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.

In our home city of Vancouver, Michelle Muldoon is an award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, who has been recognized for her work in Vancouver and beyond.

In advance of her induction into the Action on Film International Film Festival Legends Society next month, we spoke with Michelle Muldoon about her accomplishments thus far, her opinions on the screenplays of today, and what projects she’s involved with these days.

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Why don’t you start by telling us a little bit more about you and which projects you’re currently involved with?

I am first and foremost a writer, and secondly a filmmaker. I started writing seriously in 2007, and once I found a mentor, was winning film festival awards a year later. In the ensuing eight years, I’ve had success at numerous festivals, and have become part of the festival team at two of them. I created and run the Writers Room, an alumni writers’ event and online community for the Action on Film International Film Festival in California. Plus, as a board member of Women in Film and Television Vancouver, I created and run the International Screenwriting Competition at the Vancouver International Women in Film Festival.

I’m in post-production on a three minute short film called Chaos Management, and I hope to make a feature film in the next year. EFC Film in California has applied for my U.S. 0-1 Visa in order to bring me down to Los Angeles to direct my feature film screenplay, Dead Fest.

At the moment, I’m writing a science fiction feature script and a web series.

From a writer’s perspective, what are many of today’s screenplays getting right or getting wrong in your opinion?

In the case of indie film, I have to say the script is under-developed.

Indie filmmakers need to be more fearless with the script. They shouldn’t be afraid to work with story editors and script consultants. These are people whose only interest is helping you make your script better. They don’t have the filter of friendship, relationship, or family to temper the feedback they give. There’s an old and true saying, “writing is rewriting”. There is a point where you have to hang your hat on a draft, but I think too many indie writers hang that hat too early because they erroneously relying on their friends to give them the tough feedback, and that rarely results in what you need.

Writing a story about compelling characters with unique voices, in fresh situations that involve heightened conflict is tough. If you don’t get fresh eyes on your work then you never truly know if you’ve achieved that.

Lastly, I believe you should have script readings for many of your drafts, and take feedback from the actors after each. If you want quality actors in your film, then you need to find out if the roles are attractive to them. The writer can still decide whether or not they’re taking the feedback, but they need to receive feedback before they can accept or reject it.

What do you think are the three most important elements for a successful screenplay?

Structure. Story, Character. By that I mean who the character is, how they talk, and how they relate to each other. The characters you create should engage the audience. The audience should have an opinion and a reaction to the characters on the screen. Audience indifference is the kiss of death to a film.

Structure is all about how you develop and relate the story you want to tell. It’s how you build and expose the conflict and resolution of the film. It is the pattern that creates the definition of the story.

Your story needs to be interesting. It needs to have a central conflict or obstacle and it needs to flow towards resolution. You must give the audience someone to root for, someone to care about, someone who is interesting. There needs to be a universal theme that can transcend boundaries. And most of all, story must have layered meanings that hit the audience’s buttons on so many different levels.

I’m going to add one more element that is crucial; formatting. If your script doesn’t look like a script, then no one is going to finish reading it. Just because you read scripts, doesn’t mean you know how to format one. Buy The Screenwriter’s Bible by David Trottier. It’s that simple. There are no excuses.

What is your opinion on actors who want to get into screenwriting? What advice would you have for them?

Writing is easy. Writing a good screenplay is hard. There are rules, there are expectations, and there’s definitely time required. If the actor is committed to working on their craft then go for it. Get out and meet your fellow writers, take workshops, buy the books that will help you develop, and be ready to put your nose to the grindstone. I always hear that it takes eight to ten feature screenplays before a writer really feels the story and understands the craft of writing. I think there’s a lot of truth to that. So, be prepared to work, a lot, in solitude, for a long time.

If the actor isn’t willing to put as much effort into studying the craft of writing as they put into the study of the craft of acting, then they shouldn’t do it. Go find a writer to work with if you want to make a film. Give yourself the best chance to succeed if you aren’t interested in working at writing.

What was your inspiration for getting into writing and your other endeavours in producing and directing?

I spent the first part of my life in sport; playing then coaching volleyball. I was burnt out, and it was time for a change. I needed something for me; something I could do on my own. I started with short fiction, but on the recommendation of a friend, I tried screenplays. I acquired a copy of Final Draft and started writing. There’s no polite way to say it, I sucked. I had a lot to learn, so I went out and found an instructor that made sense; how she communicated, and relayed her instruction. To this day, I still hire Pilar Alessandra at On The Page Script Consulting to cover my first draft. She’s good, better than good, and I’m not saying that because I’m on page 250 of her book, The Coffee Break Screenwriter. (Yes, that was a shameless plug) It took less than a year after working with her for me to receive my first Film Festival nomination.

I make film because that is where the market has gone. It’s becoming increasingly more difficult for a writer to be noticed strictly writing spec scripts. The spec script market has gotten better, but it will never be what it was in the 80’s and 90’s. You have to separate yourself from all the other aspiring writers, and craft an identity. And the only way to do that is make film. This is an age for the Indie Auteur and if you want to work in film, then you need to reinvent yourself.

What have been a few of your most memorable career moments to date?

My most memorable career moments have been:

• Winning the Women of Film Award at the 2009 Action on Film International Film Festival.

• My nomination for Best Director at the Movieville International Film Festival. The nomination list included Feature Film Directors and there I was, nominated for my eight minute short film, A Rendezvous.

• My impending induction into the Action on Film International Film Festival Legends Society in September. Independent Filmmaker Stan Harrington and I are the first inductees. We will then be the ones responsible for nominating and inducting other alumni members who strive not only to create film, but who do it with a high level of integrity. From there, we become the advisory committee that will help chart the future of the festival. The induction comes with some perks. I am now guaranteed to screen for life at the festival, which is now in its eleventh year in Monrovia, a small town next to Pasadena, CA. I think this honour says more about my value system than my filmmaking ability, and that makes me very proud of the honour.

• The two screenwriters events I created and run; The Vancouver International Women in Film Festival Screenplay Competition, and the Writers Room alumni event for the Action on Film International Film Festival. I believe in community, and with these two events I’ve been given the chance to put my money where my mouth is and work towards building and contributing to community.

What books have been influential in your creative journey?

This is going to sound odd, but my first formatting book, The Hollywood Standard by Christopher Riley, made a big difference to me. I’m a linear thinker, and when I realized that a script has a clear form, then writing within that form freed my creativity up.

I also enjoyed the William Akers book, Your Screenplay Sucks! And there are things about Save The Cat! by Blake Snyder I like a lot.

I think you have to be wary of anything that dilutes screenwriting to a simple formula It isn’t that easy. However, I do think there’s something in every book that can lead you to being a better writer.

Lastly, I would have to say you should never discount the influence of narrative fiction on your screenwriting. I was a huge Frank Herbert and Farley Mowat fan as a child. These two authors created amazing worlds with their words. You may be an avid reader your entire life, but there has to be writers who first inspired that love. They were mine. When I started writing I thought back to them, how they crafted something I bought into so readily, and how I wanted that for my screenplays.

In your opinion, what is the current state of the Canadian film, television, and theatre industry?

I think we have a stronger indigenous television industry than feature film industry. We’re making programs that play all over the world, whether it’s Continuum, Murdoch Mysteries, Lost Girl, Rookie Blue, or Motive. I think we have a lot to be proud of, but we need feature films to thrive in Canada. We need a stronger culture of private investment in film, and we need access to the screens in our own theatres. Distribution for Canadian film is difficult. Until we solve the issues around more diverse access to financing and investment, and a way to show our films more easily, I think feature films in Canada are going to continue to struggle for the support of the general Anglophone population.

What do you think the biggest challenges are for new writers, producers, and directors who want to enter the industry?

While the digital age has made production easier than ever, it’s also had a difficult flip-side to it. It’s harder to get noticed amid the cacophony. If you’re the needle, and the haystack keeps growing exponentially, how is anyone supposed to find you? With screenwriting programs so accessible and the empowerment of the “everyman” through blogs and the internet, everyone thinks they can write so everyone does. The amount of entries in contests and festivals, for both film and screenwriting, proves that the amount of material being generated grows every day. It’s much harder to get noticed. We used to say the cream rises to the top, but I don’t think that’s true anymore. The distance it needs to travel is just too huge. You need to find a way to separate yourself from the masses, and I think that is the main challenge for everyone now.

Where can we find out more about you?

You can find out more about me at: MichelleMuldoon.wordpress.com

And you can follow me on twitter: @chat2michelle

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Our thanks to Michelle Muldoon for speaking with us!

The post The Biz Interview: Michelle Muldoon appeared first on Biz Books.