Name: J. F. Lawton
Roles: Writer, Director, Producer
Credits: Writer: Pretty Woman, Under Siege Producer: V.I.P., Jackson Director: The Hunted, Jackson
Topic: Jackson (Lawton’s 2008 movie, which had it’s world premiere at the SoCal Film Festival).
Next Project: Screenwriter on the up-coming Matt Stone and Trey Parker (Southpark, Team Americca) movie Giant Monsters Attack Japan!
SoCal: Your most recent project, Jackson, is quite a bit different from some of the movies we are used to seeing you attached to. How did Jackson come about?
JF: The idea first came to me during casual discussions with my friend Barry Primus, who is also a writer and director (and the star of Jackson). We were talking about neo-realistic Italian films like The Bicycle Thief, which we both loved. Barry had also been interested in doing a modern version of Don Quixote but that never came together. Eventually I combined the ideas into a story about homeless men that would take place on the streets of Los Angeles.
SoCal: From start to finish, how long did it take to complete Jackson?
JF: It’s been a long process. I actually started writing the script over 15 years ago, but didn’t finish it until about 6 years ago. We started principle photography shortly after I finished the script, but with a few reshoots and music recording didn’t finish post production until very recently.
SoCal: Technically, this is very different from anything else you have done. What equipment did you use?
JF: For various reasons I shot the film in standard def PAL DV-CAM using a Sony PD-150 which I felt was the best technology for the film at that time (six years ago) in terms of price/quality/practicality. Despite the fact that there are better HD cameras available now, I like the look we created by up-resing the film from SD. However, the process of moving into HD was very complicated and I would hesitate before trying to shoot a feature in standard def again.
SoCal: How were the on-set dynamics?
JF: Everyone seemed to have a good time during the shoot. Most of the crew I have worked with before and I wouldn’t hesitate to work with anyone on the cast or crew again. it was a great experience!
SoCal: What was the casting and crewing process?
JF: : I wrote the film with Barry Primus in mind, so there was no doubt about who I was casting in the Quixote roll of Donald. Barry recommended Charlie Robinson for Sam, and he turned out to be perfect. Since Barry has so much experience with actors and acting (he’s an acting coach) I leaned on him a lot for suggestions (including casting Steve Guttenberg). Overall, we got a perfect cast. Everyone worked for next to nothing (SAG super low budget scale). As far as the crew, many of them were people I had worked with on my television series VIP. That show ran for four years, so everyone cut me a break on their rates when I decided to make this little independent. I was particularly lucky to have the incredibly experienced Jack Conroy, director of photography, and Rita Riggs, costume designer, who I worked with not only on VIP but also on my feature The Hunted. Roderick Davis, the editor, won an Emmy for his work VIP and is one of the most talented editors I know.
SoCal: Did you come across any particular difficulties in making this movie?
JF: The hardest part was that I felt the film had to be close to perfect to work. We did a lot of reshoots, re-editing, remixing the sound and music to get things just right.
SoCal: Independent and low-budget filmmaking can be quite difficult. What were some of the rewards?
JF: Working with the actors, especially Barry Primus and Charlie Robinson, was very rewarding. It’s always great to work with talented people who care about the process.
SoCal: Let’s talk about the “B” word … budget. What can you tell us?
JF: The budget kept expanding. I originally was going to finance it completely myself, but I lucked out in that my good friend Yuriko Reyes was able to come on as a producer with her partner Kazutaka Tsuboi and his new film company Beltek Inc.. They were able to provide the finishing funds we needed.
SoCal: What now? What else would you like people to know about Jackson?
JF: Now I just want to get the film out everywhere I can so as many people as possible can see it and hopefully talk about it! Jackson is a very unusual film, the kind likely to be dismissed as non-commercial. But I actually believe there is a very large audience for it, particularly because it has such a positive message about life. However, I know I can’t compete with the typical Hollywood blockbuster. That’s why I’m hoping to take a grass roots approach by going to smaller and newer film festivals and really trying to promote the film by networking with film lovers. I know I can’t compete by trying to get the word out through the main stream media. So I’m hoping I can get the word out through the internet, through blogs, chat rooms and local press. That’s why I believe the SoCal Festival is the perfect place to begin.