Q&A with WRITER/DIRECTOR JEREMY CARR

 

What does the title refer to?

 

The title is taken from a quote by the author Henry Miller, who was born in Brooklyn and had a very unique take on The Big Apple. In 1941 he wrote: “In New York I have always felt lonely, the loneliness of the caged animal which brings on crime, sex, alcohol and other madnesses.” This quote has always stuck with me, and since I first read it, I felt that it perfectly summed up what the characters are experiencing in the film. The villains of the story are the criminals, the ones who give in to awful temptations and addictions. But our hero, Ed Zimmer, suffers from something altogether different. In Ed's case, the thing that overpowers him and causes him to take action is some other madness - an affliction that cannot easily be defined, but which he is attempting to understand. 

 

Why did you shoot the film in New York City?

 

The main character in the film is a tour guide, who spends his days riding on top of those big double decker tour buses. What fascinates me about this profession is the inherent irony in it – the idea that someone could spend all day talking to strangers, telling them about the wonderful sights and attractions of the city that never sleeps ­– and then at the end of the day, this same person has to return home to an over-priced apartment in a potentially dangerous neighborhood, and probably never gets a chance to experience any of the awe-inspiring attractions himself. I was interested in exploring these two different worlds, from the POV of a character who is stuck in the middle, and New York City has this duality in spades. In addition, New York is a very film friendly place to shoot. Even with our small budget, we were able to work with the NY Mayor's office to obtain permits for shooting in prime locations like Times Square and Central Park, plus we were very fortunate to have received support early on from The New York IFP.

 

Would you say that New York City is more than just a location, it's practically a character in the film?

 

I see New York City as being more a reflection of Ed's state of mind. I lived there for many years, and in my opinion it's a roller coaster ride through the phantasmagoric. It can be beautiful or nightmarish, depending on your point of view. Or both simultaneously. I've often heard people describe having a love/hate relationship with the city and I wanted to capture that essence on film.

 

How long did it take you to make the film?

 

We shot over the course of six years, as our schedules and budget would allow. Other Madnesses is truly an independent film, in every sense of the word. The lead actors were extremely dedicated, and went out of their way to maintain continuity, keeping their hair cut a certain length for example, or maintaining flexible schedules that would allow us to work on nights, weekends, or whenever time permitted. The great thing about working this way is that it allows plenty of time for preparation and rehearsal. We set up a production studio in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, which allowed us to build our own interior sets. Most scenes would be blocked out long before shooting, and we'd even do lighting tests of major scenes which we'd then edit together before making our final alterations. I guess our timing was just right, since one week after we wrapped Principal Photography, Hurricane Sandy pounded the east coast and flooded our studio with five feet of sea water. Fortunately the footage was backed up, although we did lose most of our sets, costumes and production equipment.

 

There's one scene that takes place in a blizzard – was that real?

 

Absolutely! We had planned to shoot the finale of the movie in the snow, which of course meant it was a waiting game. There was no way to know when a storm would hit, but we lucked out when a blizzard hit NYC the day after Christmas. Of course, this made it hard to assemble a crew – we just grabbed who we could and got out there with a camera and lead actor, James Moles. On our way to the location in Prospect Park, we saw tons of cars, including taxis, and buses, get stuck in the snow and abandoned by their owners. All I can say is thank god for four wheel drive!

 

The novel Crime and Punishment plays a part in the story – is Other Madnesses a retelling of this classic story?

 

No, Other Madness is not an updated version of Crime and Punishment, however the book does appear in the film and is relevant to the story. Without giving too much away, I will say that the idea was to offer a different take on the concept of criminal behavior. In some ways, Ed Zimmer is a modern day Raskolnikov, or perhaps he just fancies himself as such. The big difference is that, although he is extremely self aware and analytical of his actions (much like Dostoyevsky's central character) Ed doesn't feel any of the guilt that plagues the Russian murderer. One of the things I am fascinated by are modern concepts of good and evil, questions of morality, and this curiosity is manifested through Ed. I wanted to explore, in a dramatic way, how life and death decisions would affect a person under the unique circumstances that Ed finds himself in. How does it change him and how does it affect the people who are closest to him?

 

The film is hard to define stylistically. It seems to walk a line between drama and thriller, and even has elements of horror, without ever feeling like a genre film. Was this intentional?

 

Yes, from the beginning, I had a certain tone in mind for the film that we consistently stayed true to. I wanted to make a realistic horror movie, one that wouldn't give in to audience expectations. The main character is haunted by recurring nightmares that he believes are premonitions of actual murders taking place in the city. I constantly asked myself during the writing process, what would that feel like? If I was in those shoes, what would I do? How far would I be willing to go? To this end, it became imperative to show the story from Ed's perspective. We're trapped inside his mind for the duration of the story, which does indeed put us in his shoes. Of course, this also makes it difficult to think objectively about the situation he's in, and I love creating that gray area for an audience. Blurring that line between reality, extreme circumstances and possible insanity. The real saving grace was our lead actor James Moles, who manages to walk this high wire act extremely convincingly. He's the kind of actor that you want to watch, regardless of the situation, just to see what he's going to do next.

 

The movie seems to ask a lot of questions about dreams and reality. Why's that important to you?

 

Well, early on in the film, the main character, Ed Zimmer, begins suffering from recurring nightmares. And he's the type of person who researches everything. (Ed's a tour guide, so this skill set has been honed over many years.) Naturally, he begins researching dreams, looking for answers to his problem, and by doing so, he learns about different phenomenons. The most interesting philosophy he discovers comes from the Tibetan Buddhists, who believe that all of our experiences are dreams, and that we should strive to live in both the dream state and the waking state simultaneously, and harmoniously. Ed's journey throughout the film is essentially his struggle to do just that. He's trying to find peace by merging two very different worlds, and by reconciling the two very different lives he finds himself leading: That of a friendly tour guide by day, and a ruthless vigilante by night.

 

How did Jill Tracy get involved with the music?

 

I had the good fortune to meet Jill Tracy while attending the Slamdance Film Festival back in 2004, and Other Madnesses is our third major collaboration together. Jill had a lead role and provided music for my surreal thriller
Ice Cream Ants (a short film that also stars Marcus Ashley and Tom Noonan). More recently, I directed the official music video for her song Pulling Your Insides Out, from her acclaimed album Diabolical Streak. While filming Other Madnesses, I approached Jill about doing a cover of a haunting 1904 melody called All Aboard For Dreamland. She delivered a beautiful and sad version of the melancholy song, as well as an instrumental version which, along with the original version, is weaved throughout the film. It's a layer that I am very proud of, and it really compliments the brilliant score which was created by composer Stephen Light, who also collaborated with me on Ice Cream Ants.

 

What's up with the t-shirt that Ed wears throughout the film?

 

The t-shirt Ed wears throughout the film has a logo that says “I'm Crazy About NY.” It was inspired by the iconic “I Heart NY” design, and it serves many purposes in the film. Ostensibly, it's part of the uniform that Ed is required to wear for his job as a tour guide. However, I see it as resembling an emblem on his chest, similar to what a super hero would wear. Early on, we learn that Ed is obsessed with comic books and I liked playing with the idea that, in a very subtle way, he becomes a realistic superhero, fighting crime in the dead of night. The other reason for it, to be quite honest, is that I want the audience to question (just as I do) whether Ed is having actual premonitions, or if he is simply losing his mind. Ed walks around with a constant reminder that “I'm Crazy,” and yet he often seems to be the most sane person in the entire city. I love this duality.   

 

 

Other Madnesses - Credits

 

Written & Directed by

Jeremy Carr

 

Produced by

Jeremy Carr & Dawn Fidrick

 

Director of Photography

Jeremy Carr

 

Edited by

Jeremy Carr

 

Music by

Stephen Light

 

Sound Design

Jeremy Carr

William Tabanou

 

Lighting by

Jeremy Carr

Ryan Fidrick

David Teague

 

Associate Producer

Ryan Fidrick

 

Production Manager (Tour Bus)

Leslie Witthohn

 

Camera Operators

Jeremy Carr

Ryan Fidrick

Gregg Delcurla
James Moles

 

Camera/Lighting Assistants

Matt Garner

Jonathan Quiceno

Lisa Whiteman

Kate Lacey

 

Steadicam Operator

Dave Isern

 

Script Supervisors

April Brenner

Greg Delcurla

Elizabeth Shea

Art Department

James Moles

Corey Boutilier

St. John Frizell

 

Makeup Artists

Rebecca Perkins
Maeri Hedstrom

 

Stylist

Kelly Fidrick

 

Makeup Special FX

Rebecca Perkins

 

Sound Recordists
Spencer Moore

Eric Hendricks
Laura Hanna

 

Boom Operators

Ryan Bajornas
Jonathan Quiceno

Mike Wallach

 

Production Assistant

John Henry Malone

 

Stunt Driver
Ross Goldstein

 

Animation by

Ramon del Prado

 

Visual FX & Compositor

Dawn Fidrick

 

Titles

Jeremy Carr

Dawn Fidrick

 

Graphic Artist
Scott Solary

 

Re-Recording Mixer
William Tabanou

 

Foley Mixer
Greg Mauer

 

Foley Artist
Rick Owen
James Bailey

 

Additional ADR
Jelena Mrdja
Bill Coelius

 

Sound FX Editor
Greg Mauer

 

Post Sound Services Provided by

Tab Sound Design

 

“Dreamland”

Composed and Performed by Jill Tracy

 

 

Cast

 

James Moles

Natia Dune

Sheilah Smiley

Patrick Egan

Elissa Rose Carr

Andrew Smith

Kevin Maher

Tom Henning

Toshiko Onizawa

Bill Farrow

Ilya Slovesnik

Monee Potter

Ross Goldstein

Maria Goldstein

Bethany Carr

Bluend Mulbah

Heather Lessing

Zoe Lessing

Dave Olson

Michael Christodoulou

Lauren Allison

Ian Maynard

Victor Melendez

Annie Wedekind

Ashton Crosby

Lynne Rogers

Peter Sempepos

St. John Frizell

Robert Ankers

Thanawadee Chagasik

Hiroko Tanaka McHenry

Claudia Apicella

Grace Brophy

Mara Measor

Emmanuelle Vill

Tara Ann Stridh

Morgan E. Hutcheson

Joanna Canton

 

Background Actors

 

Eric Hendricks

Kyle Mccabe

Karen Yair

Robin Reck

Corey Boutilier

Patricia Freeman Boutilier

Brittany Taylor Visser

Dawn Fidrick

Ryan Fidrick

Tara Ann Stridh

Rob Gorden

Kelley Robertson Gorden

Robin Reck

Kevin Maher

Shane Maher

Heather Lessing

Sarah K. Howard

Maeri Hedstrom

JoonJae Moon

Corey Boutilier

Patricia Freeman Boutilier

Heather Lessing

Grace Brophy

Leslie Witthohn

Bill Farrow

Eric Hendricks

Morgan E. Hutcheson

Lisa Beebe

David Wrong

Allan H. France

Brandon Reese

Tara Ann Stridh

Kimberly Foskett

Matthew Isaiah Jackson

Linda Friedman

Melinda Jordan

Sabrina Fara Tosti

Kaileigh McCrea

John Cortez

Eva Casey

Nettie Smith

Ludovic Coutaud

Stephanie Johnican

Matt Scisco

Ariel Blankinship

Babette Godefroy

Peihsi Kuo

Tai-Li Wu

Christopher Casey

John Henry Malone

Eric Hendricks

Polly Simon

Emily Billig

Annette Rodenas

Kate Lacey

Luke Hoverman

Gabe Soria

 

 

Other Madnesses, Copyright Crutch Films, LLC 2015