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Meet the Filmmaker: Greg Eakins, “Meddling in Murder”

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
GE: When I was in High School I thought it would be cool to make video games; I looked into it and quickly realized that it involved a lot of math and coding which was not exactly my strong suit. But I still gravitated towards the storytelling aspect of gaming. Around this time was when DVDs were becoming the norm, and I loved watching all of the behind the scenes content from my favorite films. The final straw was making a short film for an English project with some friends; at that point I was hooked with the process and decided to go to film school at CU.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
GE: Meddling in Murder is a film my team made for the 100 Hour Film Race back in December. The format of this contest was similar to the 48 Hour Film Project which we have done many times, but obviously twice as much time to work with so I am pretty pleased with the end result. It was selected as a finalist in the competition and screened in February in Marietta, Georgia at that award ceremony. This will be the first Colorado screening of the film so many of the cast and crew will be in attendance, and I am submitting it to a few other festivals as well after this.

Q: What else are you working on?
GE: The next thing will probably be the 48 Hour Film Project in August, this will be my ninth and Anthony’s eleventh time doing it. I always have a great time making the film and seeing it along with all of the other awesome work by the Denver film community.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
GE: Anthony has played variations of this same character, “Les Corman” in four of our short films. At various times he has been either an out of work, struggling, or highly successful actor, and he actually died in one of the films but he somehow keeps coming back! It may be time to retire him at this point.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work? My website is www.runningriotpictures.com, also our Youtube channel
GE: Running Riot Pictures if you care to look back at my college/early work! It mostly sucks!

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
GE: I only met Patrick a few times and didn’t know him well but I know that he is sorely missed in the community and I hope that the EFP can continue on giving new artists a place to share their work with others in a public forum. I’ve been lucky to screen a few films at the EFP, it’s wonderful that Denver has this program available to help up and coming filmmakers break into Colorado’s blossoming film industry.

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Meet the Filmmaker: Grant Worden, “Arm in Arm”

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
GW: It was the one thing all the voices in my head could agree on.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
GW: Arm in Arm is a reimaging of Peter Pan, following a jaded Wendy Darling after a vicious attack and the struggle as a Police Detective years later.

Q: What else are you working on?
GW: I am currently finishing up my Colorado Film School senior thesis – “Open Mic Night.” It will premiere May 2018.
Continuing rewrites on a feature screenplay called, Calvin the Only.
I recently started a producer internship position with InJoy Health Education.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
ABOUT ME:
When I am not writing
ABOUT ARM IN ARM:
All Nico Dagger wanted all the tattoos to be real // was going to get WOLF tattooed on his knuckles. Nico Dagger stars as WOLF (Capt. Hook).
The fight scene and choking/hit scene were all choreographed by Dylan Welter, Shannon Malloy, Nico Dagger and myself. This was my first time choreographing a fight scene… and it took place in a residential neighborhood. WOOF!

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
GW: Website: www.Ghimselfproductions.com

Directing Reel: https://youtu.be/-WIjEK3c6Mk

Twitter: Grant Worden / @grannn14

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantiworden/

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
GW: Thank you for honoring my cast and crews great work the two months in a row! Showing Losing Faith in March was a treat! Participating in the EFP has been a wonderful experience and I cannot wait to meet… anyone really. Thank you to Mike, Eileen, and Patrick for all their hard work! See you at the BUG THEATRE April 19th! Cheers.

Arm in Arm will screen at The Emerging Filmmakers Project on Thursday, April 19th at The Bug Theatre.

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Meet the Filmmaker: Lily O’Dowd, “Call Me If You Get This”

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
L: I’ve wanted to be a filmmaker since I was 9 years old and saw a “behind the scenes” for the Nick Cage Ghost Rider movie. The director got to go up in a really tall crane and I thought that looked fun. The rest all kind of spiraled from there.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
L: Call Me If You Get This is audio documentary and visual fiction. The voice overs are my real and actual voicemail box, including real and actual voicemails from my ex-boyfriend who I dumped upon figuring out I was a lesbian. All actors are unprofessional (as you can probably tell) including my friends, dog, younger sister, and grandma. This is the first ever theatrical screening of Call Me If You Get This.

Q: What else are you working on?
L: I’m currently working on getting over 5 hours of sleep a night and remembering to eat vegetables. Also maybe some films.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
L: I try to put my younger sister in as many of them as I can.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
L: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfp3Xf85n8TKiTDvJJC_Qzw

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
L: Thank you EFP for giving me a chance to show case my work. It’s really great to see my low-fi, $0 budget, experimental short on a big screen and it’s nice to have a platform other than my mom showing it to people on her phone. Thanks for supporting not just me, but other new filmmakers.

Call Me If You Get This will screen at The Emerging Filmmakers Project on Thursday, April 19th at The Bug Theatre.

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Meet the Filmmakers: Jeff Payne and Julie Engle, “The Most Wonderful Time in the West”

Q: Why did you become a filmmaker?
Jeff: I’ve always loved writing. When I was in my 20’s and learned that you can write movies I got into screen writing. Directing and editing came out of that.
Julie: I am inspired by my husband’s passion for creativity. I want to make movies because it is one of the most challenging things we can do as a couple.

Q: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
J&J: Every year around the holidays we make a short film instead of sending out cards. This was our biggest film to date: a western to take advantage of the Colorado landscape. So far it’s only screened at our home during our annual cookie party, and on Vimeo for out-of-town friends and family.

Q: What else are you working on?
J&J: We are writing a feature length screenplay and in pre-production mode for next year’s holiday movie.

Q: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
J&J: We limit ourselves to one assistant per shoot day. This is in attempt to keep the final product under lock and key.

Q: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
J&J: Vimeo or jeffpaynevideo.com, which I use for freelancing.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
J&J: It’s an important thing for filmmakers to see their work on screen with an audience. For the EFP to provide that to filmmakers makes them an invaluable organization for the film community.

The Most Wonderful Time in the West will screen at The Emerging Filmmakers Project on Thursday, April 19th at The Bug Theatre.