Making A ’60s Sci-fi Crime Noir Put Robert James ‘One Step Ahead”

Tell me about where you shot your film and what it was like pooling together your talent and crew?
I filmed in southern Oregon. It has a lot of historic districts and neighborhoods where I live. My sister-in-law was moving to Vegas just before filming began, so when her furniture was out, I moved all the period furniture in. Her house was perfect since it was built in the ’50s. I needed a mansion for the film, so a friend of a friend let me film in his beautiful home with free reign.

My favorite scene in the film is the ballroom scene. It was filmed in a hotel lounge that was already styled in 1960’s decor, so I lucked out again. Add 25 extras in cocktail attire and a ballroom band playing an original song for the film, and it’s magic. Scheduling both talent and crew was one of the most challenging parts of the project as everybody, including myself, has a day job. The entire project was extremely low budget and all out of my pocket. I had about five crew members on this project and never all at the same time.

“Make sure you have all the elements you need to tell the story—props, costumes, locations, etc.”

What is the best piece of advice you can give to an emerging indie filmmaker that you learned making your film?
Make sure you have all the elements you need to tell the story—props, costumes, locations, etc.  A lot of indie filmmakers like myself wear a lot of hats. We write, direct, edit, shoot, star in our films to save money and time. Unfortunately, when facing these limits and taking on all those roles, it is much harder to get the best outcome.  If you can limit your duties on production and surround yourself with competent talent in front and behind the scenes, you’ll be better for it.

One Step Ahead is currently streaming free on Tubitv.com and available to rent or purchase on Amazon Prime.