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The film is called, Skateland and it is scheduled to release later this year. If you follow the MTV Movies Blog or actress, Ashley Greene (Twilight) you may have heard about the film already here. Also starring in the film, are Shiloh Fernandez (Cadillac Records),Taylor Handley (Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning), and Heath Freeman (co-writer). Anthony Burns directed and co-wrote this indie film, which is a coming of age story set in a small Texas town in the 80's (who doesn't want to revisit the 80s?).
The movie shot in Texas and Louisiana from October 2008 - December 2008 and Co-Writer and Executive Producer, Brandon Freeman took the time out to tell me all about how Skateland came together.
When and how was the story of Skateland created?
We started to work seriously on Skateland in the Spring of ’08. We performed research and interviews for a few months in East Texas and then started writing full-time early Summer. The original outline was a comedy, but I think once we really got into it, we realized there was more that we wanted to say with this film.
What do you want the audience to get out of the film?
We hope that the audience can connect to the characters and relate to the story and the world that we’ve created. But all we really want is for people to enjoy the film. Although Skateland takes place in a specific American setting (the 80's, Texas) and is set partly at a skating rink, it is a story that resonates - about making choices, finding your way in life, friends, family and change.
How would you say this coming of age story is separated from the rest?
First the setting is unique. We’ve all seen West Texas and the Hill Country on film, but there haven’t been many films that feature East Texas. Texas is a large state, and the separate regions have very distinct topography and cultures. There have also been many films that illustrate the Zeitgeist of the 80’s, but few that are set during the blurry transitional period of the early 80’s. Second, although the film does follow a few important months in the life of Ritchie Wheeler (Shiloh Fernandez), it’s an ensemble cast and the underlying theme of the film is broader. And finally, with respect to theme, the film has a masculine point of view, but it’s the strong female characters that motivate the story.
Why was Texas and the 1980’s chosen as the setting and time of the film?
Texas is home for us and most of the crew, so naturally we are making a film about a setting we know. But there are a number of other reasons why Texas is so central to the story of Skateland, which is a film that looks at a character surrounded by shifting signs of the times and new choices – change, in short. And, in Texas, 1983 was an economic and cultural inflection point. As a producer and exporter of energy and industrial chemicals, prosperity in East Texas was closely linked to the rest of the nation. During this time, the U.S. economy was pulling out of a three-year recession and poised to enter into a period of rapid growth and financial ingenuity that defined the remainder of the decade. Complacency and entitlement were being replaced by self-realization and upward mobility. And despite a resurgence in conservatism, the feminist pendulum was speeding to its apex as women began to redefine gender roles and the balance of power both in the workplace and at home . Cable television piped ideas and dreams into homes across small town America – bridging cultural gaps and influencing the course of an entire generation. Nowhere was this impact more dramatic than the heart of the East Texas bible belt, which typically lags several years behind cultural trends of the Northeast and the West Coast. Although our story is not about these events, Skateland is about the human element – in the context of these events.
What were some of the challenges shooting on set in Texas and Louisiana?
Texas and Louisiana have mature film industries with talented crews and experienced film commissions. We did have a few weather related challenges, but I couldn’t get anyone to take responsibility. In the first week, we filmed at a lake with boat work and water skiing. An unexpected cold front required our crew and cast to brave near freezing temperatures. Again, in our last week, an unusual snowstorm that made headlines all over the world reached as far as New Orleans and Houston nearly derailed our three-day car chase shoot. The greatest challenge, however, was of our own making – an ambitious shot list tethered to an independent budget. But one could define film making as the art of overcoming a protracted series of challenges, which explains why it is so rewarding.
In Photo: Brandon Freeman (left) and Anthony Burns (right).
In what ways does the story of Skateland reflect the lives of Anthony Burns, Heath Freeman, and yourself?
We were only in grade school in the early eighties. But at that age, life burns memories – so vivid that a time, a place, and an experience are not just a memory but a feeling. As writers, we aimed to develop a story that reflects that feeling more than any individual personal experience.
When casting started, did the three of you (Anthony, Heath, and you) already have people in mind that you wanted in the film?
We had several discussions regarding cast during the writing process and began to form a master list for each character several months before casting, but we entered the process with a open minds and spent several weeks in sessions before making our selections.
After the script was written and once production started, did any (major or minor) scenes have to be re-written once you saw how it came to life?
We tweaked a few scenes during production the night before shooting. As a writer it’s hard to let it go sometimes, there are always certain scenes that you’re not completely happy with. We also added a few scenes and deleted a few scenes in the same fashion. We decided to add one scene with Michelle (Ashley Greene) and Brent (Heath Freeman) a few days before shooting. Heath took the first crack at it and then Tony re-wrote it. At the night of the shoot, nobody liked the final result. So I sat down on the couch with Ashley and Heath and re-wrote the scene on the back of my shot list about ten minutes before shooting it.
This film has been categorized as a drama but explain exactly how dramatic the tone is. What do you want the audience to feel when watching this film?
It’s not overly dramatic. It should be fun and make you laugh. But it’s a movie about people and life. And as we all know, life is not all fun and games.
What other projects do you have in the works?
We are working on a few original screenplays, an adaptation and discussing a concept for a possible TV series. We all want to dig-in on something, but we will take our time to make sure it’s right for us. We still have a lot of work in front of us finishing-up Skateland.
1 Thoughts:
Sounds like a good movie. I cant wait to watch it.
Do you know when its going to be released?
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