A Parody Rises (trailer) | https://www.facebook.com/ARWorksFilms
Meet Alexander Rhodes-Wilmere. Alexander is currently in post-production on a film called A Parody Rises, a film made in Colorado for the fans and by the fans to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Batman. He’ll be screening the trailer for A Parody Rises at the October EFP, and Eileen recently sat down with him to discuss the film and the other projects he currently has on his plate.
EA: Why did you become a filmmaker?
ARW: My father introduced me to Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park at an early age. Those movies have a tone and ideas that something so bold and imaginative was possible created a spark. I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life right then and there.
EA: What are we going to see at the EFP? Has it screened elsewhere and what are your plans for it?
ARW: This is a trailer for our film A Parody Rises, now set to release in time for Batman’s 75th anniversary. It was first screened at Unity Film Festival a few months back.
EA: What else are you working on?
ARW: It’s a busy time for me. I’m currently in Post Production on A Parody Rises, Union of the Night (directed by Matthew Plumb), The S-Word (directed by Jesse Stewart) and two new short films produced and directed by myself (Father Knows Best, And This Boy Had One) all of which will be released by December this year.
EA: Tell us one weird thing about you and/or your movies?
ARW: My parents knew I was going to be a director even before I knew I wanted to be one because I always bossed around the other kids (and sometimes adults) on the playground and made them re-enact scenes from movies like Jurassic Park with me. For some reason my friends’ parents weren’t too understanding when I’d make emphatic house calls to their children about shooting schedules. That sort of thing was weird for third graders I guess!
I’ve always felt like I wanted to try every genre once but I never thought we’d be making a parody. Suddenly we’re deep in a huge production involving a man running around in a bat suit – which seemed just goofy enough and then it started to make sense. I try to make sure that every film I produce has it’s own unique energy and I try to avoid decisions that I think will result in my own personality overflowing on screen from film to film. That’s the most exciting part of it all. The problem I find is that the more I try and do this the more I solidify my own style as a filmmaker. I try to be as objective as possible – but somehow you can always tell where it came from and why. I hope to make a movie some day that seems foreign to me years later.
EA: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
ARW: ARWorks Productions has a Facebook page, Vimeo and Youtube. You can find updates for A Parody Rises as we move towards release – as well as dozens of other films produced by us and other local filmmakers across the states.
http://www.youtube.com/ARWorksProductions
https://www.facebook.com/ARWorksFilms
EA: Is there anything you’d like to say about The Emerging Filmmakers Project?
ARW: It’s exciting that there are so many options and opportunities to see indie films here in Denver. The fact that EFP happens every month in support of the indie community is overwhelmingly cool and I’m looking forward to seeing how EFP evolves over time.
A Parody Rises (trailer) will screen October 17th at The Emerging Filmmakers Project.
