New: Several new screenings of Kabluey have been scheduled around the US : Denver, on August 8 at Flicks; Birmingham, on August 8 at Uptown; Costa Mesa, on August 15 at South Coast Village; Orlando, on August 22, Enzian Theater; Williamsburg, on September 21 at Kimball Theatre.
EXCLUSIVE Interview with
Scott Prendergast: Director, Writer and Star of Kabluey
This is Morgan’s Maniac’s EXCLUSIVE interview with Scott Prendergast, the
director, writer and co-star with Jeffrey Dean Morgan in the upcoming movie
Kabluey. Scott generously took time out of his busy schedule in the
post-production of Kabluey to talk to Gina B., and answer some questions about the film, working with
Jeffrey Dean Morgan and his own career.
Morgan’s Maniacs: From beginning
to end, how long has it taken to produce Kabluey?
Scott Prendergast: We started pre-production
in December of 2005. And we’re just finishing the film now in March of 2007. So
just under a year and a half.
MM: What was it like filming in Austin,
Texas?
SP: Austin was great – the city, the people,
the local government and film board all helped us out to get the movie made.
Really a great city. I wish I had time to have seen more of it. But I was
swamped with the movie. Everybody else got to go out and hear music and hang out
– and they loved it. I was very very jealous.
MM: How long did it take you to write
Kabluey?
SP: About 3 months. With a 6 month break in
the middle. So, technically, 9 months.
MM: The inspiration to write Kabluey was
based on your own life experience. Are your other films also based, at least in
part, on your own life?
SP: My short films are all kind of about my
life, I guess. Well, no, actually, my short films are just weird bizarre
comedies. This is the first time I’ve made a film (and a feature) about
something that really happened to me.
MM: Which four film festivals have
already accepted Kabluey?
SP: Sorry, I cant give away too much
festival news at this point. But we will be premiering at a festival later this
year (still being determined which one). The info will be on the kabluey web
page when it’s available. Wish I could be more specific but we just can’t say
anything yet.
MM: What was it like to work with Jeffrey
Dean Morgan?
SP: He was great. This was my first feature
– and it’s an independent, relatively low budget film. JDM knew that these types
of shoots can be stressful and complicated. And he was really encouraging. I met
him on the first day he worked and he was like “How’s it going? Putting you
through the ringer? You’ll be fine – you’ll be great.” He’s a great guy. And it
probably comes as no surprise that every woman on the production basically
swooned and passed out when they found out he was in the movie. Women LOOOOOOVE
him. Including Lisa Kudrow. She was SO EXCITED when she found out he was playing
Brad. She was literally giddy.
MM: How would you describe his sense of
humor?
SP: He’s very low-key and cool. He’s like
your older sister’s super cool boyfriend in high school. Laid back and funny.
During the KABLUEY shoot, he was in an interesting position – it was at the time
where it seemed like the whole world was focusing on him and his career had
skyrocketed. But he remained friendly and funny. Just a really good guy.
MM: What would you say is his greatest
strength(s) as an actor?
SP: He’s very natural. He does that thing
Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart did where he incorporates the character into
himself. So he’s fooling you into thinking that you’re seeing the actor you
know, but slyly – he’s introducing someone else, other characteristics. He’s
just a great actor. And he’s a quick study. We could change things up on him at
the last minute and he wasn’t fazed. He’s very charismatic onscreen, and off.
MM: JDM plays Brad in Kabluey. What kind
of character is Brad?
SP: Without giving too much away, I will
tell you that Brad is different, I believe, from the other characters JDM has
become more well known for in the last year or two. Brad is, to put it mildly,
not as good or nice – as say, Denny. He’s an opportunist.
MM: What factors led you to cast JDM in
the role of Brad?
SP: Rick Rosenthal, the producer of Kabluey,
knew JDM and got me a tape of Grey’s anatomy. And that was that. After watching
him on the show I knew he’d be great as Brad. Then we were just hoping we’d get
him and we did!
MM: JDM is best known for his roles as
Denny in Grey’s Anatomy and John in Supernatural. What qualities, if any, of
these characters, do you see in JDM?
SP: Hmmm, well, unfortunately I don’t have a
television (I’m a dork) and I hadn’t seen either of these shows (unbelievable, I
know) until I got the tape of JDM as Denny in Grey’s Anatomy (which I had to
watch at the production office, because, again, I don’t have a TV). Sorry, but
I’m just not that well versed in the two shows. I started watching Grey’s
Anatomy (at a friend’s house on TIVO!) because I liked what I had seen on JDM’s
tape – but by then JDM was dead! It was a great, cool surprise when he
reappeared this season though.
MM: You play the character Salman in the
film. Did you start out as an actor or were you immediately drawn to the
production side of films?
SP: I started out by making short films
where I played all the characters. So I was always doing both.
MM: Do you work on Indie films
exclusively or have you worked on commercial ventures?
SP: My films so far (5 shorts and only 1
feature) have all been indies. But who knows. I’m writing a script now that
might be more commercial.
MM: Has being an Eagle Scout helped in
your career?!!! If so, how?
SP: I took the motto to heart: Be Prepared.
That has helped me out in my career more than I can ever say. I like to be
ridiculously well organized and prepared. Freedom is a by product of
organization.
MM: What’s the hardest part of making a
film? The easiest?
SP: The easiest part is dealing with the
actors. It’s a joy. The hardest part is keeping everything organized. There are
800 people making decisions about the look and feel of the film and you can’t
speak to them all personally at every step of the way. You have to try and give
them a good idea of what the film is, how you want it to sound and look before
they get started on their work. Luckily, we worked with some INCREDIBLE people
on Kabluey who were SO TALENTED. It was SO FUN – and a great learning experience
– to see masters at work.
MM: What advice would you give budding
film makers?
SP: BE PREPARED for lightning to strike. Luck is like lightning. You have
better chances of getting struck if you are out in a field with a kite and a
key. Meaning, start writing your feature script right now. Right this very
minute. Set a deadline for yourself and achieve it. Make some short films. Get
them on a DVD. Have it in your hand. With your business card and your script.
Apply to the Los Angeles Film Independent Filmmaker Labs. If you really want to
make a feature (with someone else’s money) then you have to have your junk
together. And be nice – to everyone you are working with – at all times. When
people are working for low compensation – they are more likely to do you favors
and go the extra mile if they like you – if you have treated them well. Good
behavior pays off – in the low budget world.
MM: What is involved in post-production?
SP: Most of a movie is post-production. The soundtrack, the score,
the sound, the dialogue, the print, the color timing, the editing. We’ve been in
post production for almost 9 months now. Time for the baby to be born. It takes
SOOOO much longer to make a movie than you would think.
MM: To what do you attribute the
successful two year run of your one-man improv show UNman?
SP: I don’t know. The show was unusual – it
was a one man all improv show. And nobody else was doing that at that time in
NYC. And the tickets were cheap. It was a fun show.
MM: What attracted you to the
entertainment industry?
SP: I just always wanted to make movies.
Always. No matter what I was doing in life – I was always thinking about how it
would lead me to making movies.
MM: How does one become a disgraced MENSA
member?!!!
SP: I just stopped paying the membership
fee. I took the test to prove (to myself) that I wasn’t an idiot after not doing
so well on the PSAT’s. Then I was a MENSA member for a few years until some kids
(I was 13 or 14 at the time) made fun of me for being in MENSA.
MM: It appears you are involved in most
facets of film production. Is there one area you particularly enjoy? Which area
is your least favorite?
SP: I like writing the script because you get to work all by
yourself with no interference and no one doubting you or standing over your
shoulder. Well, at least that’s how it worked for me on Kabluey – because I just
wrote it all by myself at the library. I wasn’t writing it for anyone – just for
me. I LOOOVE casting because it is so interesting to meet so many actors and see
what they can do. Production is stressful. But Post Production is great because
you get to spend long periods of time with many different interesting people who
are specialists in their field.
MM: You have produced five short films.
Kabluey is your first full-length feature film. What are the differences in
production, if any, and were there any surprises in making a feature film?
SP: The differences are massive. I made all
my shorts on digital video. So essentially I was able to do everything myself. I
wrote the films, produced them, directed them, acted in them, edited them, and
then distributed them. All from my desk in my apartment. It was my version of
film school. But on a feature (with a budget 100 times the budget of my shorts)
I was quick to see that I could not do everything myself. I had to learn to be
better about communicating and delegating. And I think I did get better –
slowly. As for surprises, I was AMAZED at how antiquated shooting on film is.
It’s like an old-fashioned process. It was mind-boggling to me. Especially after
shooting and editing films on video – which takes NO TIME at all. But then you
see the results of shooting on film and you say “...Oh.” Nothing looks like
film. Nothing. But good lord, it is ridiculously complicated and bizarre to make
a movie on film. Film gets dirty and scratched! Who knew?!
MM: Will you continue to make short films
or will you now exclusively make feature films?
SP: No I plan to make more short films. What
I’d really like to do is go and make another short film all by myself. Literally
– all by myself. Just for fun. But at the moment I’m planning to make another
feature. The script is almost finished. I want to keep making both. There’s
nothing as fun as making a short film over a weekend. You get to do weird
things. You have more freedom and more fun making a quick digital short.
MM: You are a self-taught film maker,
having never attended film school. Who have been your greatest influences and
did you have a mentor?
SP: Hmm. My biggest influences – creatively?
Well, I love the films of Alfred Hitchcock and Pedro Almodovar. And P.T.
Anderson. PUNCH DRUNK LOVE is a masterpiece. Hitchcock’s films are so well
structured. You never get bored. The suspense carries you through the film.
You’re always wondering how it will end. As for mentors – my high school drama
teacher was very encouraging and supportive. And I had some great teachers at
the Groundlings Theater in LA. And then Lisa Kudrow introduced me to Don Roos,
the director of The Opposite of Sex, which is a fantastic movie. And he kind of
talked me off the ledge when the production of Kabluey got really stressful (as
low budget indie films always do). He has been very, very supportive and I’ve
learned a lot from him.
MM: Do you get free Heath bars for
life?!!! [Scott states that he is heir to the HEATH candy bar legacy (but not
the fortune).]
SP: Sadly, no. Family lore is that he sold
the candy bar creation to some big candy company years and years ago. Although I
believe we still have a little tin box with the original factory recipes. Which
is sort of useless because it says something like “Add 1000 pounds chocolate to
3000 pounds carmel.” You’d need a BIG kitchen.
http://www.kabluey.com/
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