FAQ:Q: Why a web series?
A: My feature screenplay that this was based on was a quarterfinalist in the 2008 Silver Screenwriting Awards and was chosen for the 2nd round of consideration for the 2009 Sundance Screenwriting Labs. I'd like to get the feature produced. So, until I gain financing to produce that feature, I've taken the characters and basic situation from the script and created a similar but different project, a web series, Into Dust.
Q: So is the feature a sequel of sorts?
A: Actually the feature is the prequel-- originally entitled The Adventures of Zara Zancón in Cactus Canyon, it's the story of how Janey Santiago discovered her super powers.
Q: How far along are you in this web series endeavor?
A: Episode 1 is completed. Episode 2 is in post. As soon as it's scored, it'll be ready to go. Episode 3 is in pre-production.
Q: What did you shoot on?
A: John Mace shot Episode One on a Sony EX-1. Robert Murphy shot Episode 2 on a Sony Z1U.
Q: Is this some kind of high school production?
A: No. Though the series is set in a school, the actors were from all around Texas-- from Dallas to Round Rock to Buda. Some are in high school, some are not. We filmed at Hays High School and there were a few teachers and students who ended up filling in small roles, but the rest are professional actors and crew.
Q: What are the actors' other credits?
A: The actors' credits include Richard Linklater's
Boyhood, a web series called Emergence, a feature, Upon a Midnight Clear, NBC/Universal's Friday Night Lights, ABC TV's The Deep End, and NFL commercials.
Q: How about the crew?
A: The crew's credits include Friday Night Lights, Predators, Machete,
In Search of a Midnight Kiss, Fast Food Nation, Friday the Thirteenth (2009), A Scanner Darkly, Stop-Loss, Periphery, The 2 Bobs, The Hitcher, and many other independent films.
Q: Did you edit it yourself?
A. No. Jason Huggins edited Episode One and John Mace did color correction. Kate Dawson did some additional editing and animation/SFX. Robert Murphy is editing Episode 2.
Q:That's really cool music. Mark Parrish did that?
A: Mark Parrish wrote (and performed) the Into Dust theme, called "Too Much Tequila." Richard Bowling was the composer for the musical score (the music you hear in the desert, as Carlitos sees Oscar by the car, etc.) in Episode 2.
Q: What else have you got?
A: The web series is based on a feature screenplay - a prequel to the story detailing how Janey Santiago got her powers.
I have also written an award-winning unproduced feature script called
The Court of Lions, a love story set in Spain during the Christian/Muslim conflict. My first short, a documentary about a Ann Arbor-based band called
Hokey Smokes! Frank Allison and the Odd Sox is available on
You Tube at this link (here). And of course, many other projects in various stages of development. My writing has been described as "Diablo Cody meets Quentin Tarantino" by script consultant James P. Mercurio. I'm hoping that's a good thing.
