Screening and Q&A - “The Red Machine”
On Thursday July 7, we will screen the feature film "The Red Machine," which was co-written and co-directed by Stephanie Argy and Alec Boehm, and stars Donal Thoms-Cappello. All three will be at the screening to do a Q&A after the movie. Both Stephanie and Donal have taken a number of classes with me, and I am very proud and excited that they are allowing us to present their film!
"The Red Machine" is a caper adventure set in 1935, about a thief (Donal) who is forced to help an icy U.S. Navy spy (Lee Perkins) steal a top-secret Japanese code machine. The movie has screened at festivals all over the world and won numerous awards. Roger Ebert gave "The Red Machine" Two Thumbs Up and called it "a lean, intense thriller" and "a film with an elegant simplicity."
Donal, Steph and Alec would like to offer the evening as a workshop experience, and talk about "The Red Machine" as a case study, so that they can share what they learned and what they think might be valuable to other directors and actors. Some things that you might be interested in (though they'll talk about anything you want):
For directors:
- Going from making shorts to writing/directing a first feature.
- Making period movies on a low budget. (Almost all of Steph and Alec's movies have been period.)
- Finding the tone in a very stylized movie. (Ask them about blue and brown!)
- Film festivals (winning the hearts of programmers and audiences).
- How to help a little movie go a very long way.
For actors:
- The actor/director collaboration, and how the actors shaped and transformed this movie.
- The woman who stole a key male role and made it her own.
- Dealing with two directors at the same time.
- Tackling period language.