TRANSCRIPT 🔗
WEBVTT
00:00:03.910 --> 00:00:05.669
Hi, my name is Warren Mitchell.
00:00:05.750 --> 00:00:12.070
I am an independent filmmaker, and my production company is Warren World Films.
00:00:12.390 --> 00:00:17.910
I have been making films for the past 15 years now.
00:00:18.310 --> 00:00:35.189
I have 22 short films to my credit, and I have recently made my first ever feature film, Aspire, which will be uh streaming for the first time on the Indie South channel.
00:00:35.510 --> 00:00:39.590
I have always wanted to be on a podcast.
00:00:39.909 --> 00:00:45.829
I am really excited to have you guys be my uh first ever podcast appearance.
00:00:48.950 --> 00:00:51.510
I'm TJ, and as always, I'm Play-H.
00:00:52.790 --> 00:00:54.549
Warren, it's great to have you.
00:00:54.790 --> 00:00:57.349
We're gonna dive into your filmmaking journey.
00:00:57.430 --> 00:01:01.670
When you said 22 films, I'm thinking, wow, that's just incredible.
00:01:02.150 --> 00:01:05.510
With the feature film added in, it's 23.
00:01:05.750 --> 00:01:06.390
There you go.
00:01:06.549 --> 00:01:07.349
I gotcha.
00:01:07.430 --> 00:01:09.109
Okay, 22 shorts and a feature.
00:01:09.429 --> 00:01:10.549
Don't try to cut them short, TJ.
00:01:10.789 --> 00:01:11.590
Trying to jinx them.
00:01:13.109 --> 00:01:17.670
Could you tell us a little bit out of your journey of how you got started and how you got into filmmaking?
00:01:17.989 --> 00:01:29.590
Yeah, uh, so when I was getting out of high school, I originally wanted to become a singer and try to shoot for a recording career.
00:01:29.989 --> 00:01:44.789
I actually uh took some took a guitar class and I uh even joined the school choir during my senior year of high school just to practice my uh craft a little.
00:01:45.109 --> 00:02:04.629
And the more I realized, the more I got into that, I realized that my uh even though it was a fun time and I uh grew as uh grew into music, didn't think I could actually uh hold a uh studio album on my own.
00:02:04.950 --> 00:02:11.750
I would be better off in a background, providing either harmonies or bass vocals.
00:02:11.990 --> 00:02:26.389
So uh right when I was about to graduate though, I uh started com daydreaming about uh a concept in my head that I felt be really uh intriguing to make a movie about.
00:02:26.710 --> 00:02:34.310
And I ever since I was born, I like to daydream about original stories in my own head.
00:02:34.629 --> 00:02:49.030
So when I realized that what I was coming up with could make a good movie, I started thinking of some other ideas, and from then from there, I realized that's what I wanted to do.
00:02:49.270 --> 00:02:55.189
So I uh pretty much uh found what I wanted to do in a nick of time.
00:02:55.509 --> 00:02:55.829
Right.
00:02:55.990 --> 00:02:56.710
Very cool.
00:02:56.949 --> 00:02:58.710
We've talked about this off the air.
00:02:58.949 --> 00:03:01.750
Could you tell us about your autism, your Asperger?
00:03:02.229 --> 00:03:10.629
Asperger's That was something that I learned about right before my senior of high school started.
00:03:10.870 --> 00:03:17.109
I was uh I was at Christian Life Academy for my junior and senior year in Banrooch.
00:03:17.750 --> 00:03:46.310
And in between that time, I was really uh gaining a best friend, and we were hanging out a whole lot, and one night he uh decided to bring to my attention that might be autistic because he he overheard some information from the faculty, and a lot of people in my life had known about it, except for me.
00:03:46.549 --> 00:04:00.789
My mom uh and dad got me diagnosed with autism when I was two years old, and I was taking special education classes, but I didn't realize why I was there.
00:04:00.949 --> 00:04:06.469
I didn't even know autism existed until uh that moment happened.
00:04:06.789 --> 00:04:23.670
For a while, it was tough for me to even be public about it, and then slowly I started telling one person at a time, and then I started doing autism awareness day posts since uh 2015.
00:04:23.990 --> 00:04:24.790
Oh, cool.
00:04:25.110 --> 00:04:33.910
And I uh I've seen your movie, you've talked about it, that it's about to come out, Aspire, and that is about what is it what the story, what is it about?
00:04:34.150 --> 00:04:42.870
Well, it's a semi-autobiographical movie inspired by my own uh experiences with autism.
00:04:43.110 --> 00:04:45.670
Initially, I was diagnosed with Asperger's.
00:04:45.910 --> 00:04:50.710
You know how they had to change that term to autism.
00:04:51.030 --> 00:05:18.550
It took a while for me to get adjusted to that, and so I created a movie where I play an autistic man in his 30s moving to New Orleans and moving in with his cousin, and while I'm there, I start a job at a credit union because he's using this opportunity to really prove himself as an independent adult.
00:05:18.710 --> 00:05:31.830
It's like a now or never situation to achieve what he wants, and one of those things is a romantic relationship, and he's able to find that through his coworker.
00:05:32.150 --> 00:05:33.030
Very cool.
00:05:33.270 --> 00:05:34.150
I got you.
00:05:34.310 --> 00:05:36.710
Our friend uh Rachel Knapps was in that, right?
00:05:37.030 --> 00:05:41.110
Yeah, she uh plays my uh sister Amanda, and no wait.
00:05:41.590 --> 00:05:52.870
She plays my Rachel Knapps plays my sister Lisa, and she was just the greatest when uh we had her on set.
00:05:53.110 --> 00:05:56.150
And just dropped Danielle Laneux did your makeup, right?
00:05:56.310 --> 00:05:58.630
Yeah, she did it for the wedding scenes.
00:05:58.870 --> 00:06:05.670
Yeah, uh we we interviewed her a while back, and her episode went live today.
00:06:06.070 --> 00:06:10.550
I I got the the chance to work with her uh a couple months ago.
00:06:10.710 --> 00:06:12.310
She's she's really cool.
00:06:12.550 --> 00:06:16.070
Yeah, she's uh a really great makeup artist.
00:06:16.390 --> 00:06:20.310
Really came through for us during that during
Load full transcript
those scenes.
00:06:20.470 --> 00:06:36.070
And uh after the movie wrapped, I uh agreed to take part in an exercise at Fran Yu that she was doing, where she would turn us into zombies with the zombie makeup.
00:06:36.310 --> 00:06:36.790
Nice.
00:06:37.030 --> 00:06:43.750
And we uh did a little uh escape room uh exercise with the Fran Yu students.
00:06:44.070 --> 00:06:44.710
Oh fun.
00:06:45.110 --> 00:06:46.070
That's awesome.
00:06:46.310 --> 00:06:54.870
And one of those uh fellow zombies of mine was writer Petite Wise, who had uh acted in a few uh short films of mine.
00:06:55.189 --> 00:07:00.630
It it's all about making community and and helping each other out and being in each being in each other's films.
00:07:00.950 --> 00:07:09.910
Yeah, that's what I've always emphasized on when I put my uh cast and crews together on every project.
00:07:10.150 --> 00:07:23.910
I want to get people that I know, get people that I'm a uh wanting to work with, and make sure they all uh come together to create a fun experience.
00:07:24.230 --> 00:07:25.670
Yeah, that's awesome.
00:07:25.910 --> 00:07:34.230
Can I ask you what kind of challenges you face with filmmaking and autism?
00:07:34.790 --> 00:07:51.510
Well, in my position, I have to be able to uh get my point across and making it a coherent message because some people may not understand what I'm saying or what my intentions are.
00:07:51.830 --> 00:07:53.189
How do you overcome that?
00:07:53.510 --> 00:07:54.870
Being honest, yeah.
00:07:55.110 --> 00:08:05.990
I've always uh emphasized on just being open with uh everything to anyone on my uh crew set.
00:08:06.310 --> 00:08:07.030
I got you.
00:08:07.270 --> 00:08:11.189
What are some of the other films that you made and a description of some of those?
00:08:11.510 --> 00:08:14.870
Oh man, I can go for a whole lot.
00:08:15.030 --> 00:08:20.230
Um, the first one I did was a student film in 2020.
00:08:21.270 --> 00:08:32.070
Was it was the stalker, and it was based off an idea of mine where somebody was just chasing another one across the city.
00:08:32.389 --> 00:08:39.509
So uh we had somebody stalk this guy, and they're running throughout the campus.
00:08:39.750 --> 00:08:57.829
One of my uh favorite ones that I did was 2017's pie shop, where I did an homage to the silent comedy era, and I created a character where Guy owns a pie shop.
00:08:57.990 --> 00:09:02.549
He's really good at making the pies, but he also suffers from muscle spasms.
00:09:02.789 --> 00:09:10.549
And at any given moment, his muscle spasms will act up and he'll throw a pie in the customer's face.
00:09:12.469 --> 00:09:18.629
The most recent one that I did was Vacation Time that came out last year.
00:09:18.870 --> 00:09:31.429
I did that for the 48-hour film project, and we got nominated for Best Supporting Actress, even though the person that was nominated, Valerie Lamb, was playing the lead actress.
00:09:31.669 --> 00:09:40.870
You know, I could get nominated for like use of prop in the background, and it'll always be an honor.
00:09:41.269 --> 00:09:44.230
It'll always be an honor to be nominated.
00:09:44.469 --> 00:09:46.069
Hey, look at the Golden Globe.
00:09:46.309 --> 00:09:48.309
Best comedy is like the bear.
00:09:48.469 --> 00:09:49.750
That's not a comedy.
00:09:50.149 --> 00:09:53.509
So those categories aren't that's a different type of comedy.
00:09:53.829 --> 00:09:54.469
Right, right.
00:09:54.629 --> 00:09:56.069
It's the one without laughter.
00:09:56.230 --> 00:09:57.029
No, I'm just kidding.
00:09:57.110 --> 00:09:57.509
Yeah.
00:09:57.750 --> 00:09:58.789
That's very cool.
00:09:59.029 --> 00:10:03.189
Exploring the autism part, it it doesn't seem like it holds you back.
00:10:03.350 --> 00:10:11.669
Quote unquote normal people have to be direct and communicate, and it's just something you deal with and then you work through it.
00:10:11.750 --> 00:10:11.909
Yeah.
00:10:12.069 --> 00:10:21.829
It's my biggest obstacles is just being able to communicate very well with other with other people.
00:10:22.549 --> 00:10:31.350
And that really uh hinders me in areas where I really want to see success at.
00:10:54.709 --> 00:11:01.029
Exactly what art is channeling your emotions, your success, your pains, your frustration, and then making a product.
00:11:01.189 --> 00:11:07.669
I hate the word product, but that's what you know, making a film and that will touch other people's lives and share with that.
00:11:07.750 --> 00:11:08.789
That's that's awesome, man.
00:11:08.870 --> 00:11:09.750
I'm proud of you.
00:11:09.990 --> 00:11:17.909
And it's not everything's based off of my life, but I have sprinkled bits and pieces into certain parts.
00:11:18.230 --> 00:11:20.309
Yeah, I mean, you gotta tell your story, right?
00:11:20.389 --> 00:11:20.949
Yeah, yeah.
00:11:21.189 --> 00:11:25.350
So so when the groom gets superpowers and flies off, that's not you.
00:11:25.589 --> 00:11:43.189
Well, we did have a wedding scene where Rachel Knopfs's character, which is my sister in the movie, gets married to Jacob Leinberger's character, and that's based off of my sister's marriage ten years ago.
00:11:43.509 --> 00:11:44.389
Okay, cool.
00:11:44.549 --> 00:11:45.829
Don't give out too much.
00:11:45.990 --> 00:11:46.789
Make them watch it.
00:11:46.949 --> 00:11:47.589
I know.
00:11:47.990 --> 00:11:49.990
What's that channel again for them to go watch it?
00:11:50.309 --> 00:11:51.509
Indie South Channel.
00:11:51.829 --> 00:11:52.709
Indie South Channel.
00:11:53.909 --> 00:11:56.789
And streaming platforms are coming soon.
00:11:57.029 --> 00:11:57.829
That's awesome.
00:11:57.990 --> 00:11:58.309
Yeah.
00:11:58.469 --> 00:12:05.509
How how long did it take you from writing to filming and editing to produce the film?
00:12:05.909 --> 00:12:14.709
So 2019 is when I started trying to write it, but I kind of struggled with coming up with the dialogue.
00:12:14.870 --> 00:12:30.549
So I put it aside
for a while, and then after I got this new rush of creativity, I started writing it again in 2022 and spent the whole year trying to write the first draft.
00:12:30.870 --> 00:12:41.429
And in 2023 was when I started trying to put some pieces together to get a Cast and Crew and Schedule together.
00:12:41.750 --> 00:12:53.350
Man, that was gonna be a documentary of its own, but I am I'll be uh sharing a little bit of those experiences.
00:12:53.669 --> 00:13:06.549
Anyways, we started filming for real in 2024, and 2025 last year is when we had our premiere and the Manschip Theater in Ban Rouge, Louisiana.
00:13:06.789 --> 00:13:07.509
I gotcha.
00:13:07.669 --> 00:13:11.029
So, Warren, what kind of movies or TV shows do you like to watch?
00:13:11.189 --> 00:13:12.469
What inspires you?
00:13:12.789 --> 00:13:16.709
Yeah, so my favorite film of all time is Back to the Future.
00:13:17.029 --> 00:13:17.909
Oh yeah.
00:13:18.389 --> 00:13:39.350
And I have really been inspired by the Frank Capra movies, the Steven Spielberg movies, the John Hughes movies, the Christopher Nolan movies, a lot of uh storytelling and TV shows from my childhood to uh what I uh discover nowadays.
00:13:39.509 --> 00:13:47.509
I'm uh more of a I like to be more of a comedic person, but I do uh want to blend other genres in.
00:13:47.669 --> 00:13:50.069
I don't want to be confined to just one.
00:13:50.389 --> 00:13:50.789
Right.
00:13:51.189 --> 00:13:52.389
If I have the right idea.
00:13:52.709 --> 00:13:54.870
You don't want to do it just to do it.
00:13:55.029 --> 00:13:57.589
You want something of value value to you.
00:13:58.069 --> 00:14:10.870
And all of the films that I've done, I've uh at least made it something that really uh strongly believe in, and I feel like it deserves to be uh put out there.
00:14:11.350 --> 00:14:21.429
Is there anything you would want to tell someone who doesn't have autism that you find that people just assume that a person with autism has?
00:14:21.589 --> 00:14:22.230
You know what I mean?
00:14:22.309 --> 00:14:27.110
Is there something you would say to, hey, this is what's real, this is fake, that kind of thing?
00:14:27.589 --> 00:14:37.589
I would pretty much tell them that my intentions may get a little uh hazy when it's uh projected.
00:14:37.750 --> 00:14:42.629
But I have never done anything out of ill harm.
00:14:42.789 --> 00:14:46.149
And so mis miscommunication is common then.
00:14:46.389 --> 00:14:47.029
Yeah.
00:14:47.350 --> 00:14:56.309
And in my own uh struggle with uh finding a relationship, I want to prove to someone that I uh am worth taking a chance on.
00:14:56.549 --> 00:14:57.110
Yeah.
00:14:57.429 --> 00:15:00.949
Man, you are just from me to you, you are.
00:15:01.269 --> 00:15:02.549
Even take that to the bank.
00:15:02.870 --> 00:15:45.559
TJ's not, but you know, you are I tend to scare people off.
00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:47.000
It's the beard.
00:15:49.639 --> 00:15:56.199
I gotta say, TJ, you uh really
aren't into uh your beard.
00:15:56.519 --> 00:15:57.079
Thank you.
00:15:57.319 --> 00:15:58.120
What's next?
00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:02.360
Any movies, any stories that are looming on the horizon for you, Warren?
00:16:02.519 --> 00:16:03.559
Yes, actually.
00:16:03.799 --> 00:16:15.159
Um I am uh doing a couple of uh ideas on the horizon, hoping to have them ready uh for this coming year.
00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:22.919
I have a sequel to a Christmas-themed short film I'm gonna do next year.
00:16:23.079 --> 00:16:28.600
I was originally gonna do it last year, but I couldn't get a script done in time.
00:16:28.839 --> 00:16:33.799
I feel like I really needed to uh make sure everything's right.
00:16:33.959 --> 00:16:38.600
And then as always, I do the 48 hour film project every year.
00:16:38.839 --> 00:16:44.759
Um entertaining the idea of doing the Louisiana Film Fries.
00:16:45.079 --> 00:16:45.879
Ah yeah.
00:16:46.279 --> 00:17:04.119
I want to do at least one other short film to uh enter into the Baton Rouge Underground Film Festival, and then aside from that, I am also getting ready to write my next feature film, which will be a zombie comedy.
00:17:04.439 --> 00:17:05.000
Nice.
00:17:05.240 --> 00:17:19.000
I've already started writing bits and pieces of it, but it's gonna be uh the script's gonna be done with a fellow co-writer because it's gonna be daunting to do it all on my own.
00:17:19.240 --> 00:17:19.639
Yeah.
00:17:19.879 --> 00:17:27.959
And I feel like having another writer is gonna get it done faster so I can plan out how I'm gonna make the film.
00:17:28.279 --> 00:17:29.159
That's a good plan.
00:17:29.240 --> 00:17:29.480
Yeah.
00:17:29.799 --> 00:17:36.679
Warren, you were telling us earlier you have some behind the scenes scoop that you want to share with us.
00:17:36.759 --> 00:17:40.199
Tell us a little bit about some of the behind-the-scenes stuff.
00:17:40.359 --> 00:17:40.839
Yeah.
00:17:41.079 --> 00:17:42.519
You've piqued my interest.
00:17:42.919 --> 00:17:50.039
Most of those days, especially towards the beginning, were so drawn out and dramatic.
00:17:50.279 --> 00:18:01.879
I feel like the more I have to be open about it, the more it adds context to what I had to do to uh the mission that I was completing.
00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:48.759
And so the first thing we did in 2023 was a uh photo shoot with uh my sister Lisa and her uh groom, and that was the first thing we did, and then throughout uh the time leading up to that first filming period, we were doing Zoom calls and meetups uh one-on-one to go over any specifics, and we were originally planning to shoot in September through uh October of 2023, and a week or so before we started, my actresses uh backed out.
00:18:49.799 --> 00:18:52.119
That was a big role that she had.
00:18:52.279 --> 00:19:05.399
She was not only gonna be uh the sister of my love interest, but she was also uh a singer, and she was gonna record some uh original songs for the movie.
00:19:05.639 --> 00:19:10.039
So already messed up my mind as I was about to go in.
00:19:10.279 --> 00:19:28.279
Little did I know that every day from there on out, full of dropouts, drama, and fallouts, as a couple more people start drop out due to reasons out of their own control.
00:19:28.680 --> 00:19:45.399
And then the first day that we were gonna shoot, we were at a location where it was completely messy, and we had to clean that up in order to make it presentable for the scenes that we were gonna shoot, and we did not understand that.
00:19:45.639 --> 00:19:59.319
And then a few days after that day, I found out that my uh actress, who was playing the love interest, had to go into the hospital for asthma.
00:19:59.720 --> 00:20:15.639
It was so difficult to get her back on because it was taking up a lot of time for her to be uh ready to go again, and then everything started piling on one at a time, day by day.
00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:25.879
Uh I kept reminding myself of Murphy's Law, where everything that can go wrong will go wrong, and that's exactly what happened.
00:20:26.200 --> 00:20:35.559
And the breaking point was when we attempted to do the wedding scene, a place where we did not get a permit for it.
00:20:39.799 --> 00:20:42.039
And then uh it was gonna be somewhere else.
00:20:42.519 --> 00:20:45.799
Else, but we had a fallout with that location.
00:20:46.119 --> 00:21:11.639
So uh we had to uh think of something else, and that day I was already demoralized by everything else that had happened, and I almost did not want uh go out there, but my mom encouraged me to uh just get it done and then we'll regroup and re-uh schedule everything uh immediately after.
00:21:11.960 --> 00:21:24.119
And I realized that with all the people that had dropped out, I didn't want to be what they did and just bail at the last minute with uh no heads up.
00:21:24.440 --> 00:21:25.079
Yeah.
00:21:25.399 --> 00:21:37.799
And then little did we realize that our uh activity was conflicting with uh Tiger Band shoot, and the campus had to shut us down.
00:21:38.119 --> 00:21:38.759
Hmm.
00:21:39.079 --> 00:21:39.399
Man.
00:21:39.879 --> 00:21:40.920
It's never easy.
00:21:41.160 --> 00:21:45.399
Was it a student film or you were just filming at on the LSU campus?
00:21:45.799 --> 00:21:47.319
Filming on the campus.
00:21:47.799 --> 00:21:48.599
I gotcha.
00:21:48.759 --> 00:21:49.079
Yeah.
00:21:49.399 --> 00:21:53.079
So how did you overcome how'd you overcome all these things?
00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:55.079
It seems like it was piling on you.
00:21:55.399 --> 00:22:08.440
Well, immediately the first thing I did was start apologizing to a couple of people that uh I might have cross caused a problem with it and patch everything up with them.
00:22:08.759 --> 00:22:23.399
And that was really helpful in uh my own uh circumstance because I learned that if I do something bad, I really need to apologize and own up to my own mistakes.
00:22:23.720 -->
00:22:23.960
Right.
00:22:24.359 --> 00:22:32.359
I remember when you were having a trouble with the permit, but I think you were given bad advice, or there was a misunderstanding there that you didn't need a permit.
00:22:32.680 --> 00:22:34.279
Uh misunderstanding.
00:22:34.599 --> 00:22:35.559
And that happens.
00:22:35.799 --> 00:22:42.680
As much as that hurt and demoralized you, and then you lost people, which happens with every production, not just yours.
00:22:42.759 --> 00:22:43.160
Yeah.
00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:49.319
Resolving to finish and getting it, you know, it's streaming now or about to be, that's fantastic.
00:22:49.480 --> 00:22:52.440
That's what it takes for anybody to make a movie.
00:22:52.759 --> 00:22:54.680
A lot of people would have just given up.
00:22:55.079 --> 00:22:55.720
I know.
00:22:56.200 --> 00:22:58.359
I never had it in me.
00:22:58.599 --> 00:23:05.160
I always wanted to finish the mission that I start, no matter how long it takes.
00:23:05.399 --> 00:23:05.879
Definitely.
00:23:06.119 --> 00:23:24.119
So uh after a couple of uh I put everything together, tried to fill everything up again, and then replaced some of the positions that had been lost, and I had a new uh schedule for uh the beginning of 2024.
00:23:24.599 --> 00:23:46.599
And during that time, I also got a day job at a coffee shop, which would help me uh with the finances in the movie to be able to afford props, uh meals, and uh paying the cast and crew that really needed a a paycheck.
00:23:47.319 --> 00:23:54.839
And that was one of the bigger, bigger uh obstacles with getting people attached was the money.
00:23:55.079 --> 00:24:01.559
I uh I couldn't make any promises because I uh had very little to give.
00:24:01.799 --> 00:24:08.920
What I can offer is my kindness and a good time on set.
00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:11.000
Yep, and respecting those people.
00:24:11.319 --> 00:24:17.160
So uh we ended up with a great group of people that are on the cast.
00:24:17.319 --> 00:24:24.359
As he as I've already mentioned, uh Rachel Knapps plays my uh sister Lisa, who gets married.
00:24:24.680 --> 00:24:30.359
I also had Savannah Marcinello play my youngest sister.
00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:38.279
Those two sisters were both younger than my character, and I based them off of my uh own two sisters.
00:24:38.519 --> 00:24:44.440
And then I also have Susie LeBrie playing my mom Robin.
00:24:44.920 --> 00:24:55.879
And when I first wrote that character and she expressed interest in being involved at some capacity, I knew that's who I wanted to play my mom.
00:24:56.200 --> 00:25:07.960
And then I also had a new uh actor, uh JT Fletcher, play uh the role of Derek, who uh my character moves in with.
00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:27.240
And then the two uh characters that I really uh would tie the whole film together were my love interest, Amanda, and her sister, uh Emily, who uh does uh gigs at a small bar.
00:25:27.799 --> 00:26:01.079
After uh trying to find some people, we originally had Stephanie Graves attached, but after that fell through, I looked into uh one of the people that I had booked as an extra, and after finding out that she is really interested in being available for the movie, I reached out to her and hey, would you like to be able to move up to uh the love interest?
00:26:01.319 --> 00:26:26.119
And we uh were able to get Casey LaFleur from that uh process, and she's gonna be playing Amanda Spencer and Emily Spencer, we originally had a singer out of Tennessee, but that fell through before uh we even before she could even make it to Baton Rooch.
00:26:26.599 --> 00:26:46.599
And then I replaced her with one other person that I had met before uh filming, and she was a singer as well, but after uh that first uh filming period fell apart, it was tough to get her really focused on uh committing to the movie.
00:26:46.839 --> 00:27:20.200
And then one day when we uh were filming the wedding scene for the second time with uh extras at a church, one of my uh actors had brought a friend along, and when I learned more about her and uh noticed that she was a singer as well, I realized that the person that I already had not gonna do much and was gonna hold me back if I kept relying on her being in the movie.
00:27:20.519 --> 00:27:24.839
So I gave the role to Stevie Pearl.
00:27:25.319 --> 00:27:25.799
Nice.
00:27:26.039 --> 00:27:35.720
It's and you've got an idea, you want this asterisk, you've got it planned, but then you realize it wasn't working out, and man, right there, happy accident, you've got somebody even better.
00:27:35.879 --> 00:27:36.039
Yeah.
00:27:37.160 --> 00:27:52.440
I uh really uh looked out when I uh found Stevie Pearl, and uh I was putting a lot more focus into writing her character out than I did uh writing my own character.
00:27:52.680 --> 00:28:00.839
I was trying to write a character kind of inspired by a former American Idol uh contestant.
00:28:01.160 --> 00:28:05.319
You probably remember uh season three, uh Diane DeGarmo.
00:28:05.799 --> 00:28:13.639
I uh tried to write what I remember from her and tried to base that into the character.
00:28:13.960 --> 00:28:32.599
And there's a scene in the movie where I uh had a little Easter egg had her uh baby album on a shelf, would uh also uh go with a telling of what I uh based this character off of.
00:28:32.920 --> 00:28:33.559
Nice.
00:28:33.799 --> 00:28:42.279
And in bed and in the center of that is a picture that I was able to discover online that I really fell in love with.
00:28:42.599 --> 00:28:56.039
And when I was writing that uh part out, I had a specific picture in mind, and I was able to come across uh When Dreams Come True from the late Leonid Aframov.
00:28:56.440 --> 00:29:02.039
It was a 100% match of the description that I had in mind.
00:29:02.359 --> 00:29:02.920
Sweet.
00:29:03.079 --> 00:29:04.519
How'd the premiere go?
00:29:04.839 --> 00:29:15.160
Oh man, I really had it in my mind that the first place I wanted to show it at was the Manship Theater in Banroge.
00:29:15.639 --> 00:29:23.319
And I would do the research and realized that it probably uh was going to cost me an arm and a leg.
00:29:23.559 --> 00:30:03.240
So uh I tried to look into investors and I was sending out requests, but wasn't getting a whole lot of interest, and then I kind of thought about my uh dad's uh company, the Pangburn Group, which he was working at and was one of the higher execs from its founding in 1996 to its passing in 2013, and then uh I reached out to them and they were willing to donate the full amount of the booking for that uh company.
00:30:03.559 --> 00:30:04.200
Nice.
00:30:04.519 --> 00:30:19.960
And it was uh really great to have them uh involved in that part because I had written a little piece in the script that was kind of a dedication to my own father's memory.
00:30:20.279 --> 00:30:21.240
That's beautiful.
00:30:21.480 --> 00:30:35.559
So uh when we did it in April of last year, I was really impressed by the people that were supporting me and then turning out to see the see the movies for the first time.
00:30:35.879 --> 00:30:36.519
Excellent.
00:30:36.759 --> 00:30:37.399
Very cool.
00:30:37.559 --> 00:30:39.000
That's uh that's really touching.
00:30:39.160 --> 00:30:41.079
And you were able to pay tribute to your dad.
00:30:41.399 --> 00:30:42.279
It's been a blast.
00:30:42.359 --> 00:30:50.440
We love talking to you, love learning about your process and what you've had to go through with the industry, and it's it's really inspiring, and we aspire to be as good as you.
00:30:51.079 --> 00:30:51.639
Thank you.
00:30:51.799 --> 00:30:53.399
Guys, really great to talk to.
00:30:53.639 --> 00:30:54.599
You TJ?
00:30:54.759 --> 00:30:56.359
Yeah, absolutely, TJ.
00:30:56.680 --> 00:31:04.759
And uh whenever uh I start my own podcast, I'll uh make sure to get you guys to appear on one of my episodes.
00:31:05.399 --> 00:31:06.119
It's a date.
00:31:06.359 --> 00:31:08.680
Well, Warren, it's been great talking to you.
00:31:08.839 --> 00:31:11.799
Do you have any socials you want to share with the people so they can follow you?
00:31:12.119 --> 00:31:18.440
I am on YouTube, Warren World Films, Warren World Films.
00:31:18.920 --> 00:31:27.559
I also have the Warren World Films Facebook, Instagram, and threads that you can follow.
00:31:27.879 --> 00:31:36.200
And I have recently launched a new merch line for the Aspire movie uh through Teespring.
00:31:36.359 --> 00:31:37.240
See you later, folks.
00:31:37.399 --> 00:31:38.920
All right, see ya, folks.