THE FINAL MISSION, 17min., USA
Directed by Winston James
Three unruly friends on the run from the law try to find out who among them may have provided secret information to law enforcement.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
At the time I wanted to make a film that was of current events and suspenseful. And we were constantly hearing and seeing in the news about violence, gangs and law enforcement. So from that came the motivation to write a suspense film in the crime genre.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Five years. This was mostly due to a long pickup shoot which was two years after the original shoot when editing was almost complete. The pickup shoot was the standoff which we believed and realized would be best to end the film. Then after the pickup shoot that’s when full post production began besides just editing. It included music, sound effects, color correction, voice overs, original song, special fx, credit listing, a teaser, and so much more. The budget for post-production kept fluctuating as it was the funds that I earned from my real job to get professionals to complete the film. So there were post gaps of weeks or months at times. Also, there was a major project that I produced with another company which I was obligated to work on which took about a year to complete and which culminated with a concert presentation overseas. But actually, the time away from the film was good because when I got back to finishing up the film it’s as though I could better see the big picture in the story and production, and fresh ideas and a boost of new creative energy came to me that wasn’t there previously which greatly helped to properly finalize the film.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Suspenseful thriller

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The budget in post production and some other unrelated responsibilities.

5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution.

What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
Production

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
Shortly before I left the teaching field I realized that it would be fun to audition for a low budget feature in my neighborhood at the time in which the ad was posted at a local store. I got a small part but saw that the director was new and appeared not to know much about filmmaking or production. I was able to assist and help him in multiple ways including camera angles since I was a video and media major in school, and he was glad for the suggestions. Including me offering to shoot still photos and behind the scenes video shorts on set which he never thought was needed. Now before production was done, I read the full screenplay and advised him that I can no longer take the part because of some of the vulgar language and things that my character does in the story. And as a schoolteacher at the time I could have eventually wound up getting fired for being publicly seen like that. He understood, and fortunately my few scenes weren’t shot yet and I also decided to just fully leave the production at that point. About a year later I saw a big ad on a van for the film and that’s when I realized that I can also do the same thing since I was able to help him with production. At that point I started to study the craft through books, videos and directors’ commentaries, and then realized that filmmaking is what I’m really interested in doing.

7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
‘Taxi Driver.’ But then also ‘Coming To America,’ since I also enjoy comedy.

8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
James Cameron

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
The experience has been nice. The platform is simple, interactive, easy to use and keeps me well informed.

10. What is your favorite meal?
I don’t have a favorite meal, but chicken, fish and pasta are always nice.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I have some screenplays written and ready, but when or if they’ll go into production hasn’t been decided yet.