Interview with Ray Soltani & Adam Weissman: PART II

Interviewer: RED
Ray's Answers: GREEN
Adam's Answers: GOLD

What attracts you to film?

R: The style of storytelling. The picture, the sound, the performances, the script, the editing; they're all so different yet equally integral, trying to control all of them at once can be chaotic at times. Then somehow, if you hang on, everything falls into place. I find that reassuring.

A: Life is too short to go quietly. Film is one of the few art forms where you can reach out and touch thousands of people. Sure, books do that too, perhaps more-so, but film is slightly more sociable than 'novelizing' which is a word I just made up.

Do you prefer writing or directing?

A: Writing.

R: That's a rough one. Writing is fun because you don't need anyone. It's kind of like jerking off in that way. Now, you might think well, if Directing is like sex then that must be much better; but think of all the bullshit that comes along with sex. Think of how happy you were before puberty.

A: Also, keep in mind the competition is too fierce to be a one trick pony, if you're not a writer/director or graphic artist/director, there's only so much you can do, you're more expendable in that way.

R: Plus there are so many hacks and bullshit artists inundating this business with their nonsense that it's hard to get your stuff read or even seen sometimes, but if you're well versed structurally and aesthetically, add to that the ability to generate un-contrived content and then maybe you won't be a joke.

So, do you think film school should be more vocational?

R: I was a Dramatic Writing major at SUNY Purchase, after my first year I decided to apply to the film program which was more 'prestigous' and closely guarded. The guy who rejected me, the interviewer, asked me why I wanted to make films, and I, like an asshole, actually had the audacity to say "to entertain people", well, he just kind of threw up his hands in exasperation. He couldn't believe it. "Then what're we making films for!?" he says. He actually wanted me to say to change the world. These are the types of idiots you have in charge of film programs.

Don't blame the studios for destroying independent film, blame the independent filmmaker. Great art is indestructible, it permeates souls.

So, you guys think Go Quietly will permeate souls?

A: I don't know about all that -- at the very least, I would hope it causes people to think twice about their own psychiatrist -- their own 'Doctor Trevor.'

R: Haha.

Do you think that's dangerous, if people are scared of their psychiatrist?

A: Not at all. I think psychiatrists are what's dangerous. Who do they think they are telling people how to live? Dispensing 'wisdom' like some sort of witch doctor. It's one of the few fields in science where a majority of its practitioners will admit that they don't exactly know how or why the drugs they give people work the way they do.

R: Adam's got some personal issues.

Were you ever in therapy?

A: No. Not me.

((awkward silence))

How did Go Quietly come about?

R: Adam and I had been discussing making a film for awhile, the phrase “new boyfriend, dead friends” stuck in my head. That eventually turned into the logline above, thanks to Adam. I wanted to do something having to do with mind games and relationships, I thought the uncertainty and anxiety that comes with new relationships was something I could exploit. I was pushing for horror because I knew we couldn’t get any names, but at least with horror we would have a shot at an audience. Plus I wanted to do something raw, edgy -- something gritty, something that would grab people by the throat.

It was Adam’s idea to make the villain a psychiatrist – something we both loved because we knew we could turn meds, hypnosis, psychoanalysis, behavioral analysis and therapy into weapons.

Why a psychiatrist?

A: People put a lot of trust in this stranger -- the psychiatrist. A psychiatrist isn't your friend -- he (or she) is someone you 'work with' based upon who your insurer is. That said, if your insurance changes you're forced to switch caregivers... nothing personal, just business. To me, I think that's pretty creepy, especially because unlike someone that's a heart surgeon, general practitioner, allergist etcetera, the problem and solution (in psychiatry) are thoroughly subjective.

In a nutshell, psychiatry seems one part science, two parts faith -- but not in a good way. If psychiatrists had a fantasy equivalent, it wouldn't be a priest, it would be a warlock.

What are your minimum expectations for Go Quietly?

R: My minimum expectations for Go Quietly are that it’ll do for the careers of everyone involved what steroids did for Barry Bonds.

A: Make back my money and make a follow up film with Ray.

What are your maximum hopes for Go Quietly?

R: It’s probably too late to say this, but I don’t wanna sound like an idiot, so I’ll pass on that one.

A: Haha, what Ray said for minimum expectations.

Where do you see pitfalls in this project?

R: It’s impossible for anything to go wrong. Not even God can stop us.

A: No comment, but I'll skip on the blasphemy.

Who are your inspirations if any?

R: Audie Murphy and Alexander The Great -- conquered the known world at 25, can't beat that, right?

A: Ayn Rand and L. Ron Hubbard (just kidding about L. Ron).