This is the pitch for Last Stand to Nowhere, a new short film from the mind of Vancouver-based writer and director, Michelle Muldoon.

As the talented cast and crew – which includes Victoria Angell (Producer), Frances Flanagan (Producer), Maja Aro (Stunt Coordinator and Producer), Lindsay George (Director of Photography), Chelah Horsdal, Johannah Newmarch, Sarah Deakins, Julie Lynn Mortensen, and Jenn MacLean-Angus – prepare to embark on building this Western cinematic adventure, they are currently in the midst of a crowdfunding campaign to bring it to the screen.

We spoke to Michelle Muldoon, Julie Lynn Mortensen, and Sarah Deakins to learn about all things Last Stand to Nowhere.

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Can you start by telling us a little bit about you and your involvement with Last Stand to Nowhere?

Michelle Muldoon: I’m the writer/director of Last Stand to Nowhere. I’m a writer who turned to filmmaking to learn about the process of making film and I never turned back. I thought of this idea a few years ago when I was on the set of Jamestown in Langley. It’s the western town that hosts productions like When Calls the Heart.

A female western is right in line with the kind of female characters I like to writer. Whether I’m writing genre, drama or dark comedy my female characters tend to be dynamic, damaged women who rise above their misfortunes to carve their own destiny out of the rubble of their lives.

I love the idea that the Gunfight at the OK Corral is a modern myth born of history. It’s not the facts that matter anymore but the message of the story. In the case of Last Stand to Nowhere, we’re inserting a powerful female presence on a genre that has all but excluded women unless they’re the long suffering homesteader wife or the fallen whore in the saloon.

Julie Lynn Mortensen: I’m a Vancouver-based actress, very excited to be playing Billie Clanton in Last Stand to Nowhere. Billie is young, brash, brave and trigger-happy. The conflict in the story between the Earps and the Clantons is incited by the supposed ownership of my horse. And I’m ready to fight for it.

Sarah Deakins: Michelle and I have been friends for several years and she’d been talking about this idea for awhile. I always knew I wanted to be involved and I was lucky enough that she saw a place for me among the cast!

What should audiences expect from Last Stand to Nowhere?

Michelle Muldoon: Last Stand to Nowhere is a Western that re-imagines the Earps, Clantons and McLaury brothers as sisters instead. It’s a timeless story that has been retold in film and television multiple times and in multiple ways. Even the original Star Trek took their shot at the story.

Our way is to turn the genre and the myth upside down and to give women the one role that they never get in Westerns; the ambitious gunslinger who deals with resistance to her plans the only way she knows how… with a gun. It’s a story of power, greed, and confidence; characters women don’t often get to play.

Why do you think the Western genre has endured?

Michelle Muldoon: Westerns have experienced a great number of changes over the years. The first great wave was the Hollywood Western then we had the Italian (Spaghetti) Western and then came the Revisionist Western. There are other sub-genres beyond these three major ones because the idea of the fall and rise of the self-determined is a powerful story that transcends boundaries.

It survives because Westerns are myths built around questions of morality. There’s a code of honour, albeit sometimes twisted, that sits at the root of every story. The movie always centres on a self-made man, lawman, gunslinger or rustler. Their journey forces them to question who they are and what they stand for. In many ways, it’s the ultimate story about self-actualization.

Julie Lynn Mortensen: I remember watching Clint Eastwood Westerns with my dad as a young girl. I would see them on TV and say “Dad this is boring,” and 2 hours later find myself still glued to the screen with him watching the credits scroll. Even though Westerns seemed like boy stories to me, I remember getting drawn in by the stakes. The characters were so raw, so exposed on their horseback. One gunshot and they would be done for, but they still had the bravery to fight for what they believed in. I think it endures because we love watching that raw, rugged bravery in action… it touches on something wild in all of us. Epic landscapes and beautiful horses are also a fabulous draw.

Sarah Deakins: I think there’s a romantic connection to the land in a Western that has perhaps fallen away in other genres. The scope of the landscapes in these stories is so vast, and in this case it reflects the epic mythology of the story. The setting of a Western already dictates an epic, vastness, which pumps up the stakes of a story automatically.

Which Western films have influenced you the most?

Michelle Muldoon: There’s a host of Western films I love; the first Magnificent Seven, The Good the Bad and The Ugly, Two Mules for Sister Sara, the list could go on. The Italians brought moral ambiguity to the Western and it helped to spur on a revival in the Western during the 1960’s and 1970’s. I love the idea that when there are no rules, justice does not necessarily thrive. But then I watch the original Magnificent Seven and I love the certainty that the gunslingers have about what is right or wrong. I think what many of these movies have in common is the belief that when someone reaches that point of no return, they will often do the right thing even if it’s for the wrong reason.

What are the three most important elements for a successful Western film?

Michelle Muldoon: The Western needs a great story built around a protagonist who is either a disenfranchised drifter, a person of principle or a self-made man. There’s an epic conflict that involves life or death decisions and it takes place in a world where self-reliance equals survival. The West is about people that take matters into their own hands because there’s no one else to do it. I think that’s part of the appeal of the genre. It’s the precursor to the vigilante movies that have become popular in action films.

Sarah Deakins: Number one has to be the characters. We have to love them or love to hate them, and see their internal struggle. That’s true for me of all genres.

Number two would be the mythology. There’s something about the history of two families on opposite sides, or two groups on apposing sides of the law. The feelings of resentment and the need for revenge go back decades in these stories, and the ability to hold a grudge seems to be much stronger in these types of tales…

Number three is a strong plot with a great climactic ending. Endings are very important in Westerns; they must give the impression of the mythology continuing after the film’s credits have run their course, and leave us satisfied at the same time. It’s not an easy task.

What books and authors have been influential to your career so far?

Michelle Muldoon: As a child I devoured the Dune series and the Narnia Chronicles. I fell in love with the details of the worlds created in these books. It was world building at its finest and I adored that I could disappear into those worlds so easily because the words on the page were so effortless.

As a writer I adore the practicality of The Coffee Break Screenwriter by Pilar Alessandra and Your Screenplay Sucks by William M Akers. Both books give you the tools to start writing and to put your screenplay on the page. I tend to be a linear thinker and these books play well into the way my mind works.

Julie Lynn Mortensen: In my career I feel I have been most influenced by the great actors I have seen on the stage & screen that have masterfully brought the words of great writers to life. I’m an avid reader and love to dive into novels and plays, but the craft of acting feels more like a living literature to me, a capacity to take great writing and transmit it through body, voice and spirit to create an authentic and touching human being. So when I think of influential authors I tend to think through the lens of amazing productions I’ve been blessed to see.

I think of Shakespeare plays and how much I learned watching Vanessa Redgrave perform in one in London recently. I think of seeing Mark Rylance in Jez Butterworth’s play Jerusalem in New York and the way he embodied a character like nothing I have ever seen. I think of loads of local productions from writers like Tony Kushner and Martin McDonagh that have completely blown me away. I especially think of the many great Canadian playwrights like Judith Thompson, Sharon Pollock, Daniel MacIvor and so many more whose work I have been blessed to see or bring to life myself. I especially think of my dear friends who are writers and have written remarkable play-scripts and screenplays and have blown my mind with their creativity and capacity to conjure story.

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“Film is a long game, and if you aren’t willing to play it, you won’t last long.”

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What’s the most important lesson that you have learned in your career?

Michelle Muldoon: If I’ve learned anything in my years in film it’s first of all, be stubborn. Don’t listen to what other people say you can’t do. Focus on what you want to achieve and don’t lose sight of it. Film is a long game, and if you aren’t willing to play it, you won’t last long.

Secondly, if you’re clear with who you are and what you stand for, you’ll be clear with everyone you encounter. No one likes to work with someone who can’t communicate or make a decision and take responsibility for the results. No one expects you to be perfect, they do expect you to be responsible, and wishy washy won’t get you far in this business.

Julie Lynn Mortensen: Oh there have been so many! I’m so grateful for how much acting has taught me about humanity and myself. I think the most important one is… well, it’s going to sound completely cheesy, but self-love. As an actor you are always putting yourself out there in an extremely vulnerable way. Because the work is a transmission through your very being, it’s not like you can separate yourself from that very easily. I can look at something I have painted or written and judge it quite neutrally, without feeling like I am judging myself. That is harder with acting, and it’s much more difficult not to take other people’s opinions personally too.

The process of auditioning can feel like dodging bullets, trying not to get wounded by the roles that don’t go your way. So what I am learning, slowly but surely, is that in all this rawness, this extreme vulnerability, I have to be brave too. But unlike Billie, my strength is not in a sidearm, but in being my own source of self-love. Acting teaches me every day to love myself as deeply and unconditionally as I possibly can. That’s what keeps me brave enough to get back on the horse and keep riding. And for the record, it also makes the journey a really beautiful one, no matter what the day brings, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

Sarah Deakins: When it comes to the” labor of love projects”, work with people you love on projects you love. Don’t waste time on indie projects that are designed just to “sell”. If you are doing something for free or on the cheap, it better be something you are passionate about, otherwise you run the risk of becoming jaded and resentful. It’s a hard road, this particular vocation, so you at least need to be inspired by the material and the people making it, whenever possible.

Where can we find out more about you and the Last Stand to Nowhere campaign?

Michelle Muldoon: Last Stand to Nowhere can be found at the following links:

Indiegogo, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We’ve made our Indiegogo goal, but for us that was just a starting point to avoid paying the website’s fees. Now that we’re past that, we’re hunkering down for our stretch goals and the money we need to make this film. I hope people will join the wagon train and help us settle into production.

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Thanks to Michelle Muldoon, Julie Lynn Mortensen, and Sarah Deakins for speaking with us!

Check out the Indiegogo campaign to get involved with Last Stand to Nowhere and keep up with all the developments.

Last Stand to Nowhere photos by Wendy D Photography.

The post The Biz Interview: Last Stand to Nowhere Feature appeared first on Biz Books.

With the contest winding down and “When Pigs Fly” holding steady as a prime contender, we spoke with Brendan Taylor about how the commercial came to be, what goes into a successful commercial, and what else he has in the pipeline.

Tell us about the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest and your commercial, “When Pigs Fly”.

The contest is open to anyone who wants to make an ad for Doritos; they don’t have to be filmmakers necessarily, they just have to have a good idea. The winning ad is shown during the Super Bowl, the filmmaker gets a job at Universal in LA, and they win $1 million! Graham Talbot and Nelson Talbot happen to be great local filmmakers, they are SFU Film Alumni and aspire to work on bigger projects. They entered the contest last year and made it to the Top 25 semi-finals, which is already great. But this year they made it to the Top 10, out of almost 5,000 submissions. But I didn’t know it would get there when we shot it in October! It turned out amazing, and of course I’m biased, but I actually do think it’s the best one out of the 10 finalists!

In the ad, a young boy approaches his neighbour and casually asks for a Dorito chip. The grown-up says to him “When pigs fly!”, and the smart young boy takes it literally; he comes back the next day to surprise his neighbour, with a fly-by pig with a rocket on his back. The neighbour concedes and gives him the whole bag.

How can people get involved to support it?

Please go to Doritos.com and click ‘VOTE’ under our video “When Pigs Fly”! We are 1 of 2 Canadian teams this year, and would love all the support we can get to win this thing! It’s real easy, no sign-up, just visit the site and vote! You can vote every day until Wednesday, January 28th, once a day on your computer, phone, and tablet!

And find Vote4whenpigsfly on Facebook for all the latest news and extra behind-the-scenes stuff! We find out who won the contest DURING the Super Bowl on February 1st; they will air it live, so we will all find out at the same time!

How did the idea for this commercial come about?

Graham Talbot and Nelson Talbot just did a brainstorming session and built on what they learned last year, got an idea, and ran with it. Raw creativity based on experience! They knew kids and animals were popular in ads, so they worked from there. They have a good friend who does most of the post-production CGI effects. You can find a great little video on the visual effects on our Facebook page.

What can you tell us about your creative process in putting it together?

There were many factors, the Talbots will tell you: working on a budget, calling in favours and finding the location, and the actors: Keegan Turbitt, the perfect young genius boy, myself for the ‘simple’ farmer, and Bernard the Pig, who is a local pig actor! I got a call randomly from a mutual friend who was helping them find cast. I looked at the Talbot’s previous work and really liked it. I decided to jump on board, thinking at the very least of having something cool for a demo reel. The rest is history!

What do you enjoy about doing commercials vs. theatre, television, and film?

Commercials have been great for me not only for on set experience, but as an outlet for comedic acting. I love comedy, but there’s not a lot of comedy that shoots in Vancouver, just mainly dreary sci-fi stuff. But I do love TV and Film, more so in fact because I get to dig into a real story, and not just a fleeting gag or idea from a 30 second spot. And I love theatre: I was trained in theatre, and firmly believe it makes the actor great. Name any famous actor you enjoy, and chances are they grew up on the stage. Overall, I just love being immersed in storytelling. In a perfect world, I would balance my time shooting TV in LA, traveling abroad and shooting a film on a remote island somewhere for 6 months, then hunkering down in NYC for a few months to work on a Broadway play.

What would you say are the three most important things that every successful commercial needs?

Hmm, tough question. I’m not a marketing person, but from my own experience I would say: know your market, think outside the box, and…hire good actors? I find advertising fascinating, but I think it’s a lot of pressure to constantly come up with good ideas! Often times I’ve found myself improv-ing something in an audition and they end up using my idea because it was better than their own!

One of my favourite recent gigs I had was a singing voice-over gig for Old Spice ‘Dadsong’, once of the most unique and creative ad campaigns out there. The song was written by Bret McKenzie of ‘Flight of the Conchords’. So bizarre, yet very high production value and and you can’t help but laugh and sing along. Check it out on Youtube!

What other projects are you involved with these days?

I have a few projects coming out very soon. I was on an episode of the CW’s Arrow, which will be airing in a couple weeks, and I was on a new show called Olympus on the SyFy Network. I have a few commercials airing right now, and couple more on the way. I was also a lead in a feature film that shot last summer called Charlotte’s Song, which will be in festivals this Spring. It’s a supernatural period piece set in the 1930s Dust Bowl based on the fable of the Little Mermaid. I’m very excited for people to see it.

I’m also in the midst of co-producing an original play with some friends from my theatre company. We’re still in early stages, and it’s scary to dive into something original, but it’s exciting.

Who are some of your influences in film, television, and theatre?

I’ve found my tastes and interests have changed greatly over my life, in terms of who I like and who I think is good. But I definitely have some role models: In dramatic acting, I look up to Daniel Day Lewis, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Fassbender, Michael Keaton. In the world of comedy, I love Ty Burrell, Patrick Warburton, and Larry David’s brilliant writing. I’m fascinated by Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction era. In theatre, sometimes I’m in the mood for William Shakespeare or Tennessee Williams, but then I’ll play with David Mamet or Martin McDonagh.

What books have been influential to you in your career so far?

As I mentioned, I like a variety of theatre, so I love reading plays. Actual physical plays, not so much online. I’d love to have a huge collection of play books that I could chip away at. I find they’re very useful to have around too, if you’re an actor in training, which you should be. It’s so easy to be lazy as an actor, so at the very least you should be reading plays, thinking of monologues, reading up on playwrights or directors, reading or watching biographies… do something to further your craft if you’re not taking classes. Which you should be.

Where can we find out more about you and keep up with your projects?

You can check out my website at Brendan-Taylor.com. I try to keep the blog up to date with my latest gigs. You can find most of my commercials there too, and plenty of photos from past projects, including several plays with Blind Pig Theatre. And you can follow my Twitter @bdog_taylor and Instagram @dardaboy. In the coming weeks I will have a new demo as well as a voice demo up on my site, so stay tuned!

The post The Biz Interview: Brendan Taylor appeared first on Biz Books.