REMEMBERING 9/11 with the short film “Fusion”
I’VE KNOWN CELEBRATED WRITER PAUL ATREIDES FOR A FEW YEARS AND ON A HOT LAS VEGAS DAY I JOINED HIM FOR A DIP IN HIS POOL AND A CHAT ABOUT HIS LATEST SHORT FILM PROJECT. ENJOY!
PAUL, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHY YOU WERE INSPIRED TO CREATE THIS?
I write fiction and had been experimenting with trying to write a “Tale of Two Cities” type of piece. Unlike my three published novels and numerous short stories, it failed miserably.
I UNDERSTAND IT STARTED OFF AS A STAGE PLAY, WHY GO TO FILM NOW?
I did theatre for over 30 years and the disaster became a short piece for the stage. And I realized it worked. I sent the script to the Memorial Museum in NYC, thinking they’d like to do a performance piece. Shows you how much I know about museums! But they suggested I have it filmed and resubmit it as a potential looping exhibit on a monitor. And here we are.
YOU WERE IN HOLLYWOOD, ON SET DURING FILMING; WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU?
Surreal. I mean, I’d seen it done on the stage – it’s been performed all over the country as part of a larger work. But seeing how things need to be done on a film set? Wild. Take after take, different camera angles, different line deliveries. It put everything into a new perspective.
WE UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE THREE NOVELS PUBLISHED, ARE THEY GETTING THE BIG SCREEN TREATMENT TOO?
I wish! (LOL) Where is Spielberg when you want him? No, seriously, I was approached by the producers of “Nurse Betty” and “Rain Man,” and sent them the manuscripts for the first two World of Deadheads novels (it’s a trilogy; “Marvin’s World of Deadheads,” “Jenna’s Gang of Deadheads,” and “Nathan’s Clan of Deadheads”) and never heard another peep out of them. I’m thinking of reaching out to Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy, and Ian Brennan – I think it might be right up their alley for a series.
THE ACTORS IN THE PIECE ARE BOTH ESTABLISHED IN FILM/TV OF THEIR OWN RIGHT, WHAT DID YOU THINK OF WORKING WITH PAUL LONDON and CRIS FELIPE?
Both were easy to work with in my estimation. They worked so hard to get the dialogue just right – exactly as I wrote it, and make it all connect with the characters on deeper level. It’s a much more subtle medium, isn’t it?
THE DIRECTOR MARK SAVAGE HAS 14 FEATURES UNDER HIS BELT AS WELL, DID HE CAPTURE YOUR VISION OR ADD ANYTHING TO IT?
Oh, hell, yes! I was surprised he would even want to do this. I mean, it’s a short film. A short-short film. Sort of an Art House type of thing. But he’s done a wonderful job in capturing the feel. He’s brought a David Lynch kind of feel to it, which I think serves the script well.
WHERE CAN MY READERS FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOU AND THE PROJECT?
Hit my website: paul-atreides.com for my books, and my plays. I have social media accounts but I’m really only active on Facebook. What can I say – I’m old! I’m also a theatre critic, so you can find my ramblings on EatMoreArtVegas.com.
THANK YOU PAUL.
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