% >> What we're going to do, is
% we're going to play kick ball.
% You've got twatch everybody.
% Watch everybody.
% >> All right, okay
% You ready?
% >> We're going to throw
% a Frisbee and kick the ball.
% >> It made all the sense
% in the world.
% You...
% >> I lost my job.
% >> He lost his job.
% And I'm working now.
% And we just felt that we
% wanted to supplement things
% enrich our life, really.
% And so, we turned to Onitrac.
% It seemed like a very good
% opportunity.
% They provide everything, really.
% I mean, we have a massive amount
% of tapes that we listen to
% 24/7, 365, absolutely.
% And we also have books.
% Our favorite, of course,
% is the Bible.
% We read that religiously.
% >> Religiously.
% >> If I can say that.
% But also, one of our new
% favorites, "The 10 Commandments
% of Onitrac Success."
% It's amazingly simple
% and sensible.
% And then, three days ago,
% we got this new book.
% >> It's a good one.
% >> "How Would Jesus Sell?"
% If I can't sell
% how Christ would sell...
% >> Then why sell?
% >> Then I'm not interested
% in selling.
% >> Hi, and welcome
% toDirector's Cut.
% I'm your host,
% Charles Monroe-Kane.
% Here atDirector's Cut,
% we're dedicated to bringing you
% the best in independent films
% and filmmakers.
% Our film this week is
% a mockumentary called
% "Going Great White."
% Like all great mockumentaries,
% it's a satire.
% Going Great White's victim
% is the pyramid scheme.
% Think "Best in Show"
% meets Amway.
% "Going Great White"
% was directed by Frank Caruso
% and Frank Sommers.
% Frank Caruso couldn't join us
% today, but Frank Sommers
% is here with us in the studio.
% Welcome.
% >> Thank you.
% >> A mockumentary.
% I love the genre
% of the mockumentary.
% Why did you choose
% such an awesome form?
% >> First off, the genesis
% of this movie came from
% Christopher Guest's movies.
% I was talking to a friend about
% Christopher Guest might tackle
% after community theater,
% and other different things
% he's done.
% And we said pyramid schemes.
% And once it came out
% of my mouth, I thought that's
% a really good idea.
% And the other thing that
% attracted us to it was the idea
% that it was something we thought
% we could actually pull off.
% We had a very low budget.
% But we thought that we could
% actually pull off a mockumentary
% that maybe is funny, and maybe
% even production-value-wise,
% hold up to other mockumentaries.
% >> It's almost funny you say
% that, because I was thinking
% that a mockumentary
% with a high budget--
% Forget about actors for
% a minute, I understand
% that Christopher Guest
% has to pay them.
% But if you have too high of
% a budget for a mockumentary,
% it's almost like it should be
% an independent film.
% Because it would kind of
% ruin it.
% It has to have that feel.
% >> Yes, in fact, there
% have been some mockumentaries
% that have been done, I think,
% with a big budget.
% And it feels fake.
% It feels too contrived.
% And I think the best--
% The humor comes out of the idea
% that we really believe
% this is happening.
% It was one of our mantras, too.
% We always said, real first,
% funny second.
% >> Real first, funny second.
% For you guys who are going
% to make a mockumentary,
% real first, funny second.
% >> In the film, we wanted to
% make sure it felt like this is
% real, this is being filmed real.
% The actors are doing it as real.
% And we have our actors do some
% pretty crazy, outrageous things.
% But we always said do it
% as if it's a real thing.
% >> That's interesting.
% Real first, I love that.
% Do you think you could pull off
% real if you had more money?
% Or do you think that for you,
% right now--
% In a sense, you wanted to make
% thilm, because you wanted
% to learn how to make films.
% Is that true?
% >> I wouldn't say because
% I wanted to learn
% how to make a film.
% I wanted to make a film.
% I wanted a film that
% when it was done, you would say
% this is entertaining.
% This is funny.
% This is good.
% And you know, I had pretty
% high hopes and a high benchmark
% for it.
% When Frank and I really
% committed to it, we said let's
% make something that's every bit
% as funny, and every bit as good
% as anything you would
% put into your DVD player.
% So the goal was not to learn,
% although we did learn.
% >> Of course.
% >> We said we spent the summer
% filming it,
% laughing and learning.
% That was really
% what we were doing.
% >> Are you disciples
% of Mr. Guest?
% >> No, though I'm a big fan
% of what he's done.
% And I think his films,
% "Waiting for Guffman"
% and "Best in Show"
% are as funny as you know,
% very funny movies.
% I think again, just trying
% to find a target that we thought
% could be pulled off.
% We didn't want to tackle
% something that when it was done,
% someone said, okay that's good,
% but it doesn't look right,
% or it's not up to snuff.
% >> Right, or how endearing,
% that's nice
% for their first film.
% You wanted, like I want
% my first film to be good.
% >> Yes, with very minimal
% resources, minimal money.
% >> I want to show another clip
% from the film.
% >> Sure.
% >> This clip absolutely
% cracks me up.
% This is a clip from Gabe
% at the restaurant.
% Can you set it up for us,
% just for a second,
% so we know who Gabe is?
% >> Sure, Gabe Tinkler
% is the guy.
% He's actually a couple levels up
% on the pyramid scheme.
% And he's delusional enough
% to have risen up,
% but also delusional enough
% to actually just not really
% be successful.
% He sort of makes his way
% through life pilfering.
% If he goes to the grocery store,
% he's drinking stuff
% off the shelves.
% He's finding little ways
% to make the world work for him,
% with minimal cost.
% >> Let's see Gabe
% at the restaurant.
% >> I come to busy places,
% such as a restaurant, and I
% approach people when they're
% hungry.
% Easy.
% Easy sale.
% Easiest sale in my life.
% People, when they're hungry,
% they'll order and say yes
% to anything.
% So I come in here quick,
% make the sales pitch.
% If they haven't gotten their
% food, or if they're in the
% middle of having their food,
% they'll say, "Sure, whatever."
% They use that phrase,
% "whatever."
% So they sign up with me
% and I get 'em on track.
% They say yes most of the time,
% because they want to get going
% and they want to eat.
% We love to eat.
% Except for this, I'll tell ya.
% They order these huge meals,
% like this.
% A huge meal, they don't--
% Look, these are warm.
% This company,
% you don't pay anything.
% You make money.
% Now, may I say something?
% Sausage is not good for you,
% unless you're working out.
% And it doesn't look like
% you're working out.
% Now, as you can see,
% I'm working out all the time.
% So I can afford to--
% >> Whee!
% >> I'm going to take this
% off your plate for you.
% I'm taking it off for you.
% Listen, wait a minute.
% >> Who eats with their hands?
% >> That's my--
% >> You just ate off her plate!
% >> People that eat with their
% hands are passionate.
% >> People that eat with their
% hands are passionate.
% So you know, one of the things,
% to me, there's a couple signs
% of a good mockumentary.
% Like I said, I'm a fan of them.
% And one of them is
% the one liner, the zinger.
% And I think people leave
% the movie theater, and they
% quote it to their friends.
% And that's one of them.
% What was your favorite
% one-liner from the film?
% >> First, I want to say that
% character Gabe is played by
% Frank Caruso, my co-director,
% as well.
% So he was one of the performers,
% though he had never acted before
% we started writing this.
% >> He's absolutely brilliant.
% He's a brilliant character.
% >> My favorite lines
% are the ones--
% You know, when you edit this,
% you watch the footage
% over and over, and over.
% And the things that
% start cracking you up,
% and making you laugh, are
% stuff you didn't notice at all.
% So they're the small ones.
% There's a scene where Gabe
% and his sort of the person
% he's mentoring
% are in the grocery store.
% It's just a little
% off-handed line, where he's
% stolen this glue stick.
% And he's gluing his package
% back together.
% And he just says,
% "Ah, it's always a problem,"
% as he's, you know, committing
% small acts of larceny.
% And it's not that funny
% of a line, but for weeks on end
% after that, I would just go,
% "Ah, it's always a problem."
% And actually, just today,
% you know, it's a bad snowstorm
% in Madison today.
% Just today, as we were getting
% ready, my wife used that line
% as we were getting ready.
% Ah, it's always a problem.
% >> Another favorite moment for
% me in the film, it's not really
% a one-liner, but I've said it
% to my wife already twice,
% which is fat Debbie.
% Can you tell me
% about fat Debbie?
% Because, not only was it funny,
% but you had to do a lot
% to make it happen.
% >> Sure, Big Debbie.
% >> Oh, Big Debbie.
% >> You know, we satirized
% a lot of different things.
% And one of them, we have
% a character who collects
% vintage Hostess snacks
% and vintage Twinkies.
% >> Those people exist!
% >> They probably do.
% And even there, we thought,
% okay, let's make them
% collect something.
% You sort of bounce around
% and find something that seems
% outrageous enough.
% You know, way outrageous,
% and then just realistic enough
% that you think
% maybe somebody does.
% So he had the original packaging
% of the Little Debbie brand.
% But in our version,
% Little Debbie started off
% as Big Debbie.
% We had to mock up a package,
% just like even in the clip we
% showed with the books, we had to
% mock up "How Would Jesus Sell"
% as a book.
% It was a lot of little graphic
% design we had to weave in
% through the whole movie.
% >> And it's a picture of
% Little Debbie, but she's chubby
% and she's Big Debbie.
% And they're basically like,
% hey, in the health conscious
% times, it was changed
% into Little Debbie.
% That's funny, though.
% >> And he says,
% "Call me a chubby chaser,
% but I prefer Big Debbie."
% >> I think I might use that
% line, "Call me a chubby chaser,
% but I prefer Big Debbie."
% I might use that today,
% try to squeeze that in.
% >> Okay, good.
% >> Another sign of
% a mockumentary, in my opinion
% a good sign, is making your
% audience feel embarrassed
% and uncomfortable
% about the characters.
% Not by the writing,
% but by the characters.
% There were many times where
% I just felt uncomfortable
% for these people.
% Not just for their audacity,
% but for their gullibility.
% Just being uncomfortable,
% just like the "Brady Bunch
% Christmas Special."
% >> Sure.
% >> It makes you feel
% uncomfortable.
% How do you achieve that
% as a director, to do that
% without being condescending?
% Because you don't want to
% make fun of people.
% >> Sure, let me say
% a few things.
% First off, when we started
% writing this, you know,
% it's tricky writing comedy
% as a partnership.
% It was like, how do we say
% what's funny.
% What's funny to you
% might not be funny to me.
% So we tried to come up
% with a language.
% And we actually sort of cribbed
% from a different show,
% "Seinfeld."
% We sort of said, okay,
% we had three brands of comedy
% that we're trying to write to.
% One was Seinfeldian, which
% was sort of looking at
% something that society does.
% One was Costanza-like, which was
% this cringeful, awful,
% sort of ugly moment.
% And one was Krameresque, and
% that was like the outrageous
% physical comedy.
% So we tried to give each
% of our characters enough moments
% that were--
% That had enough Seinfeld,
% enough Kramer
% and enough Costanza in them.
% >> That's a good idea.
% >> So in any single character,
% we might say, "We don't have
% enough Costanza" for him.
% We've got to add something
% where it really gets it
% like, awkward, cringeful.
% So, we would just try to write
% scenes that were really,
% unpleasant or uncomfortable.
% Then our characters would do it,
% and it had to be real.
% Keep it real.
% >> Keep it real.
% That's important.
% Well, we have a good
% Costanza moment clip.
% It's the Pez dispenser moment.
% Can you set it up for us?
% >> Sure, that's where we're
% introducing our character
% Crystal.
% She has a much more,
% even Costanza-like moments,
% where we go, "Oh!" like
% the family reunion scene.
% But this actually sort of
% gives you some character
% development, and shows that
% she's somebody who needs
% a lot of medication
% to get through her life.
% >> Well, let's watch another
% clip from "Going Great White."
% >> Mom, I'm hanging up now.
% What?!
% What are you doing here?
% >> I'm trying...
% >> Are you listening
% to my conversation...
% To help me out, because
% I've got so many medications
% I've got Prozac, and Zoloft,
% and Valium, Propecia,
% Wellbutrin.
% It's depressing
% seeing all those bottles.
% Just liked up, looking at me.
% So I put everything in
% little Pez dispensers.
% I've got Darth Vader.
% He's for the Prozac.
% And Batman.
% Batman is for the valium.
% Boba Fett.
% And Boba Fett, I don't know
% what Bob Fett's for.
% It makes me happier
% just to see them looking at me.
% It makes it a little more
% cheerful.
% It makes my medication taking
% brighter.
% >> That's a great clip.
% I hope you patented that idea,
% because I think it's going
% to start happening.
% I feel like putting aspirin
% in the Pez dispenser.
% >> Sure, I want to remark
% on one thing there.
% We always had our characters
% get things wrong.
% So there she says,
% "This is Boba Fett,"
% but it's a storm trooper.
% >> It's a storm trooper.
% >> And there are several moments
% in that, that we know,
% that people go, no, that's this.
% But yeah, we think yeah, because
% people get things wrong.
% >> That's the thing, right.
% Because if it's a documentary,
% okay, then people,
% whatever they say, they say.
% And so in a mockumentary,
% they have to say what they say.
% And if they're wrong, that's
% cool, because that's people.
% I like that.
% That's keeping it real.
% >> And there were times on set.
% You know, we had a character
% who was talking about
% the Pledge of Allegiance
% in the home schooling scene.
% And in ours, we say the
% Pledge of Allegiance, but we
% keep in the "in God we trust."
% We did several takes.
% And one of our production
% assistants said it's actually
% under God.
% And we're like, yeah, we know.
% >> But that's funny, too.
% Very funny.
% One thing about this.
% You had mentioned earlier
% about the grocery store scene.
% I was thinking about this.
% You're an independent
% filmmaker.
% All the scenes, from being in
% someone's house,
% to being in a grocery store,
% to a gas station,
% those are real.
% It's not like you had to hire
% a location or build a set.
% How cooperative are people
% when you show up with cameras
% and say, "Hey, my name's Frank,
% I'm making a movie.
% Can I film here?"
% >> They were extremely
% cooperative.
% In fact, a big thank you
% to both the city of Oregon
% as well as the city of Madison.
% >> A shout out to Oregon!
% >> And all the locations really,
% very quickly, would open
% their doors to us.
% We'd go, you know, weeks
% in advance, and set things up.
% But we had no money.
% So there's no money for paying
% anything.
% But the other thing
% I think was very important.
% I've seen in low-budget movies
% where they create a location.
% And it always feels fake.
% >> Because they don't have
% enough money to do it right.
% >> Yeah.
% And to us, we always thought
% let's go where it's real.
% You know, we needed a house
% that was really high end
% for the people at the top
% of the pyramid scheme.
% And so, we went to really nice
% neighborhoods and found a house
% where they would let us use it.
% From stores, to nursing homes,
% to wherever we needed to go,
% we said let's find the real
% thing and ask if we can use it.
% We only had one place, which we
% knew, once you got into sort of
% a corporate chain, it gets
% harder to get approvals
% the way we needed to.
% >> There's a certain audacity
% to independent filmmaking
% that I've noticed
% from doing this show,
% which is showing up and saying,
% hey, we're going to film.
% I'm not going to pay you.
% It's going to be a hassle.
% And I'm going to film
% in your grocery store.
% >> Yeah.
% >> When you're open.
% >> Yeah.
% >> And people will say yes.
% Is that because people
% want to be in a film,
% because they're excited
% about what filmmaking is?
% >> I think part of it.
% Two-thirds of the film was
% shot in our home towns,
% so people know us.
% I think they were excited.
% And I also think they were
% just willing to help us out.
% And you know, also, especially
% in our movie, it looks--
% A lot of times, we have
% characters sort of ambushing
% people and trying to sell
% to them.
% And it looks like that person
% didn't know about the film crew.
% But those are all people
% who agreed to be in our film
% and act.
% We said just pretend
% that you're just shopping
% and somebody ces up to you.
% >> It must be interesting
% reactions from the people
% in the store.
% >> There was.
% You know, occasionally,
% you'll see someone
% cross in the background.
% We'd have to hunt them down
% and get a release.
% But for the most part,
% it was like we would have
% people there as extras.
% We had over 200 people on screen
% at some point in the movie.
% >> And you didn't pay them?
% >> No one's paid.
% >> See, that's good!
% >> I would love to pay
% everybody.
% But we just have no.
% >> Next time.
% >> Yeah, these movies
% are made for very little money.
% But again, I think they'd
% hold up against any movie
% you'd go to.
% >> It's interesting,
% do you think that--
% There's many people that
% in a sense, you're parodying.
% You're parodying the pyramid
% scheme, but you're parodying
% home schooling.
% There's a bunch
% of different types of people.
% Do you feel like, on occasion,
% somebody would watch this who
% is one of those people and feel
% like you're making fun of them?
% Do you feel like you're making
% fun of anybody in this film?
% >> I think we're making fun
% of everybody.
% I think the best mockumentaries
% have a great deal of affection
% for their characters.
% We had a great deal of affection
% for our characters.
% And I think the best
% mockumentaries invite everybody
% to go, oh, that's me there.
% And our thesis really wasn't
% about Amway, even though
% that's the mirror.
% It really was that people
% are flawed and funny.
% And hopefully, everyone
% watches this and laughs
% at everybody on screen.
% But in doing so, says, wow,
% people really are flawed
% and funny, as am I.
% And I think there's things in
% some of our characters, there's
% definitely some parts of me
% in some characters.
% There's a home schooling guy
% who's home schooling
% his five kids.
% And at the time, I was
% home schooling five kids.
% He home schools them
% very differently
% than I was doing.
% But still, there was definitely
% a wink to laughing at my own
% life in that way.
% >> That's smart.
% Why not include that, right?
% >> Those things you know about,
% or you know of other
% home schoolers doing it.
% He home schools very--
% He's trying to take the model
% of the school and bring it to
% his home in very extreme ways.
% He gets up every morning,
% drives up in a van that says
% "school bus" on the side,
% just to drive them around
% the block once, so they're not
% cheated of the experience
% of being bused.
% But I would like to say, again,
% we really did like our
% characters.
% And I think the thesis,
% somewhat from the Christopher
% Guest mockumentaries,
% is looking at people who have
% oversized dreams.
% And all these characters,
% I think, through this
% pyramid scheme, think they're
% going to be rich tomorrow.
% And very few of them,
% if any of them,
% have the skills to actually
% begin to achieve that.
% >> Interesting to watch.
% Let's see another clip
% from the film.
% I think this one completely
% speaks for itself.
% >> I want you to put it
% on channel 2.
% You're a 2, then.
% Now, I take the bigger one.
% I've done this quite a while,
% so I know what to do.
% And this is how I get
% my workout.
% I don't bother with
% the dumbbells.
% I mean, look at the name,
% dumbbells.
% Who lifts them?
% Dummies.
% When I started out,
% I was with you.
% Now stop pumping here
% a minute, okay.
% I started out on channel 5.
% I've worked up to like 37.
% So you go up, channel 1.
% See, and I can change it.
% I flip it around.
% I'm watching TV all the time
% when I'm doing this.
% Channel 2, channel 10,
% channel 15.
% And I do the reps accordingly.
% Now, if you ever get cable,
% you really better be
% in good shape, buddy, because
% you're talking 120 channels.
% And you know 120 channels
% means up and down 120 times.
% And that's a good pump.
% You'll start to build up.
% And all of a sudden, you're
% going to notice, I'm pumped.
% I'm making sales.
% I'm making sales
% because I'm pumping.
% I'm doing my workout.
% Up and down, up and down.
% How does that feel?
% >> Pretty good.
% >> Try channel 3.
% Go ahead.
% Take a risk and do it.
% Because if you don't take
% a risk, you're not
% going to be anything.
% Up, let's go.
% One, two.
% We're going to go down together.
% Okay, you're using those legs.
% Legs you probably haven't used
% in a long time.
% Let's go.
% Down.
% With me, baby.
% There you go.
% Doesn't that feel good?
% Come on up, then.
% >> Whoa.
% >> Felt good?
% >> I felt that.
% >> Come on down.
% You haven't done that
% in a long time, have you?
% >> No, uh-unh.
% >> I see you're shaking.
% Once those legs get in shape,
% they won't shake like that.
% It's called a spasm.
% You've probably had a few
% of those in your life.
% >> Yeah, charley horse, too.
% >> Yeah, whoever that is.
% >> Whoever that is,
% Charley Horse.
% You know, when I think about
% some of the stuff that happened
% there, and the way he's talking.
% How much of this is scripted
% and how much do you let
% the actors go for it?
% Because some of that looks like
% it's got to be ad lib.
% >> There's a lot of ad libbing
% going on.
% When we were writing this,
% we didn't write it
% as a traditional script.
% We'd have a scene.
% And we would just have blocks
% of text for our characters
% to say.
% It wasn't necessarily
% this one says this,
% this one says this now.
% It was like, this is all
% the stuff you're going to say
% in the scene.
% This is all the stuff the
% other person is going to say.
% And somehow,
% here are the main beats.
% They have to get them
% all in there.
% A shout out again to my
% co-writer and co-director,
% Frank Caruso.
% When he first working on this
% project, he had these ideas.
% I remember him coming in
% and saying, I have a character
% who lifts TVs
% for his fitness routine.
% I just thought, what kind of
% insane ideas are these.
% But again, they turned out
% to be very funny ideas.
% >> America has people--
% I was watching this film
% and thinking about America.
% I wasn't thinking about
% Wisconsin.
% I was just thinking
% about America, and my family.
% I have some weird people
% in my family.
% There are people
% that are like that.
% >> Yeah.
% >> There just are.
% >> Yeah.
% >> They're intense, though.
% They want success,
% and they really are intense.
% And I can see them with
% a camera in front of them,
% and being just like that.
% It's kind of bizarre.
% >> That character, he's one of
% our most delusional.
% Actually, those TVs, he has
% a whole bunch of different TVs.
% And to him, that's better than
% watching this big screen stuff.
% You just watch four TVs.
% And he calls it a loft.
% It's a little house
% above an attic.
% He wears the helmet
% because he bangs his head.
% >> Of course, that makes sense.
% Just when I think about it,
% you were talking earlier about
% this being a low budget film.
% I'm curious, if you don't mind,
% how low was your budget
% for the whole film?
% >> Somewhere between
% $1,000 and $2,000.
% >> Wow.
% >> Very little money.
% >> This is a full length film.
% >> And we had so many different
% locations.
% We felt we were definitely
% creating the whole universe.
% We filmed all throughout,
% both Madison and Oregon,
% over 200 people in it.
% Most of the cost went for
% just buying tape stock.
% And food was another big thing.
% We had to feed our actors.
% >> Hungry actors.
% >> But really, we kept it
% really, really low budget.
% And not because we wanted to,
% we had no choice.
% Again, we had very high goals
% for this, but we thought
% we have to find a way to do it.
% >> One of the things that
% gives away independent films,
% in the ones that are not
% as good, it's not about budget,
% and something that could kill
% a mockumentary, is bad acting.
% >> Sure.
% >> Over acting,
% contrived acting.
% Or not having the ability to
% re-take because you don't have
% enough tape.
% But this is your first film.
% You've got between $1,000
% and $2,000.
% But the acting is really good
% in this.
% And people aren't getting paid.
% How do you get that quality
% of actor and actress
% to do this?
% And why do they do it?
% >> Well, let me first say
% we had an ensemble cast
% of about ten people,
% and they were so good.
% >> They really were.
% >> You can see from the clips.
% They're just really strong
% improvisational actors,
% and just good actors.
% When we auditioned them,
% we made them audition the way
% we were going to work with them.
% They had to come in
% and be able to act and improv,
% and make it real
% and funny at the same time.
% And you know, Frank and I said
% very early on that we didn't
% want to cast anybody unless
% we thought they were A+.
% If we had a million dollars,
% we wouldn't have gotten
% better actors.
% We had a cast of actors
% we felt like these are as good
% a cast as you're going to get
% in any movie.
% And so there was our main
% ensemble actors.
% Then we had a lot of people
% who were both secondary,
% and very small roles, too.
% I think it helped a lot
% to say to them, just be real.
% >> Right, it makes sense.
% Don't act, be real.
% If someone takes food
% off your plate, be real.
% >> How would you be?
% We tried not to cast people
% too outside
% of their comfort zone
% of who they really were
% for the smaller roles.
% The other thing is,
% we didn't have a lot of time
% for rehearsal.
% But we could do a lot of takes.
% We're shooting on tape.
% It doesn't cost that much more
% to shoot more.
% So we also didn't move on
% to another scene
% unless we really felt good
% about what we were getting.
% >> So if I outline
% what I think you're saying here.
% Say we're having a lecture here.
% If I want to make an independent
% film, here's what I learned
% from you if I want to make
% a mockumentary.
% Keep it real.
% Real is more important
% than funny, even though
% you're making a comedy.
% And your standards are high.
% It doesn't matter if you
% have money or not.
% >> I have a saying,
% if I can say it for people
% who are trying to make a film.
% Get your standards high.
% Get a benchmark
% that's really high.
% And then, you know,
% make sure you get that.
% I think it takes such
% an investment of time,
% such a commitment.
% When it's done, you want
% to have something you think,
% yeah, that holds up.
% >> Because you're making it.
% This is a good film, but
% it's probably not going to get
% picked up and distributed,
% and make you a million dollars.
% So, you made it.
% You have a day job.
% You made it for?
% >> For myself.
% >> That's important.
% >> I also think it's one of
% those things that's going to
% live longer than I will, really.
% >> This is your legacy.
% >> I don't know about that.
% But you create something,
% you know, you hope you're
% creating something
% that's going to last.
% And also, it really will
% live longer than me.
% I'm not saying people
% don't have pride.
% I think when you're starting
% off as an independent filmmaker
% or a small filmmaker, you think,
% oh, I'm just going to do this.
% I would recommend saying
% I'm going to do this.
% And even if you get, you know,
% two-thirds the way, it's beyond
% what you would've thought.
% >> That's good.
% What are you guys
% working on next?
% You and Frank are on another
% project, right?
% >> We are.
% We're all done filming it.
% We're in the middle
% of editing it.
% Some of the same actors
% are back.
% There is some comedic moments,
% but it's pretty much a drama,
% with some funny moments in it.
% Frank's back as a character
% named Lake.
% He's playing opposite
% Jim Stoffer, who played
% the home schooling dad
% in "Going Great White."
% Jim plays Jimmy.
% Julie, who played
% the girlfriend of Jeffrey
% in "Going Great White"
% is back.
% She plays a woman named Martha.
% They meet on a road trip.
% Lake and Jimmy are two men
% in their 40's.
% They were foster brothers
% when they were young.
% And now they're reconnecting
% on this road trip, and kind of
% coming apart at the same time.
% Again, it's very serious,
% actually some very serious
% moments to it.
% And yet, there's a lot of comedy
% that people, who did like
% "Going Great White"
% will see some of that flavor.
% >> You brought a clip for us.
% >> An early trailer.
% >> Let's see it.
% It will be the world premiere.
% Let's see a trailer from
% "Lake Jimmy."
% >> Jimmy, I want you
% to listen carefully
% about what I'm going
% to tell you.
% ♪ ♪
% >> Hi, Jim, your brother's here.
% >> That's odd,
% because I don't have a brother.
% >> Well, he says
% he's your brother.
% >> What do you want Lake?
% >> I need dad's car.
% >> You want to take my car
% to Philadelphia?
% You're not taking it anywhere.
% What's so important?
% >> I want a chance
% to be your brother.
% ♪ When rules that ♪
% ♪ We live by ♪
% ♪ To govern ♪
% ♪ The good life... ♪
% >> Get out of the car.
% Give me the keys!
% Out of the car!
% >> I'm not giving you the keys!
% >> Get out of the car!
% ♪ ♪
% ♪ No sense of ♪
% ♪ Adventure... ♪
% >> You know what?
% I've asked for a brother
% for the last 30 years.
% And now all of a sudden,
% you want a brother?
% ♪ Your head's so level ♪
% ♪ You can't see ♪
% ♪ The end all ♪
% ♪ It's a different ♪
% ♪ Point of view... ♪
% >> How you going to get her
% over here?
% She's looking at you.
% She's waiting for you, now.
% She's throwing the pitch.
% What are you going to do
% with it?
% >> I'm not going to do anything.
% >> What did you do
% when we were kids?
% I threw you the pitch.
% What did you do?
% Do the same thing.
% Hit a home run.
% >> I never hit a home run.
% ♪ ♪
% >> That looks great.
% I look forward to seeing it.
% Thank you, Frank,
% very much for joining us.
% >> Thank you.
% >> And thank you all of you
% for watchingDirector's Cut.
% For more information on today's
% film, or to learn more about
% Frank Sommers and Frank Caruso,
% and where to find out where you
% can pick up a copy of this film,
% please go to our Web site:
% wpt.org/directorscut.
% While you're there,
% send us an email.
% We would love to hear from you.
% I'm your host,
% Charles Monroe-Kane.
% For everyone here
% atDirector's Cut,thank you
% very much for joining us.
% Check the gate.