Why I'm an Actor

When I was three years old I was given a pair of blue and red Lone Ranger and Tonto underpants. There are no words to describe the ways in which my life was now enriched or the depth of love I felt for my new blue and red Lone Ranger and Tonto underpants. Suffice it to say my existence now had meaning.A few days later my family hosted a Christmas party and, caught up in the celebratory atmosphere, I decided I would share with all those around me the joy that was my blue and red Lone Ranger and Tonto underpants. I had a problem though. Wearing the pants that my Mom had picked out for me to wear for the party….nobody could see my blue and red Lone Ranger and Tonto underpants. So, I thought about it….and took off my pants. Now, clad in a cowboy hat, tee-shirt, six shooter belt with twin six shooters, cowboy boots and, of course, my blue and red Lone Ranger and Tonto underpants ….I returned to the party and began to spread the joy.Not long thereafter, my joy spreading was interrupted by a shriek from my Mom.

"Quint!! Oh my—What on earth are you doing?" This was met by a blank stare."What are you wearing?"
I looked down and began to question my mother's level of intelligence."Umm… blue and red Lone Ranger and Tonto underpants?" I answered.
"For God's sakes, WHY don't you have any pants on???"
"Ummm…. I wanted to show my blue and red Lone Ranger and Tonto underpants."
"Well you can not show your underpants, mister. March yourself right back upstairs and …" etc, etc, etc.

So, fifteen minutes later and I'm back to being appropriately clad and no longer an embarrassment to my family.
And not nearly as happy with this party.
I come back down the stairs and into the den to be greeted by my Mom, several party attendees, and my Dad who is carrying a huge home-movies camera with a rack of four blinding lights on top of it. Everyone seems to be smiling.

"Quint," my Mom says, "show us your underpants"

I squinted up at her and the camera in confusion. "But….But I'm not suppose to show my under pants."
Mom then taps the movie camera and says, "NOW, it's okay to show your underpants."


Q

This part of the process is the most frustrating and exciting. All the possibilities are possible and all the unanswerd questions have no answers.

Q

A Plan Takes Shape

Only a week or so since the green light was officially switched to the "on" position and already I begin to see glimpses of just how dramatically the excitement of making an independent movie, the joy of the active creative process, and the wonderful tests of our collective skills are balanced precariously against the constraints of time, budget, and real life. This being my first time in the maelstrom inherent in the production of a feature film, I am feeling both a nervous excitement and a sense of "what the hell have I gotten into?" Unlike my duties as line producer for AM Session (which seemed so common sense and fluid, the job executed almost accidentally and at a breakneck pace), my tasks on Kerberos will be varied and loosely defined, giving an even larger dose of "wtf" to my daily routine. That being said, it is so on!

On my first read of the script I knew there was something so much darker and cooler than what Kely (McClung, writer/director) was seeing, him being so close to the story. He kept asking me to articulate what it was about Kerberos that captured my interest so completely and intensely. And to tell the truth, I'm not sure if I have ever answered him. Is it the moral ambiguity of the characters? Is it the completely believable violence and action? What about the identifiable patterns and situations that resonate across every demographic? Or the wickedly unrepentant dialogue? The anxiety born of a story with such consequences being told in thirty-six heart-thumping, lung-searing, gut-wrenching hours? The paradigm shift it requires of the viewer with archetypes being torqued in the vice of a writer's twisted imagination? Or is it...something else, something that sneaks up on you in the dark alley when the footfalls sound so close behind you and the breathing gets closer and more ragged?

Well, all I can say for now is keep reading and I'll let you know more as we flip the safety off the weapons, remove the brakes from the vehicles, and thrust a stick into the hornet's nest in pursuit of a better way to pull off a better kind of independent film capable of kicking the establishment in the teeth and making 'em ask for more. You ready for Kerberos? I am.