t feel like I missed out on too much. The series has become what it is based on the people who work on it out in Los Angeles.

MG: Tell us what draws you to your character Kevin Ryan?
SD: Kevin Ryan is kind of quirky…he’s not too serious. He’s very dry in his sense of humor. I love that we’re allowed to be funny. I’m amazed that some times we make decisions based on what’s funnier. I can’t tell you how many times I ask Nathan or John “what’s funnier, this way or that way?” I love that the character is not so serious that he can’t make fun of his partner or he can’t make fun of Castle or he can’t crack a joke in the middle of a crime scene.

MG: In the last few episodes, your character is getting a little romance. How do you feel about that?
SD: It’s funny because the character of Jenny really emerged in, I think, episode seven of the first season but we didn’t really get to meet her until the second season. There was a long gestation process in that time. I really advocated for my real life wife, Juliana, to play Jenny. But they held out and waited, and Julie held out and waited because she had auditioned for other roles on the show…thank God she didn’t get those parts or she wouldn’t have been available for Jenny. So they brought her on and that’s how that happened. I hope to see a lot more of Jenny. First, it would mean I get to work with my wife but more importantly it means we’re getting a chance to look into Ryan’s personal life.

MG: What is the best part for you working on “Castle”?
SD: Sometimes when you’re working on a scene the best part is the collaboration. Of course, there’s what’s written on the page and most shows do what’s written on the page. But we, as actors, we’re always looking for moments or the thoughts behind the action. Sometimes when we do a scene there will be the four of us and we’ll do a moment that we’ll explore together that turns out so funny because everyone is contributing ideas. Nathan will contribute an idea about my performance or I’ll contribute something for Jon to think about..it’s really like instant theater. Everyone coming up with different ideas and really collaborating. We did a scene that was really fun the other day…one of my favorite scenes in the entire series. We’re looking at a character through a window…a very simple scene of us talking in the break room. We’re just throwing out ideas and then Jon comes in and says “what are you guys looking at?” It’s really funny when that happens because we’re really comfortable with each other. Everyone knows it’s about making a good show. You can’t do a good show and not talk about the process of acting…not talk about ideas. It’s not one of those shows where they tell you to leave the other actors alone…don’t force your opinions on them. With our show we’ve always had this understanding. We all want to contribute because we want to make it interesting. We want to help each other out. And that’s my favorite part…when you get together and you know a scene is going to pop and you know the audience is going to love it. We just have fun doing it. And discovering as an actor just how funny and alive the work is…that’s my favorite part of it too.

MG: Tell us about working with Jon Huertas and such a great cast?
SD: John and I get along really well. He and I have a relationship based on carpentry! We’re always talking about fixing up our homes a lot. We talk about that a lot. And we both enjoy wine…we’ve gone up to the wine country and drank too much! (laughs) John’s really cool. We have such a natural rapport that we fell into, which is great. Everyone thinks we’re constantly in character. They’ll observe a conversation that John and I are having and ask “are you guys playing this out?” And we’re like, “no, that’s just the way we talk. We’re not acting here.” At the beginning they wanted our relationship to be something like a marriage. When you spend that much time with somebody you know the things that annoy them. You know all of their stories. You’ve heard them all at least a thousand times. I can’t tell you how many times John says “hey, did I tell you about the time I was in the Air Force and I met this girl and she did this thing?” We had someone in the car with us the other day and he says “did I tell you the story about the midget,” and I say “John, you’re mixed, you can’t tell the story about the midget!” And he’s like, “oh yeah, right.” It’s a great story but not one for mixed company…especially when he’s wired. We know each other really well. We work together very fast…we have a short hand now for everything. It’s really amazing. We know exactly where to stand, how to do something. It’s a perfect working situation because everybody’s cool and we’re working on quality material. It’s really great.

MG: Congrats on the show being picked up for season four. Did you think this show was going to be this big of a hit?
SD: I think it’s great. Our show has been growing steadily. A lot of shows debut to big numbers and then slowly it’s a kind of attrition with the audience. But our shows audience has been growing and that’s great. This is my first show as a series regular so I was really hoping that my first show wouldn’t be one of those stinkers that people attach your name to for the rest of your career. I know for the rest of my career that I have this quality show called “Castle” attached to me.

MG: What can you tell us for the upcoming episodes?
SD: We’re working on a two-parter right now. We did one last year that was pretty successful. We had Dana Delaney on last year, this year we have Adrian Pasdar. He started the other day. It’s about terrorism. It’s sort of a cool cliffhanger. And hopefully we’ll see more of the serial killer…the 3XK serial killer comes back. I know for sure we’re going to see more of Jenny this year. And of course we’ll see more of Esposito and Lanie. That relationship is fun. Every episode since then we’ve had a conversation about that, where my character is now trying to school Esposito in the ways of romance. There’s all of these possibilities…we talk about all kinds of things…Valentine’s Day, things like that. It’s really funny. And to be honest one of my favorite episodes that we’ve ever shot is coming up this week. It’s called “Knock Down.” It’s a continuation of Beckett’s mothers’ murder and getting back to that story. It’s a great episode, written by Will Beall, who’s one of our best writers. He’s the one who wrote “Sucker Punch” from last year. His dialogue is great and there’s always action and a lot of cool stuff we get to do. It’s going to be good stuff.

Click here to purchase “Castle” DVD’s & Blu-Ray’s