Interview with Filmmaker Jack Wolf Perry (ONE ON ONE)

ONE ON ONE, 5min., USA, Drama
Directed by Jack Wolf Perry
A fierce acting coach uses intense techniques to get a performance out of his shy new student.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Over the summer I attended Berridge Programs which includes a filmmaking course in Normandy France. One On One was my class project.

The script the characters read in One On One is actually from another short film I made a few months before. I knew that if I was going to have a script within a script, it’d be impossible to write the lines they’d be rehearsing without thinking about where I’d be breaking it apart and inserting other lines so I decided to use something already finished that I was familiar with.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

The full process took about 3 weeks. The filmmaking class had about one week to write, one week of production where each director got one day dedicated to their film, and then a week of editing before we premiered all of our short films together.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

I would say tense and heavy.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

We originally planned to shoot the whole film from the opposite side of the 180 line. The camera moves over to the opposite side for the, “Yell,” moment and my DP and I looked at each other and said, “this side is so much better.”

I had no idea, but I learned that day (the hard way) that’s it’s better to shoot actors on the side of the shadow. I decided to reshoot a lot of what we had already done that day, but from the dark side of the actors.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I thought the structure of this festival was so unique and so helpful. It was great to see other people’s reactions! It was interesting to see which elements people connected to, especially people who said they have done acting before and are familiar with some of the difficulties portrayed in the film.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I made my first so-called “short film” in 5th grade. I had my mom’s iphone in one hand, a nerf blaster in the other and I made my brother and best friend put on Zombie masks and had them chase me around the backyard.

Since then I’ve just known that film is what I want to do and I haven’t questioned it since. Of course, my movies and process have gotten more developed since that first one. On certain sets, you can still get those rushes as if you’re just a kid running around with his friends.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

The film I’ve seen the most in my life is probably The Lego Movie. I was a crazy Lego kid so when it came out, my cousins and I must’ve watched it 20 times in the span of a month.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

There’s nothing I can think of really! I suppose the more commenters, the better.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

I’m brand new to film festivals. One On One is the first short film I’ve submitted anywhere. I feel I’ve been very lucky with the success of Film Freeway will definitely be in my future a lot more. Hopefully I can make other projects in the future that are worthy of festival acceptance.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I wish I had a super interesting answer for this one, but I gotta go with classic buttered pasta.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

Yes! For class I’m writing and directing a 3-2-1 script (3 pages, 2 characters,

1 location). The logline is: After a car crash, an injured, distraught college girl sits by the hospital bed of her crush who’s in a coma. When he suddenly wakes up and tries to confront her about the truth of the crash, everytime he almost exposes her for being responsible, he gets “reset.”

The lead actress will actually be Carol Arap from One On One so I am very excited to work with her for a third time!