What inspired the idea for Who Dunt Dunt Dunnit? : The Movie, particularly the story and the genre?
All the classic murder mysteries that defined the genre and the tropes of such all took place in other time periods, in larger-than-life locations, and these affect the story and the outcome. I thought it would be funny to flip that on its head and have the same type of melodramatic, Agatha Christie-style murder mystery that took place in modern day and in a middle-class suburban house. So everyone has a phone, but there’s always a reason they can’t use it to call for help, and the neighbors are just next door, but there’s always a reason they can’t leave the house. I loved the potential for comedy in that! I also love self-aware jokes that break the fourth wall, so I introduced myself, the director, as one of the party guests, with the idea that the cast is aware they are making a movie… Then, Nigel died, and things went sideways, but hey, these things happen… I also specifically set out to make a feature on $10,000. That was my goal before I even had the initial idea. I wanted to show people what I could do, as writer/director/editor, on a budget of $10,000. If I could make an entertaining movie for such a low budget, imagine what I could do with a much, much bigger budget! Who Dunt Dunt Dunnit? : The Movie presented the perfect recipe for exactly that—a steady cast of characters, all in one central location, just accusing each other of murder!
Do you have a background in Comedy? What do you think are some of the challenges you faced writing comedy?
People say comedy is the hardest thing to write, and I disagree. Comedy is easy, it’s just subjective. As long as you understand and accept that not everyone will have the same sense of humor as you, then you can create comedy specifically for those people who do share your sense of humor. For example, while I was in post-production on Who Dunt Dunt Dunnit? : The Movie, I had several test screenings that were followed by feedback sessions. After 4 or 5 of these test screenings, it became very clear that my film has a specific target audience. People who were Generation X and older tend to dislike the movie, not get the humor, and question the point of it. However, people who are Millennials or younger tend to love it, laugh their faces off, and call this one of their favorite movies. Ever since I started writing comedy, I’ve known that I have a unique sense of humor that not everyone will get, so I set out to make Who Dunt Dunt Dunnit? : The Movie as the type of movie I would want to see. I didn’t worry about pleasing everyone else, I just focused on what made me laugh. As a result, my film has a very specific target audience, which will make distribution easier because I know exactly how to market the film.
“Practice first on something you care less about.”
How did you pull your cast together?
I actually had a lot of talented actors jumping at the chance to ham it up and chew up the scenery with some melodramatic acting in a fun murder mystery. I found a few of the cast on Backstage, but many of the cast members came from networking and working on things over the years. I’ve been a part of the local indie film community since 2009, I’ve made many of my own projects, and I’ve worked on many, many projects produced by other people. The more you get out there and do things, the more people you meet. For example, the actor that played Nigel, I found him through the Long Beach Acting and Film Association back in 2016 when I made the short film version of Who Dunt Dunt Dunnit, and I have since worked with him on many, many projects. For many years, he was the captain in the Pirate Dinner Adventure Show in Orange County and therefore knew many local stage actors. When it came time to fill the cast for Who Dunt Dunt Dunnit?: The Movie, he was brought on as casting director and was a great resource for finding a cast. They say 90% of success is showing up. I met him because I showed up and was, therefore, able to fill the cast with amazing, talented, and dedicated actors who all dove in head first and embodied their characters! They gave the exact performances the film needed, and the film lives because of them! Everything I did to make the movie would not have mattered if it weren’t for this amazing cast bringing their A-game.
A close friend is about to make their first independent feature. What is the one piece of advice you give your friend?
Practice first on something you care less about. Don’t let the thing you’re most passionate about, your baby, be your first project because your first project is gonna suck. Hone your skills and get good at it, first. I made 19 short films and three web series (one of which has over 300 episodes), and I helped so many other people with their projects that I lost count before I set out to make Who Dunt Dunt Dunnit? : The Movie, and therefore I stepped onto set every day confident that I knew exactly what I was doing, I knew exactly how to do it, and I knew we would end up with a film we could all be proud of. I had that confidence because I spent years and years making stuff and getting good at it first. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re the exception (it’s nothing personal, it’s just the way humans work. My first film projects were embarrassingly terrible! Much of my earlier work will never see the light of day! But the more I made stuff, the better I got at making stuff)… Don’t make the mistake of spending a bunch of money on high-end gear, thinking that just because you filmed with an expensive camera, that means your movie will be good. The gear is just the tool. If you know what you’re doing, then you can make a quality film on a $200 DSLR. But if you don’t have the experience, then shooting on a $50,000 cinema camera is not just going to make your movie good.
Also, don’t give up. The only true failure is when you quit, until then, you just haven’t made it yet!
It was an absolute blast working with Thomas and it’s been an absolute honor and privilege to have known him as a good friend for many years since high school here’s to many more Tom