Moon Point is a charming, little coming-of-age independent film about two friends embarking on a road trip via a scooter and a wagon in order for one of them to find his true love. It feels like a mix between a John Hughes film and Napoleon Dynamite, and delivers lots of laughs along the way.
Criticize This! spoke with Sean Cisterna, the director of the film, about how the project came to be, why they chose to shoot on a Canon 7D, and what he hopes the audience gets out of the film. Read our Q&A below.
Brian McKechnie: How did the idea for Moon Point come about?
Sean Cisterna: It was this vision of a wheelchair pulling a wagon and we built the story around that. Where were these characters going and that sort of thing.
BM: Was getting funding for a quirky comedy like this difficult?
SC: Initially it was pretty easy. Telefilm was the last we needed to come on board and they said ‘no’. So after raising about $950,000, without Telefilm support, I couldn’t make the movie. That’s when I went the route of self-financing.
BM: Were the actors you used ones you had in mind from the start?
SC: Only Paula Brancati who plays Kristen in the film. I worked on a kids show 10 years ago with her and we’ve been friends ever since. The rest were from auditions. A lot of the cameos were friends of our producer Chris Potenza. He’s also an ACTRA member and he used the Rolodex on his phone to cast actors that were available the weekend we needed them. The timing worked out very well to get people like Art Hindle and Linda Kash.
BM: How did you find filming in smaller towns as opposed to a big city like Toronto?
SC: I loved it. In Toronto you have to apply for a permit and pay crazy amounts for locations. In small towns you can hop the fence, film, and then run. We didn’t apply for permits. And a lot of local people wanted to help and offered their homes for us to stay in or made us meals.
BM: How long was the shoot?
SC: We filmed for a total of 12 days. We’d shoot Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and then do four days of prep during the week and then meet again to shoot.
BM: What would you say was the most challenging aspect of the production?
SC: It was probably working around Mother Nature. When you’re doing a road trip with a small crew you’re at the mercy of the elements. When we’d have a scene that was supposed to take place on a nice sunny day, and it started to rain, we’d have to adapt the script.
BM: What made you decide to shoot the film on a Canon 7D?
SC: The DP Carl Elster owned the camera [laughs]. Also, because we were on the road, we needed something small and portable and quick to pack up. And the ability to shoot all day on a single card and not have to change tapes was a wonderful working experience.
BM: Did that affect your editing workflow at all?
SC: It sped it up for sure. I could take the Compact Flash cards home with me at night, ingest them into the AVID, and be able to watch rushes right away. It made editing that much more quick and efficient.
BM: You’ve been doing a great video blog and you’re pushing the film on Twitter and Facebook a lot. How important is that aspect to you at getting the film noticed?
SC: Those video blogs were done at the request of some Facebook fans who had been asking how we made the movie. It’s great having tools like Twitter and Facebook along the way because it engages the community right from the pre-production stage.
BM: Have you noticed a change in the Canadian film community since you started out?
SC: I think now it’s up to filmmakers to find their own source of revenue and be on the hook for whatever potential investments come their way. Not having to wait for council money and doing it yourself puts each filmmaker in the position that they better make a good movie cause they’re responsible for [paying the money back].
BM: What do you hope the audience gets out of Moon Point?
SC: I like our underdog story. I always loved stories where a film shot for very little gets a shot at a theatrical release. Stories like that are inspiring to me. I hope people see Moon Point and are inspired to make their own films.
BM: What’s your next project?
SC: I’m working with our producer Avi Federgreen on an adaptation of a new book called Fruits. It was one of the Canada Reads Top 10 and is the story of an overweight 14-year-old boy whose nipples talk to him. It’s very funny.
Moon Point runs at the AMC Yonge-Dundas in Toronto February 3 – 9. For more info on the film, visit moonpointmovie.com.
